Fast Construction by Hand and Machine
Friday, January 30 through Sunday, February 1, 10am-4pm all three days
Class level: All experience levels welcome. Should have basic hand- and machine-sewing comfort.
Age requirements: 18+
Teaching artist: Heidi Parkes
Class fee: $600
Sometimes it’s fun to go fast! We will sew with intuition and convenience front of mind in this class focused on the exploration of shape, color, and visual movement. We’ll start with machine piecing to efficiently discover the personalities of our fabrics and will then transition into hand appliqué and piecing to complete our medium-sized quilt tops. On our last day, Heidi will share a bit about hand quilting, hand binding, and signing your work.
Your class fee includes on-demand recorded videos of each stitch, which you will view ahead of time and begin sewing before class meets. You will then attend in-person to view Heidi's quilts up close for inspiration, ask questions, see demonstrations, and address technical challenges as you sew your quilt top. A PDF with links to the pre-class instruction videos will be sent to registrants 4 weeks in advance of the class.
It will be possible to complete an entire quilt top by the end of class! A minimalist design can be completed within class, while a maximalist look can be achieved with additional sewing in the coming weeks or months. Large-scale appliqué, negative space, and incorporating the work sewn before class will allow for a beautiful abstract composition. A quilt top can be a lovely textile all on its own, but it can also be fun to quilt it! You're welcome to quilt in any style on your own after class, and students will receive a coupon code if they would like to take Heidi's on-demand Improv Hand Quilting class.
Required Supplies:
PLEASE SEE THIS PDF FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF REQUIRED AND OPTIONAL SUPPLIES.
REGISTER*
(*Note: All registrants will receive a PDF with links to the pre-class instruction videos 4 weeks in advance of the class. The value of these online instruction materials is $50, therefore any workshop cancellations made less than 4 weeks in advance of the class will incur a $50 cancellation fee in addition to TAC’s standard $10 cancellation fee.)
If you are traveling to Madison for this workshop and need lodging recommendations, please contact us.
Teaching Artist Bio:
Before Heidi Parkes was born in Chicago, IL in 1982, her grandmother organized a collaborative family quilt to commemorate her birth. Now based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, her quilting and mending celebrate the hand, and her works tug at memories and shared experience. Engaging in the worlds of art, quilts, mending, and social media, Heidi is an advocate for the domestic realms, slow stitching, and mindfulness; find her on Instagram and YouTube. She was the 2024 Pfister Hotel Artist in Residence, and is a 2005 graduate from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Heidi will be exhibiting at The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show in Madison this September. Soft Magic was her recent exhibition at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts. Her quilts have received awards at Quilt National and QuiltCon, she has exhibited internationally in France and South Korea, and she has taught in Italy and Japan.
Website: heidiparkes.com
Social: @heidi.parkes