Class List
Conference registration includes 10 classes you pick from our menu of class options during our time at sea. Below is a partial list of classes that will be offered. Students – please watch for an email in mid April to begin submitting class preferences. All classes will be taught lecture style. All classes will have less than 20 students.
Classes are grouped by educator and in alphabetical order of educator’s last name.
Vida Anderson
CS7 For Beginners
Educator: Vida Anderson
Level: Beginner
Machine: Elevate or Statler
A good foundation is key in your quilting journey with your Gammill Statler. In this class, Vida will take you on a tour of CreativeStudio 7 that will give you the foundation needed to become a confident quilter.
Should I FILL or Should I TRIM???
Educator: Vida Anderson
Level: Confident Beginner
Machine: Statler
Vida will take you through how to use FILL and TRIM and when and how to use them.
Kat Fehr
Class Title: Divide and Design
Educator: Kat Fehr
Level: Confident Beginner and up
Machine: Statler and Elevate
Class Description: Expand your pattern catalog by using nodes to divide, alter and create new quilting patterns from your existing ones. In this class, you will learn about the different types of nodes and how you can edit them in CreativeStudio. You will learn how to break a pattern apart into smaller sections, how to remove sections, how to combine two patterns, and how to alter a pattern so that it fits into a custom block and stitches out properly.
Class Title: Artfully Designed Applique
Educator: Kat Fehr
Level: Confident Beginner and up
Machine: Statler and Elevate
Class Description: In this class, you will learn how to edit patterns in Creative Studio turning them into applique patterns and blocks that you can stitch out onto a quilt while it is loaded on the frame. You’ll learn about selecting the best patterns for applique on the frame, which fabric types work best, and tips for cutting away the excess fabric while the quilt is still on the frame.
Class Title: Custom Combinations
Educator: Kat Fehr
Level: Intermediate and up
Machine: Statler and Elevate
Class Description: Learn how to enhance your custom quilts by combining computerized patterns with hand-guided quilting. Don’t be afraid to drop those belts! You will learn how to decide what to quilt in each section of the quilt, and how combing hand-guided
quilting with computerized quilting can add texture and dimension to your quilts.
Joan Knight
Draw Boundary
Educator: Joan Knight
Level: Beginner
Machine: Statler
One of the main components of CreativeStudio is the Draw Boundary
feature. It is used in both overall and custom quilting. Relocate??
Convert?? SID?? Draw Line Boundary?? There are many faces of Draw
Boundary and this class will explore them.
Concat That
Educator: Joan Knight
Level: All
Machine: Statler
Concatenation is a fun feature that will add an extra element to your
quilting or create a visual effect. Looking at overall quilting with modern
linear patterns or block backgrounds or borders with sashings will hopefully
spark your creativity to use this feature more often.
Pop and Pizzazz
Educator: Joan Knight
Level: All
Machine: Statler
Draw Text with multiple threads, “Statliquė” (appliquė on the Statler),
apply, couching, crystals, trapunto on the Statler. Give your customers a
little added extra by adding a minky name to their quilt or dress up your
own quilts.
Negative’s a Positive
Educator: Joan Knight
Level: All
Machine: Statler
Negative space doesn’t have to mean modern- think about setting
blocks, star block backgrounds, sashings, borders, and more. Techniques
will be described for each of these everyday quilts but of course, there’ll be some modern
backgrounds thrown in too.
Karen Marchetti
Surface Strategies
Educator: Karen Marchetti
Level: All
Machine: All
Class Description: Creating texture is an art – when and where to add it on a quilt top can be a difficult process. Karen will share variations of designs to showcase how fabric surfaces change by creating layers of texture. You’ll learn to take basic quilting to a new level by adding depth and texture. We’ll examine various quilting textures and how they affect designs.
Make Your Feathers Move
Educator: Karen Marchetti
Level: All
Machine: Hand Guided
Class Description: Learn some of Karen’s favorite free-formed feathers and how to adapt any feather to work for your comfort level. You’ll learn how to stretch and curve feathers so they appear to move. Utilizing this effect, the feathers will work in any area of a quilt but also hold their own beautifully. Karen uses these techniques in her all-over feather backgrounds.
Flat Factor
Educator: Karen Marchetti
Level: All
Machine: All
Class Description: Wonky borders, saggy blocks, and troublesome quilt tops? Learn some tricks of the trade in this class where Karen shares years of experience dealing with problem quilts and some fool-proof ways of fixing them!
Sherilyn Mortensen
Collage Quilting
Educator: Sherilyn Mortensen
Level: All
Machine: Hand Guided
Class Description: Collage Quilting – combine many designs into one to beautifully fill your wide open spaces.
