Fig Leaf News
Dear Friends,
I hope all of you are holding up under the pressure of getting ready for the holidays. I wanted to touch base with you on a few things and thought I’d send the next class schedule at the same time.
I want to thank all of you who donated quilts for the nursing home. As of yesterday, we had received fifty-six quilts! They are absolutely beautiful! If you would like to see what has been donated so far, visit us on Facebook. We’ve put together a photo album of the first arrivals and we’ll add the others after the 15th.
If you are stopping by the store anytime soon, we do have an ice problem out front again. If you want to avoid it, turn down the alley at the end of the building and you’ll find mostly ice-free parking in the rear of the building. The back entrance is the glass door on the north side of the building.
Our holiday hours:Christmas Eve - 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Christmas – Closed
New Year’s Eve – 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
New Year’s Day – Closed for inventory
Have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!
Piecefully yours,
Laura
Classes, Classes, Classes
Class Policies
- You may register for most classes until the day the class begins – exceptions would be classes where we have to prepare a kit for each participant. That said; remember that there are minimum enrollment requirements as well as maximum student number limitations. So you may want not want to wait until the last minute to reserve your space.
- Payment of the entire class fee is required upon registration.
- Refunds will be given if for some reason the class has to be cancelled or if notification is given by the student at least one week before the class is to begin.
- Classes will be cancelled one week prior to the start date if enrollment is not sufficient. (If there is a class you really want to take, sign up early so that the class is assured to go.)
- Students will be given a 10% discount on all supplies purchased at The Fig Leaf for classes requiring materials (kits excluded). Discounts will be given only after the class fee has been paid and will last only for the duration of the class.
- Space may be reserved by phone with a credit card – 970-495-1766.
Year Long Classes & Club
Vintage Embroidery
Wednesday January 4th 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
We started a new year of Vintage Embroidery in September. It’s not too late to join! If you would like the opportunity to study 19th century Redwork and to collect late 19th and early 20th century embroidery designs this is the place to be!
We will look at antique and contemporary examples of Redwork embroidery and work on a portfolio of thirty-six blocks that can be completed into one or several quilts at the end of the year. There will be additional projects as well to include a pincushion,
a pair of pillow shams and a table runner. The projects can be done as Redwork or multi-color embroidery. We will teach you the stitches necessary tocomplete the blocks and provide you with a notebook for your patterns. We meet once a month on the first Wednesday of the month.
Instructor: Laura Shotwell
Fee: $45.00 year
Dear Jane – A Civil War Journey
Monday January 9th 10:00 to Noon
Or
6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Saturday January 14th 10:00 to Noon
Join us as we begin a new year of Dear Jane. This class is a lecture series of Civil War history that meets the second Monday or Saturday of each month. Although the class began in 2011, it’s not too late to join – if you want to make the quilt, you just need to double up on the blocks.
We discuss the major battles, women’s roles and quilting. Many of these topics are discussed from the perspective of the people of the time through their diaries and letters.
In conjunction with the lectures, those who wish may make a reproduction of the quilt made in 1863 by Jane Stickle of Vermont. This quilt has two hundred and twenty-five 4 ½” blocks. These blocks are made using a variety of techniques – hand piecing, rotary cutting and machine piecing, foundation paper piecing
and hand appliqué.
Instructor: Laura Shotwell
Fee: $50.00 (Dear Jane book required for those making the quilt.)
Stash Busters Club
Thursday January 12th 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
If your stash is piled high and you’re feeling guilty because you want to start something new, then Stash Busters Club is the group to join! Charlotte and Laura will be working together, along with guest group members to help you get excited and organized to begin to use fabrics you have already collected.
An organized stress free quilting day isn’t a dream. Our pros share time-savers to make their quilting time tick.
If you’ve missed Stash Busters in previous years, you’ve owe it to yourself to sign-up this year! Join us the second Thursday of each month to be encouraged and inspired.
Fee: $5.00 year
Fig Leaf Quilt Club
Tuesday January 17th
Join us the third Tuesday of the month for Fig Leaf Quilt Club! We have lots of things planned for 2012. We will be working on a sampler quilt that features blocks created by each of Moda’s fabric designers paired with a favorite recipe. There will be four to six additional projects that feature the blocks from the quilt – pillow shams, table topper and a wall quilt to name a few – and we’ll give you a notebook to keep your patterns in.
As always, there will be show and tell of projects by club members, door prizes and refreshments. Meeting times are 10:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Come and bring a friend.
Instructor: Laura Shotwell
Fee: $15.00 year
Saturday Sampler 2012 – Memories of Provence
Saturday January 21st
Our Saturday Sampler for 2012 is a striking quilt made of twelve 12”sampler blocks, set on-point with an alternating pieced block. The quilt was designed by Quilt Gate and is called Memories of Provence. Laura’s quilt is done in red, black and green on a cream background, but if you prefer you may choose from two other color or design themes for your fabrics – Asian blue, teal and black or Robyn Pandolph peach, green and yellow. The quilt and fabric samples are on display in the store. We do ask that you make your fabric selection when you sign up for the class.
The class meets the third Saturday of the month. There will be three sessions – 9:00 a.m., 9:45 a.m., and 10:30 a.m. The class will meet from January through October. You will be given a pattern and fat-quarter at the first class. If you bring the completed block to class the next month, you get your next pattern and fabric free. If you do not have your completed block with you, you will have to purchase the fat-quarter. You must come in on the day of the class, show your block and stay for the class in order to get your free fabric.
