Log Jam – 1 day class

Log Jam: Easy Piecing, Big Impact

It’s great to have one pattern in your bag of tricks that uses big patches so the fabric’s design can be fully appreciated! Log Jam is a 63″ x 72″ throw that comes together quickly, and its generously-sized format packs a punch. If your cutting is done before class, you may get the top sewn in one day! Choose a color recipe of one, two or three colors and bring lights, mediums and darks that work together as detailed below.

Supplies:

• 18 dark background fabric strips cut 3½” x WOF (width of fabric)
• 18 medium and light fabric strips for outer logs cut 3½” x WOF
• 18 dark, medium and light fabrics cut 3½” x 13½” for innermost logs

For later:

• Binding ⅝ yard
• Batting 71″ x 80″
• Backing 4 yards Pattern required, available in class: $12

Basic sewing supplies and notions: Pins, rotary cutter, small cutting mat. Square rotary ruler 6½” x 6½” is helpful for trimming.

Asterisk – 1 day class

Asterisk: Looks Hard, Sews Easy!

These blocks are more fun than should be legal! There has never been a more enjoyable, more addictive design. Karen Griska engineered these easy blocks to look complex.

Learn the technique and then combine the blocks into a smashing design of any size you choose. Asterisks make a great scrap quilt, or you can choose a more controlled color recipe. Several ideas for color combos are shared. Also learn about value, scale and texture. A day of pure sewing bliss!

These blocks are more fun than should be legal! There has never been a more enjoyable, more addictive design. Karen Griska engineered these easy blocks to look complex.

Supplies:

Each block takes two contrasting fabrics: one square scrap 7″x7″ and one strip 1″ x WOF. Do enough pre-cutting for about 15 blocks. Be sure to include darks, mediums and lights. Each pair of fabrics should be very different from each other so the Asterisk shows up clearly against its background.

Asterisk can be completely scrappy or you can control the scrappiness by using a recipe like all blues or all reds. You could also choose two colors and use only those in darks, mediums and lights. Don’t stress too much over the fabric choices, just bring what you’ve cut and we’ll dig right in. I’ll bring some things to share with you!

Bring: Pins, rotary cutter, small cutting mat. Square rotary ruler 6½” x 6½” is helpful for trimming.

Pattern Required $12

UFO Bonanza: Solve Your Project’s Problems  1 day class

Twenty years ago, someone suggested a UFO class so quilters could get help with their problems on unfinished projects. I’ve been sharing it with filled-up classrooms ever since. Bring any UFOs (that’s quilter-language for UnFinished Objects) you’d like to jump-start and move toward a finish. Whether it’s lost pattern parts, faulty instructions, a technique beyond your skills, fabrics you hate or simply lost motivation, in this workshop you’ll get the help you need to restart, reinvent or reimagine your quilt and advance toward the finish line.

Supplies:

• Bring up to three UFOs you’d like help with.
• Bring the pattern if you still have it, and all the parts and pieces of the project you can find.
• Bring any fabric you bought for it, and if possible, a few additional fabrics that roughly coordinate with it.
• Do you have any orphan blocks or parts that might be combined with your UFO? Bring them too.
• Bring a sense of adventure and a seat belt because this can be a wild ride! A ridiculous amount of fun!

Easy Walking Foot Quilting – 1 day class

 
Learn five simple walking foot techniques and take your machine quilting to the 
next level. Walking foot quilting can be simple, effective AND beautiful! These methods 
are useful for quilts small and large. We'll begin with easy basting, and you'll leave with 
a quilted sample you can refer back to again and again as you apply your new skills to 
future projects. Let's make machine quilting fun!

Supplies 

    -1 yard solid-colored cotton fabric to use as your "quilt top"
    -1 yard of another solid-colored cotton fabric for backing
    -1Cotton or cotton/wool blend batting, 40" x 48"

Required kit, $25

Kit contents: basting supplies, thread, needles, marker.
Basting supplies, needles, thread

Tango: Fun, Easy, Scrappy Adventure  1 day class
Easy piecing has never been so entertaining! The extraordinary Tango features
graphic blocks that look hard but sew easily. This is a great stashbuster, and you
can use precut squares if you like. Learn about value, contrast, line and
scale—ideas you can apply to all your future quilts.

