Going in Circles

2 days - All levels

Learn to do pieced circles with ease and without pinning. Create a small (32 x 32) unique quilt while learning to piece circles, unusual strip sets, and do Carol’s trademark circular quilting to complete the look. Start with piecing simple circles that are cut improvisationally and move on to more complex circles. Carol will show how to make and use unusual strip sets to complete the quilt. All work is done with a minimal amount of measuring to free you up and allow you to think out of the box. You’ll also learn how to finish your quilts with facings instead of bindings.

Taught by: Carol Taylor

Supply List

Sewing machine: clean, well oiled, with all it’s feet, pedal and cord, and several bobbins. Bring an extension cord if possible. Optional: ¼” foot and a free motion foot will be extremely helpful, and if you have a knee lift, bring it as it makes sewing circles easier.
Basic sewing supplies: scissors, pins, thread (medium gray works for using lots of varied fabrics and still sewing with the same thread).
Rotary cutter and mat. BE sure to have a NEW SHARP blade as we will be cutting through layers.
Rulers: ALL of these are not required, but you’ll like having these various sizes of rulers!!! We will use the rulers more to trim than to measure with.

            4” x 4” small see thru ruler to trim the 24 blocks

          6” x 24” see thru ruler to cut strips and square up

            9 ½” square see thru ruler to make backgrounds square up

Small Fabric sandwich: (about 12 x 12ish) to practice quilting the circles for your final piece. Black on top will show best, and any fabric on the back, and cotton or wool batting in the middle.
Threads to finish your quilt: You may bring your own decorative threads to use in class.

Fabric:

12-24 choices that go together. Bring as much fabric as you like. Variety is more essential than quantity.

Choose a multicolored fabric with at least 3-6 colors or values in it to base the color scheme for your quilt around it. Cut and use it with the others you choose for the squares and strips.
Bring other fabrics to coordinate and contrast with your main fabric. You won’t need lots of each (a fat quarter will do), but you will want to remember to bring DIFFERENT values (light, medium, dark) to create contrast.
SOLID color fabrics! Be sure to include some solids! Bring the most vivid SOLIDS, solid substitutes or textured fabrics that you can find, including lots of solid black or other dark color. (See sample quilt photo).
Background for the middle circle: You can use the same fabric for the whole background as in one sample, or 4 different ones as in the other sample. These need to be solids or solid substitutes and you will need MORE of this particular fabric (1/2 yard).
Stripe of small border fabric: Black and white graphic prints will add something special….see photo of my sample quilt. Or another color for that border. You will only need four 18 x 1 ¼” strips of it.

HOMEWORK: (it will be much easier to do this cutting at home)…..

There are 24 small squares with a single quarter circle, and you will be smart to just cut 24, 5”x 5” squares at home to bring ready to go. I used 24 different fabrics, but you could repeat and use 12. Be sure to use Dark, Medium and Light values and colors that will mix and match. This will save you loads of time in class and make what you have to bring so much less. (tho I would definitely bring those same fabrics to cut strips for the strip sets in class too).

Strips: Medium and Light values only. If you cut these at home, there is a lot less to bring and it will save you time. Cut a selvedge to selvedge strip off each Medium or Light value fabric that is 2” OR 2 ½” wide. For instance, if you have 24 fabrics, cut half (12) as 2” strips and half (12 ) as 2 ½” strips. (if you are working from fat quarters, just cut 18” length in strips, but make 2 of each).
For the very DARK fabrics you need to cut them into only 5/8” strips and you’ll need 10-12 of these dark value strips in total, so you can repeat fabrics if you don’t have enough dark ones, or just use one dark fabric as in the samples.

OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:

Iron and Small Ironing pad: Optional, but you’ll love having it on your own table.
Flannel Design Wall: Not required, but it would be helpful to have a flannel board to lay your quilt out on….this can be an actual folding board, a flannel backed table cloth, or even just some felt, flannel, or batting to hang on a wall and use as a design board to arrange your quilt components. Be sure to have a way to attach it to the wall (duck tape?) and some pins to pin things on when you know where you want them.
Zip lock bags to keep your components in to carry home would be handy.