Fresh and Fantastic Feathers
Educator: Sherilyn Mortensen
Level: All
Machine: Hand Guided
Class Description: Join Sherilyn for the ultimate guide to fresh and fantastic hand-guided feathers.
Learn to Doodle
Educator: Sherilyn Mortensen
Level: All
Machine: Hand Guided
Class Description: Learn to doodle, learn to quilt! Learn the importance of doodling to up your free-motion quilting game.
Helen Robinson
Ruler Work
Educator: Helen Robinson
Level: Confident Beginner and up
Machine: Hand Guided
Class Description: Using rulers while custom quilting can greatly enhance all kinds of custom quilting. Helen Robinson of Sew Kind of Wonderful, will explore how rulers and custom quilting work together to create a beautifully finished quilt.
Specific topics that will be explored:
– various types of rulers for custom quilting
– basics of how to use rulers on both sit-down and longarm machines
– which rulers work best on different types of machines
– multiple quilting designs that can be created with rulers
Color booklet with multiple quilting examples will be provided. Also included will be several paper quilt blocks and quilt layouts for participants to practice the discussed quilting techniques. 12+ quilts will be shown as examples of Ruler Work and Custom Quilting.
Step-by-Step Custom Quilting
Educator: Helen Robinson
Level: Confident Beginner and up
Machine: Hand Guided
Class Description: What are the steps for developing a custom quilting plan for every quilt?
Helen Robinson will outline 8 Steps to creating a custom quilting plan for any kind of quilt. Following these steps will ensure each quilt has a balance of elements that enhances the beauty of the quilt. This planned custom quilting approach works on all quilts from traditional, modern, sampler, medallion, or block layout.
Some of the topics that will be explored are:
– What is the overall quilt layout and how does that affect the custom quilting plan?
– What custom elements can be added to every quilt?
– What are the 8 steps to work through?
Color booklet with multiple quilting examples will be provided. Also included will be several quilt layouts for participants to practice and plan the discussed custom quilting techniques. 12+ quilts will be shown as examples of Step By Step Custom Quilting.
Unique Quilting for Unique Spaces
Educator: Helen Robinson
Level: Confident Beginner and up
Machine: Hand Guided
Class Description: What to quilt in this really cool space? Hmmmmm…
This is a common question we have all asked. Helen Robinson will introduce quilters to a “6 Point Process” for creating unique quilting motifs that will enhance the quilt. Participants will learn to use a combination of techniques including feathers, swirls, and geometric patterns to achieve their desired results.
Some of the topics that will be explored are:
– ruler work
– thread choice
– balancing quilting throughout the quilt
– multiple “filler” stitches
– repeatable quilt motifs
– feathers and feather variations
Color booklet with multiple quilting examples will be provided. Also included will be several paper quilt blocks for participants to practice the discussed quilting techniques. 12+ quilts will be shown as examples of Unique Quilting For Unique Spaces.
Jodi Robinson
Look Beyond the Lines
Educator: Jodi Robinson
Level: Confident Beginner and up
Machine: Hand Guided
Class Description: Learn to look beyond the Lines – A new class that teaches you how to see new designs in your stencils.
Modern Simplicity
Educator: Jodi Robinson
Level: All
Machine: Hand Guided
Class Description: Learn to create simple but effective designs that don’t need to be perfect.
Wholecloth Design
Educator: Jodi Robinson
Level: All
Machine: Hand Guided
Class Description: Learn a very simple technique to design a wholecloth.
Lisa Rogers
Clip Art to Applique
Educator: Lisa Rogers
Level: Intermediate and Advanced
Machine: Statler and Elevate
Class Description: Learn how to use Clip Art and Draw Text to create beautiful appliqued quilts on the longarm.
Business 101
Educator: Lisa Rogers
Level: All
Machine: All
Class Description: How do I set up and run a successful Longarm business? We will talk about Quilting Strategies, Customers, Pricing, Wholesale, Taxes, Business Entities and Business Records.
Jump Start to CS7
Educator: Lisa Rogers
Level: Beginner
Machine: Statler and Elevate
Class Description: Learn basic computer skills and how to navigate CS7. This class is aimed at beginners but everyone is sure to pick up some tips and tricks along the way.
Mickie Sienko
Going Round in Circles
Educator: Mickie Sienko
Level: All
Machine: Statler and CreativeStudio
Class Description: Going ’round in Circles (and Squares) Using Circular Array – using patterns already in CS, participants will learn to use these patterns to create various arrays to enhance their quilting designs.Participants should bring their laptop with SAM loaded with the most recent version of CreativeStudio. A project will be provided for the class.