And…SURPRISE! This method yields bonus half-square triangles to use in
another project. We will cover many ideas for how to create with them.  It’s like
getting two-for-one!

Guidelines and Supplies
1. We will start a throw-size Tango quilt 
2. Choose a color theme for your quilt. It can be one, two or three colors, or it can be a theme like Christmas or autumn.

OPTION 1:

• Bring 50 10″ squares of fabrics that fit into your theme. These should be mediums and darks. You can have 50 different fabrics, or as few as 10 fabrics. You’ll like it better if you have more! Select all different kinds within your color scheme: florals, geometrics, plaids, stripes, dots. Bring lots of variety. Dig into your scrap bags, leftovers, and uglies.
• If you’re unsure about something, bring it along and I will help you!
• 2¾ yards of a light neutral print to contrast with the fabrics above such as white, cream, tan or light gray. It could be a light color like soft blue or pink. Think of this as your background. Pre-cut this into 96 squares, 5-1/2″ x 5-1/2″

OPTION 2:

• Bring 50 10″ squares of lights and mediums in your theme.
• 2¾ yards of a dark neutral to contrast with the above fabrics: charcoal, blackish brown, navy, etc. Think of this as your background. Pre-cut this into 96 squares, 5-1/2″ x 5-1/2″.
• This technique generates enough bonus units to make a baby quilt or to start another project which can be something completely different from this one. Class includes ideas!

SUPPLIES:

• Basic sewing supplies: fabric shears, scissors, pins, neutral-colored thread.
• Basic cutting supplies: mat, ruler, rotary cutter.
• One ruler should be at least 15″ long, OR Fons & Porter quarter inch seam markers, extra long, you’ll need the 18″; one.
• Important: A mechanical pencil and a white-lead mechanical pencil if your fabric is dark on the wrong side.

StarQuar Scrap Quilts: Endless Ideas  1 day class 

Cut scraps into one useful patch size and make blocks without any fuss at all. Let Diane Harris of Stash Bandit show you the secrets to great scrap quilts!
Learn a fast and simple way to turn your scrap stash into a gorgeous starry sky—and so much more! Any fabrics work into these quilts beautifully so you can use leftovers or your most favorite fabrics. Concepts include value, contrast, color, scale, difficult prints and more plus many ideas for using these units in a variety of ways. You’ll catch a vision for how diverse fabrics can work together and become something much greater than the sum of their parts. StarQuar scrap quilts could not be more fun!!! Skill level: Confident beginner and beyond.

Supplies
1. Scraps of any and all lights, mediums and darks, minimum size 2½” square blocks; bring a few hundred squares. I will also have precut scrap packs for sale in class, use these instead of or in addition to your own scraps.
2. Marking tools: regular mechanical pencil and a white mechanical pencil
3. Small ruler (at least 4″  long) for marking (square, rectangular or half-inch wide is fine)
4. Sharp fabric shears (no longer than a 4″ blade)
5. Rotary cuter, ruler (4½”; x 18½”; is great for travel) and small cutting mat

Important Preparation:
These blocks are all made from just one patch size: 2½”x 2½”. Before class, cut your scraps into 2 1/2″ squares. You can also cut up fat quarters or yardage or Jelly Rolls, but variety is the key! You can choose a color scheme or you can use all the colors together. I recommend using everything to get started!

Good to know: It takes a total of 6 squares to make one StarQuar unit. I often use 3 of one color and 3 of a different contrasting color. All 3 squares do not have to match exactly. In class I will show you how I iron and cut my scraps to save time.

Hand-Look Binding by Machine + Magic Binding  1 day class

Learn an easy and reliable method for binding your quilts with this technique that looks as pretty as a hand-sewn finish.

