All of my Piecing classes incorporate teaching about color, value and design that you will use in your future quilts to bring them to life!
I can teach all my piecing classes live online through my Zoom video conferencing account. I use a combination of live instruction, slides and prerecorded video. I can see student work and provide feedback.
Amazing Abstracts
Create an abstract quilt that has amazing movement and drama. Go from inspiration to a simple sketch, then have fun “coloring” your sketch with bits of fabric to create a mock-up of your design – see before you sew! The design is gridded and blocks are foundation pieced using an easy sew and flip method with room for creativity and improvisation. Lots of discussion of design principles and how to use color and value to create the drama and desired effects. Based on the techniques of Ursula Kern (with her permission of course!).
– For 1 day classes, students will start with a base pattern of spiral or a star burst and add their own coloration and value choices. Most participants will complete several blocks in class.
– For 2+ day classes, students also have the option of designing their own pattern. Most participants will complete several blocks in class.
Download the Amazing Abstracts – Supply List and Description short version – J Graves here.
See Amazing Abstracts gallery for more quilts done with this technique.
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Fan Pan Expan (Fantastic Panel Expansion)
Learn the same techniques used in my Amazing Abstracts class (see above), but using a panel as the foundation of your quilt. This greatly simplifies your color and design choices. You will build upon your panel and design surrounding blocks to expand the panel. Full day class.
Shimmering Triangles
Make this gorgeous quilt that gives the effect of water rippling in a stream. It is a perfect pattern to showcase beautiful fabric, especially large scale prints. You will achieve the shimmer by applying easy to understand color and value concepts that you can also use to enhance all your future quilts! This quilt looks complicated, but is actually quite easy to construct. You will learn a quick piecing method for half-square triangles with perfect points. You will use Jenny Bowker’s pattern with an instructor indorsed by Jenny herself. Pattern fee of $18. By the end of class, you should have a design layout for your fabrics, completed several blocks, and understand how to complete your quilt on your own. Full day class.
Endorsement from Jenny Bowker, the pattern designer on the pattern’s facebook page: “Julia Graves actually it really isn’t easy to teach as there are multiple ideas to cover and it involves a lot more thought and design than most quilt patterns. It is almost more of a concept than a pattern. You are just a very good teacher.”
See more great Shimmering Quilts on Facebook!
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Download the Shimmering Triangles Supply List – short version here.
A House for Every Season
I love house blocks and I love experimenting with color, so I decided to do a quilt with the colors informing the season – Spring becoming Summer, then Fall and Winter, and the cycle begins again! A fun pattern that lets you use up a LOT of scraps and learn about the three aspects of color – hue, value and intensity – and how to use color to create the mood you’re looking for. I had so much fun finding cute little novelty scraps to put in the doorway. Inspired by Ecclesiastes 3:1 – There is a season for everything…
Pattern is for a 48” x 68” finished quilt using a 6” finished block, but this pattern easily scales to any size quilt.
You will leave class with a better understanding of color and how to use color to create mood. Most participants will complete several blocks in class. Pattern fee of $8 – order here. Full day class; Half day version will go through the entire process and focus on fabric selection; students will not accomplish much sewing.
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Scrap Quilts with Flair
Learn fun and easy ways to combine scraps (especially crumbs and strings – those small bits and narrow strips) and fabric stash to set them off to their best advantage and make gorgeous quilts. Build color confidence and identify what makes your heart sing. This is not a project class (no UFO!) but an incubation workshop to generate plenty of ideas for future quilts and generate the confidence and motivation to use those scraps and your fabric stash.
Available in half day and full day formats. Half day classes will cover all the same content, including time for students to identify a quilt design and color scheme they may want to pursue to completion, but will NOT involve any sewing. Full day classes have time for students to sew sample blocks and do more experimentation.
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Collage Scrap Quilt
Create a quick and easy raw edge collage quilt in your choice of size that features bits and pieces of focus fabric surrounded by a supporting cast of scraps or precuts. Lay out your fabric pieces directly on batting, layer with backing, then stitch the scraps down at the same time as you quilt the sandwich. No piecing involved! Make the entire quilt in just a few hours and bust that scrap stash at the same time! The true value of this class is that you will learn the color secrets to combining scraps to create a cohesive whole.
Available in half day and full day formats. In a full day class, students can expect to complete their layout and get a good start on quilting. In a ½ day class, most students will complete their layout on a small quilt and be ready to quilt at home, so a sewing machine is optional.
Color Exploration
Learn how to select colors and fabrics for your quilts that make them sing and give them that extra zing! We will play with fabric and have fun completing several hands-on activities to see how colors interact to create mood, depth, balance and movement. We will make friends with the color wheel and use this easy and versatile tool to select successful eye-catching color combinations for quilt blocks, borders and thread. We will also discuss tips on how to fix color combinations that just don’t seem to be working. You will leave class with a better understanding of how colors interact and plenty of color scheme ideas for future quilts. Half day class; full day class will incorporate additional exercises and discuss how to achieve color effects including transparency and depth.
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Landscape Quilts
Take a favorite photo and recreate it in fabric. What a wonderful way to remember a favorite trip or vacation spot! We will discuss simplifying the design and creating a pattern, then review techniques to accomplish the design, including piecing, fusing or applique. Class includes many tips on how to achieve the effect you want with the least amount of fuss. We also discuss how to create depth using perspective, shading and color.
You will leave class with a roadmap of how to accomplish your chosen design. Full day class. This class is limited to 12 students due to the amount of individual attention needed.
See my Rates page for pricing and my Calendar page for when I’m teaching. I also teach classes on Machine Quilting (in person only) and Specialty topics, like tarting your own Business. I also provide fun and informative Lectures.
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