One Draw Pattern; Endless Possibilities
Educator: Mickie Sienko
Level: All
Machine: Statler and CreativeStudio
Class Description: Using a simple pattern, class participants will learn how to create an endless number of patterns by making simple changes to the patterns’ properties; giving the quilt a custom look. We’ll then move on to creating block and border designs using Draw Pattern. Participants should bring their laptop with SAM loaded with the most recent version of CreativeStudio. A project will be provided for the class.
Repeat Pattern vs. Edge to Edge
Educator: Mickie Sienko
Level: All
Machine: Statler and CreativeStudio
Class Description: We’ll take an in-depth look at all aspects of these two processes and discuss how participants can take back control of the quilting process by using Repeat Patterns. Participants should bring their laptop with SAM loaded with the most recent version of CreativeStudio. A project will be provided for the class.
Norma Stark
Dream Big – Tips on Customizing Panels
Educator: Norma Stark
Level: Confident Beginner to Advanced
Machine: Statler and Elevate
Class Description:
I bought a beautiful panel – now what? Purchasing the panel is the easy part and then we freeze. There are so many beautiful panels and digital designers that give us custom choices to fit those panels. Let Norma help motivate you and share with you her tips about choosing that custom fit, stabilizing your panel, and best ways to organize and complete your custom designs for your panel. Also these same techniques can be used when making wholecloths.
Help! – Edge to Edge/Decision Making Factors
Educator: Norma Stark
Level: All Levels
Machine: Statler
Class Description: No matter your quilting experience there is always that one quilt that stumps us and we don’t know what to do. However, this is a great class for those new to Statler to discuss choices for your quilt and factors Norma uses when choosing her to edge-to-edge quilting. So many digital designs to choose from and so many quilts to quilt. This class will be very helpful for narrowing down that edge-to-edge search as you keep it “real” to the quilt and Norma shares her suggestions. Topics and techniques included will be Edge to Edge, Pattern Search, using edge to edge where Trim and Fill come in handy, Customer Choices/Tips and Lots of Quilt/Pattern Ideas for you.
Repeat That! Repeat Patterns and; Relocate Technique
Educator: Norma Stark
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Machine: Statler
Class Description: Sometimes it just works best to Repeat That! This class includes learning about Repeat patterns (why, when, and how) and how to use the Relocate technique. Yes, there is a difference in Edge to Edge and Repeat Patterns. Norma will be discussing the patterns and situations when the repeat pattern technique might be the better choice. She can’t wait to show you her very favorite tip on why she uses “Repeat Patterns.”
Georgia Stull
Edge-to-Edge from Basic to the Top of the Iceberg
Educator: Georgia Stull
Level: Beginner to Confident Beginner
Machine: Statler
All Statler users need to know many different ways to finish an E2E! Georgia will cover CreativeStudio basics, teach how to set Controller Definitions, teach shortcuts and Hot Keys, and share different methods of quilting edge-to-edge patterns. She will cover when to use E2E mode and when Repeat Pattern mode might make the job easier. She will teach you how to alternate, concatenate, trim, and fill. She will also teach you recovery methods for those times when problems arise. She always shares lots of practical tips and tidbits to help you have a great quilting experience with your Statler.
Let’s Chunk a Border
Educator: Georgia Stull
Level: Confident Beginner to Advanced
Machine: Statler
Borders can add a powerful framework for a quilt. Don’t dread adding borders! Become a pro! This class will cover as much about borders as Georgia can pack into your time together. She will start with how to choose the perfect pattern to enhance that quilt top and the preparation work that is so important. Next up, she will teach you her Easy Peasy method of quilting out those borders. (Not kidding! It really is EASY PEASY!!) She finds it unnecessary to turn most quilts, she chunks! Come chunk a border with Georgia.
Custom Quilting As Special as the Great Frontier of Alaska
Educator: Georgia Stull
Level: Advanced
Machine: Statler, Elevate
You can do custom quilting that makes a quilt extra special, and you can do it on your Statler. Quite honestly, Georgia says she doesn’t do a lot of handguiding. Okay… maybe not any handguiding. That single fact drives her to figure out ways to make CreativeStudio work for her when she is working on a custom quilt! Georgia also wants her custom quilting to be as efficient and effective as possible and she always wants it to be beautiful. She will teach you her special method of background fill. She will also cover features such as Point-to-Point, Fill, Trim, and Echo. You will become best friends with your right-click menu.
An Adventure of Tips, Tools and Tricks of the Trade
Educator: Georgia Stull
Level: All Levels
Machine: All
Sometimes, it’s the little things that make all the difference!! Georgia has been quilting for more than 17 years. Wow, what a wonderful adventure it has been. Join her as she shares so many things that have improved her life as a longarm quilter.