You’ll practice all the steps in class and leave well-equipped to bind your next quilt in a fraction of the time. Now you can finish a quilt more quickly and still be proud of the edges. This binding method is fast, sturdy and beautiful. Suitable for all skill levels. In a related technique, learn to apply Magic Binding, which features a small flange of a contrasting color. Easy to do and looks amazing.

Supplies

• Two fat quarters of any quilting-weight cotton fabric for practice quilt “sandwiches.” 

• Two rectangles of cotton or cotton/wool blend batting about 11″ x 19″. No polyester batting as it’s too puffy.
• ½ yard of any quilting-weight cotton fabric for binding.
• One strip of a quilting weight cotton fabric in a contrasting color, cut 1¾” wide by the width of the fabric. 

• Rotary cutter with fresh blade, a rotary ruler 4½” x 18½”, small rotary cutting mat.

Important Preparation: Cut each fat quarter in half so that it’s about 10″ x 18″. Layer fabric, then batting, then fabric using #1 and #2 above to make a practice quilt sandwich. Repeat with the other fabric/batting/fabric set for two practice “quilts” to bind. 
 Attach walking foot to your sewing machine. Quilt a big X over both practice sandwiches. Then quilt around the sandwich edges, about ½” in from the outside edge. Square up the sandwiches as needed. 
 Cut 4 binding strips from #3 above, 2-1/4″ x width of fabric. If you know how, join end to end with diagonal seams. If you don’t know how to do that, I will show you in class. Cut 1 binding strip from #3 above, 1½” x width of fabric.

Intro to Improv: Night Lights and Beyond   1 day class 

Get your head around improvisational patchwork in this exciting workshop with Diane Harris, scrap quilt specialist. Learn the basic idea behind improv, which is a fancy way of saying you make it up as you go! Understand how a few guidelines will keep things flat and stable as you unleash your creativity to make something completely unique.

We will begin with stars and then expand to include other familiar blocks. Class will be a challenging day of relaxing fun. Fair warning: Improv patchwork is addictive!

The quilt we’ll use as inspiration is Night Lights. You may create something as small or as large as you like. In the workshop, you’ll gain confidence to make several styles of stars and then see how other common blocks can also be improvised. And together we’ll explore how to make
everything fit together into a flat and quiltable top for a great finish.

We will also talk about the unusual borders of Night Lights and I’ll show you how they’re made
Other concepts we’ll cover include value, contrast, color, scale, density and composition. More than anything else, my goal is for you to fall in love with improvisational piecing and have the confidence to go forward on your own and make something you adore.

Supplies
1. Fabric: Improvisational piecing takes more fabric than traditional piecing because some trial and error is involved. Decide what color your background will be. Gather 12 fat quarters or a sack of scraps in this color. My backgrounds were all lights but darks like navy blue would be gorgeous. From across the room, they should all read as a similar color and value.
2. Stars: Gather bright and happy prints and solids from your stash or scrap bag. Some should be at least 6″ square for star centers. Most of the prints should be small in scale and should contrast with (be very different from) your backgrounds. A dozen fat quarters will get you started. You’ll make more than stars: buckle up!
3. Rotary cutter, small mat and several rulers small and medium.
4. Basic sewing supplies: Straight pins, sharp fabric scissors.
5. Border and binding: Wait.
6. I will bring scraps to share, which always makes it more fun!
7. A sense of adventure is helpful.
Required pattern and instructions: $15

Dancing with My Baby – 1 day class

            Alaska and Hawaii share a special bond being the two States not connected to Mainland USA.  Although we are opposites in many ways, we frequent each other’s homes often; Alaskans migrating south in winter, and Hawaiians migrating north in the summer.  This same migration happens each year for the Pacific humpback whale that spends the frigid winter months in the warm Hawaiian waters, and migrates north to Alaska each summer to cool off.

