Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Teaching at AQS Des Moines Show in October!

"Podflowers, Froth, Diane-shiko, Pearls...."

After taking some time off from travel and teaching, I have signed on to teach at the AQS Show in Des Moines, IA this October 3-6, '12.  I know many have emailed me regarding my schedule, so I am hoping to see some of you at this event.  You can get all the information at www.americanquilter.com under the "Quilt Shows" menu. 

I'll be teaching some 3-hour classes, and two 6-hour classes geared for home machine quilters. 

There is always a bit of repetition in all of these if you do sign up for more than one, so be prepared to hear some of the info each time.  What we quilt will be different in all of them.  If you want to learn some tips on good free motion quilting, any of the classes will be fine, so don't stress about which one to take.  If you register early you'll be able to choose which one will work best for you.

In the "It's Bananas!" class I'll show you how to quilt this beautiful design, and we'll try some different threads, combine with them with other motifs (if there is time).  In a short class like this I try to spend time with each student so I can give you some individual help, and the rest is instruction for the entire class.   Because the size of the class is large and time is so limited, there is only a short time to be spent with you individually.  I believe because we will have provided machines there will be reps from the company there to help everyone with the machines.

One six-hour class is  all about Perfecting your Machine Quilting.  We'll problem solve, get good stitches, and work on some pretty motifs.  I think it will be a great day.

The other day class is  all about learning to quilt free motion freehand echo feathers.  We'll start easy and work up to some more intricate designs.  These are organic but can be made to look very formal, so it works for both styles of quilting.  Again, we'll also talk about stitch quality, consistency, tension, thread choices, etc. 


Come prepared to dive right in, take some notes, quilt on a provided machine (I think I'll have Berninas but that can always change).  Then you go home, relax, do it some more on your own machine and use the class materials as your reference. 

If you practice some more at home before the class info fades away it helps so much to reinforce what you learn.  Then go ahead and use it in a real quilt. 

Sometimes it's a good idea to prepare something ahead of time to quilt so when you GET HOME there won't be any wasted time.  Also, think of it as a "sacrifice quilt," don't worry if there will be mistakes made in it.  Feel free to experiment on it as you learn to improve you quilting. 

If you have questions about the class, what to bring, your experience, etc., email me ahead of time:  dianequilter@sbcglobal.net

I'm so looking forward to a lovely fall drive to Des Moines, and meeting many quilters I've not had the chance to work with so far.  And of course, seeing a splendid quilt show too.  Oliver says, "Be there!"



Stay cool in this scorching heat,
Diane

10 comments:

Jessim said...

I've already signed up for the Perfecting your Machine Quilting class. I am SO excited! I've explored beginner level FMQing and am ready to take it up a notch. I've never taken a class, so I can't wait to hear what you have to say.

Diane Gaudynski said...

Jessim, wow you are fast! I think that is the best class for you and we do get quite a bit done in one day, no breathing allowed though, LOL.

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

oh wow!! To have that kind of control over your FMQ....it still intimidates me....but trying.

What Comes Next? said...

oh I wish I could be there. Unfortunately, just not possible, but I will practice my quilting using your books as reference and pretend I'm there!

SewCalGal said...

What a wonderful opportunity. I will definitely share with those participating in the 2012 FMQ Challenge and encourage everyone to sign up. Logistics for me are difficult, coming from Southern Cal., but I'm going to investigate and see if I can swing this. I'd so love to attend another class with you.

SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

PS - Oliver looks so cute.

M and M plus 3 said...

I am so excited to hear this Diane. I want to take one of your classes so bad. I'll be there for sure! I'm off now to see when registration opens.

Diane Gaudynski said...

It will be great to see many of you in Des Moines - be sure and let me know if you've been part of SewCalGal's FMQ Challenge too. I have seen the most incredible results so far from so many quilters around the world from this series of tutorials, excellent.

For those who cannot take classes, go ahead and work on your own, build your skills little by little. It takes awhile but it will happen, when all the bits and pieces you learn come together and your work will be more controlled as well as artistic.

Don't worry about ruining a quilt - it will be better than you think, and there is always the next quilt top to quilt.


I am self-taught, inspired by quilting I saw in shows and publications (no internet in those days), and learned by quilting, analyzing, finding ways to make it go better, repeating the good until it became automatic, and always trying to improve my work. I quilted a lot, and that makes all the difference.

I'm looking forward to Des Moines and meeting many of you, and working with you in classes there.

Joannag said...

Oh, Diane, your work is so beautiful, and I love the new pods! Wish I could join you at your next classes.
Could you tell us what kind of fabric and threads you used in these samples? Thank you!

Joanna

Diane Gaudynski said...

Thanks Joannag! On the green podflower sample I used one of my favorite fabrics, Caryl Bryer Fallert's Gradations by Benartex. The feather is on another favorite, Cherrywood's hand dyed sueded cotton. Both of these are great for their colors and the way they accept machine quilting stitches. I pre-wash my fabrics too.

Ulla's Quilt World said...

That is so lovely as always! :)
http://quiltworld2.blogspot.fi/
Hugs, Ulla (from Finland)