Instructor: Laura Shotwell
Fee: $15.00
Fifth Saturday Club
For those of you not familiar with Fifth Saturday Club, you purchase a club tote bag for$10.00. Then, on the fifth Saturday of the month (there are four in 2012 – March, June, September and December) you bring your tote bag to the store and you will receive a 20% discount on all the regular priced merchandise that you can fit in your bag. Merchandise can include kits, fat-quarters, notions, books, computer software – the rule is the majority of the product must fit inside the bag in order to be eligible for the discount. Don’t miss out. Reserve your bag today!
January
Fine Tune Your Quilting Skills II
Monday January 16th (four sessions)10:30 to Noon
Or
6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
We will feature a different skill each week that will help make you a better informed quilter. You do not need to have taken Fine Tune Your Quilting Skills I before taking these classes. You may pick and choose from the sessions offered or you may sign-up for all four classes.
Instructor: Laura Shotwell
Fee: $30.00 all sessions
$10.00 each
Sessions 1 – January 16th
Foundation Paper Piecing
Have you admired quilts with precise points and irregular shapes and been intimidated by the idea of making one yourself? This may be the class you’ve been looking for! Let us show you how straight forward foundation paper piecing is. We’ll teach you how to figure out how much larger fabric pieces need to be cut in order to cover your paper foundations and tricks for fabric placement on the foundations, as well as perfect trimming techniques. You may bring your sewing machine to practice if you wish.
Session 2 – January 23rd
Hand Quilting & Choosing Quilting Designs to Compliment Your Piecing
Do you spend lots of time making your quilt top only to get stymied on what would be the best quilting design to enhance your quilts’ design? Let us help you gain confidence in the quilting design process. Bring a quilt top or two along and we’ll offer suggestions on the best way to quilt them.
Then, after the quilting designs are chosen, let us show you how to hand quilt your project. If you would like to practice, bring a 14” quilting hoop, thimble, scissors, quilting thread and needle and a quilt sandwich and we’ll sit and quilt of a while. A kit is available with a pre-marked design, needle and thread ready to quilt for an additional $12.00.
Session 3 –January 30th
Specialty Bindings
Add pizzazz to your quilts with specialty bindings. Learn how to make prairie points, piped bindings, flanges and more.
Session 4 – February 6th
Needles and Thread
Tired of being confused about what needle to use for what and when? Let us teach you the proper sewing
machine needle to use for the specific thread weights and fiber contents, as well as the correct needle for the job – machine quilting, piecing, embroidery, type of fabric, etc.
Basic Quilt Making
Wednesday January 25th (six sessions)
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Learn the basics of quilt making in this “packed full” class. The class includes color and fabric selection, rotary cutting, piecing, applique, quilting and finishing – efficient methods for today’s busy quilter. Our two hour sessions will include “hands on demos” and construction techniques.
Patterns will be given for you to make a sampler quilt or you may choose your own project! We’ve designed class time to be filled with information, letting you leave the machine at home and apply the techniques there.
Instructor: Charlotte Allum
Fee: $60.00
Bali Wedding Star
Thursday January 26th 10:30 a.m. to Noon
Or
6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Or
Sunday January 29th 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.
For those of you who purchased the Bali Wedding Star kit, this is the second in the series on how to construct this spectacular quilt. If you missed the first class, not to worry, we’ll show you the techniques you need to know for all parts of the quilts’ construction.
Instructor: Laura Shotwell
Fee: $40.00
Free with purchase of kit
Terrific Triangle Trade-Off
Saturday January 28th 10:30 a.m. to Noon
Join us for our second Triangle Trade-Off. This time we will feature a two-color theme – red & white. Stop in to see Laura’s quilt – you may do one like it or choose your own pattern.
We’ll pair background and print fabrics and bundle them with triangle paper. You take them home, piece the triangle squares, cut them apart and bring them back to us. We will keep a record of how many you return to us and on February 6, 2012 we will give you back an equal number of triangle squares – some you pieced and some pieced by others. Now you have a multitude of triangle squares in a large variety of prints to make your quilt.
Please let us know if you’re planning on participating so we’ll know how many triangle sticks we need to prepare.
Instructor: Laura Shotwell
Fee: $12.00 (applied to purchase of triangle sticks)
February
Color and Fabric Selection in Quilts
Thursday February 2nd (five sessions)
6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
For many, color can be the most challenging aspect of quilt making. You have a lot invested in your quilt – time as well as money – and you don’t want to complete your project only to be disappointed in the way your fabrics worked together. This class is designed to give you a working knowledge of color and how it relates to fabric as an art medium. We will work through a series of color exercises designed to help you recognize your color prejudices and work beyond them.
Instructor: Laura Shotwell
Fee: $50.00
It’s All About Feathers – Quilting
Sunday February 28th 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
This class is for those of you who know how to quilt, have some experience with free motion quilting, and are ready to tackle and learn about quilting feathers. Join us as we explore in this hands on class! We’ll talk about the structure of a feather design, become familiar with the teardrop shape, play with the angles we will be stitching and practice, practice, practice! This is not a class on how to machine quilt. You need to know how to machine quilt and have some experience in free motion quilting, even if it is reading and a bit or a lot of practice. Pick up a supply list.
Instructor: Charlotte Allum
Fee: $40.00