            The kit for this project is $79.95, plus shipping.  Kits include a pattern, all materials to complete the top and binding, with all appliques pre-cut and backed with Lite Steam-a-Seam II permanent bond fusible web.  To order your kit, please go online at www.wildfiredesignsalaska.com or call 907-394-8130 or email order@wildfiredesignsalaska.com.  Please make sure to order your kit by the end of November 2024.

Supply List  

• Pencil (mechanical pencils are great since they don’t have to be sharpened)
• Good sharp pair of thread scissors
• Rotary Cutter
• Non-stick applique pressing sheet
• Travel sized cutting board and ruler, not required but recommended
• Light Table, not required but highly recommended

Japanese Elegance: Koi Pond

            Japan’s influence on Hawaii is all around, and my favorite of these (besides the food) are the beautiful koi ponds that are seen at hotels, shopping centers and gardens.  Koi are such elegance beautiful fish, with such a variety of colors.  I love sitting and watching them swim, and I knew I would need to include them in my Japanese Elegance series.    

            The kit for this project is $89.95, plus shipping.  Kits include a pattern, all materials to complete the top and binding, with all appliques pre-cut and backed with Lite Steam-a-Seam II permanent bond fusible web.  To order your kit, please go online at www.wildfiredesignsalaska.com or call 907-394-8130 or email order@wildfiredesignsalaska.com.  Please make sure to order your kit by the end of November 2024.

Supply List  

• Pencil (mechanical pencils are great since they don’t have to be sharpened)
• Good sharp pair of thread scissors
• Rotary Cutter
• Non-stick applique pressing sheet
• Travel sized cutting board and ruler, not required but recommended
• Light Table, not required but highly recommended

Jellyfish Bloom – 1 day class

            I absolutely love watching Jellyfish gracefully dance around at aquariums.  They are such incredible creatures and mesmerizing to witness.  That is unless of course it’s on the beach where you’ll want to watch out for that sting!  Jellyfish bloom attempts to create that gentle peace you can find watching these creatures swim, but those little fish better watch out!   

            The kit for this project is $79.95, plus shipping.  Kits include a pattern, all materials to complete the top and binding, with all appliques pre-cut and backed with Lite Steam-a-Seam II permanent bond fusible web.  To order your kit, please go online at www.wildfiredesignsalaska.com or call 907-394-8130 or email order@wildfiredesignsalaska.com.  Please make sure to order your kit by the end of November 2024.

Supply List  

• Pencil (mechanical pencils are great since they don’t have to be sharpened)
• Good sharp pair of thread scissors
• Rotary Cutter
• Non-stick applique pressing sheet
• Travel sized cutting board and ruler, not required but recommended
• Light Table, not required but highly recommended

Maritime’s Most Wanted: Octopus – 1 day class

One of the most fascinating creatures in the ocean is the octopus.  I just love watching these creatures swim and reach for objects; their tentacles tightly gripping onto whatever they want.  They are both monstrous and beautiful, and continue to be an inspiration to me and a favorite to feature in my ocean themed designs.   

            The kit for this project is $82.45, plus shipping.  Kits include a pattern, all materials to complete the top and binding, with all appliques pre-cut and backed with Lite Steam-a-Seam II permanent bond fusible web.  To order your kit, please go online at www.wildfiredesignsalaska.com or call 907-394-8130 or email order@wildfiredesignsalaska.com.  Please make sure to order your kit by the end of November 2024.

Supply List  

• Pencil (mechanical pencils are great since they don’t have to be sharpened)
• Good sharp pair of thread scissors
• Rotary Cutter
• Non-stick applique pressing sheet
• Travel sized cutting board and ruler, not required but recommended
• Light Table, not required but highly recommended

Seagulls – 1 day class

Seagulls get a lot of slack from people, but a day at the beach wouldn’t be the same without their calls.  Although they can be a nuisance to some, they are a permanent feature of ocean life and really quite beautiful birds.  This one is sitting atop a post with another ocean themed favorite, the Japanese glass buoy.

The kit for this project is $80.45, plus shipping.  Kits include a pattern, all materials to complete the top and binding, with all appliques pre-cut and backed with Lite Steam-a-Seam II permanent bond fusible web.  To order your kit, please go online at www.wildfiredesignsalaska.com or call 907-394-8130 or email order@wildfiredesignsalaska.com.  Please make sure to order your kit by the end of November 2024.

Supply List  

• Pencil (mechanical pencils are great since they don’t have to be sharpened)
• Good sharp pair of thread scissors
• Rotary Cutter
• Non-stick applique pressing sheet
• Travel sized cutting board and ruler, not required but recommended
• Light Table, not required but highly recommended

Hawaiian Florals: Plumeria

For me the thing that takes me back to Hawaii in an instant is the smell of plumeria.  These have always been my favorite flowers in Hawaii.  When the plumeria trees are in bloom, the smell of them permeates the wind and the combination of ocean salty air is one of the best fragrances in the world.  This design was made for our cruise to celebrate my favorite Hawaiian flower. 

            The kit for this project is $85.95, plus shipping.  Kits include a pattern, all materials to complete the top and binding, with all appliques pre-cut and backed with Lite Steam-a-Seam II permanent bond fusible web.  To order your kit, call 907-394-8130 or email order@wildfiredesignsalaska.com.  This kit will not be available to purchase online as it is exclusive to the cruise.  Please make sure to order your kit by the end of November 2024.

Supply List  

• Pencil (mechanical pencils are great since they don’t have to be sharpened)
• Good sharp pair of thread scissors
• Rotary Cutter
• Non-stick applique pressing sheet
• Travel sized cutting board and ruler, not required but recommended
• Light Table, not required but highly recommended

Along the Shores: Sandpipers – 1 day class

My mother loves sandpipers, and when I designed the Along the Shores batik line I knew I would have to include these little birds for her.  As I researched the many different types of sandpipers in Alaska and beyond I found the Western Sandpiper to be my favorite because of its cute round little body.  They are found in Alaska in the summer, and winter all along the Pacific coast, occasionally visiting Hawaii.  Just like a true Alaskan. 

            The kit for this project is $78.45, plus shipping.  Kits include a pattern, all materials to complete the top and binding, with all appliques pre-cut and backed with Lite Steam-a-Seam II permanent bond fusible web.  To order your kit, please go online at www.wildfiredesignsalaska.com or call 907-394-8130 or email order@wildfiredesignsalaska.com.  Please make sure to order your kit by the end of November 2024.

Supply List  

• Pencil (mechanical pencils are great since they don’t have to be sharpened)
• Good sharp pair of thread scissors
• Rotary Cutter
• Non-stick applique pressing sheet
• Travel sized cutting board and ruler, not required but recommended
• Light Table, not required but highly recommended

Hawaiian Florals: Hibiscus

Often if you think of items that represent Hawaii the hibiscus flower will be one of the things that come to your mind.  These flowers come in a rainbow of colors and are found everywhere.  Depictions of them are placed on everything from beach towels, to clothing, surf boards and tattoos.  As Hawaii’s State flower, the hibiscus holds its role well representing the beautiful Hawaiian Islands.  This design was made for our cruise to celebrate Hawaii’s most famous flower. 

            The kit for this project is $85.95, plus shipping.  Kits include a pattern, all materials to complete the top and binding, with all appliques pre-cut and backed with Lite Steam-a-Seam II permanent bond fusible web.  To order your kit, call 907-394-8130 or email order@wildfiredesignsalaska.com.  This kit will not be available to purchase online as it is exclusive to the cruise.  Please make sure to order your kit by the end of November 2024.

Supply List  

• Pencil (mechanical pencils are great since they don’t have to be sharpened)
• Good sharp pair of thread scissors
• Rotary Cutter
• Non-stick applique pressing sheet
• Travel sized cutting board and ruler, not required but recommended
• Light Table, not required but highly recommended