Winter 2012 Classes at Calico Gals Syracuse
January 2012
Learn-to-Sew Classes with Margaret Lambert
Make a pillow from a favorite T-shirt. It’s the perfect class for the very beginner. Learn to use a sewing machine as you design your own pillow. All supplies and use of a sewing machine are included with class. Just bring a T-shirt – go home with a pillow! Invite a few friends and have fun! Fee: $30
Call the Syracuse store and ask for Margaret to schedule a class. Or send an email to Margaret.
Begin at the Beginning with Nina Dukette
Syracuse, 3 Tuesdays, January 3rd,10th, & 17th, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
New to quilting? Or, just looking for a powerful refresher? Nina teaches the tips and techniques that you’ll need to begin your next project. In three sessions, become familiar with the basic steps of quilt construction, accurate rotary cutting, machine piecing, basting, machine quilting and binding while making a decorative tablerunner. By the end of the class, you’ll have the confidence to start your own quilt. Class includes discussion of fabric choice and preparation, threads, needles and much more. Fee: $45
Sew Trashy with Gay Silkey and Melonie Unger
Syracuse, Wednesday, January 18th, 1:00 – 4:00 or 5:00 – 8:00 pm
Here’s a cozy and clever idea! Recycle mens’ shirts into a beautiful quilt. Complete several blocks in class while learning basic cutting and piecing skills and disassembly techniques for the shirts. This is a wonderful memory project or a tribute to a special guy. Fee: $25
Strip Club with Lynn Schantz
Syracuse, 3 Friday mornings or evenings, January 13th, February 10th, & March 9th, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm or 5:30 – 7:30 pm
The winter will fly by when you join the Gals at the “Strip Club” on Friday nights! No pole necessary -just bring your rotary cutter! Turn 2-1/2″ strips into an adventure and create six 10″ blocks using a variety of techniques. That’s 6 new blocks and personalized instruction on a new ruler that you’ll love using! The possibilities are endless in putting these and many more blocks together in a style all your own. Learn lots and have fun in this technique piecing series. Fee: $30
Machine Appliqué with Beth Broadway
Syracuse, Saturday, January 14th, 10:30 am – 3:00 pm, $25
Learn from a pro – Beth is a favorite teacher at Calico Gals and specializes in machine appliqué. Work from the Flower Power book to create a small flower block wall hanging, suitable for quilting and framing. Learn to prepare the appliqué pieces, position your design, make the most of appliqué pressing sheets, and the basic machine skills of buttonhole stitching and satin stitch appliqué. In addition, learn all about different kinds of fusibles and stabilizers. Master the basics of machine applique and enjoy them for a lifetime! Fee: $30
Kids’ Class
Sew Fun for Kids! with Nina Dukette and Nancy Graham
Syracuse, 3 Sunday afternoons, January 15th, February 19th, & March 18th, 12:30 – 3:30 pm
Calling all kids age 10 and up! Join the fun and make all sorts of cool projects. Learn to use a sewing machine and cutting tools. You will get lots of help in class and can go home and work on your own. Upcoming projects include pillowcases, backpacks and fleece hats and mittens. Make them for yourself and for your friends. Make all your gifts yourself this year! Monthly Fee: $20 plus supplies
Embroidery 101 with Gay Silkey
Syracuse, Sunday, January 22nd, 12:30 – 3:30 pm
Gay has been stitching since she was a small child. Join her in this class and leave with the confidence to stitch numerous embroidery patterns. Perfect class for anyone who has never embroidered or anyone needing to refresh their skills. Class covers basic knowledge of thread, needles and stitches. Learn three classic stitches that you’ll use in all your embroidery projects. Pick up a class kit with everything you need to complete a beautiful cotton tea towel: thread, needles, tea towel, hoop, and pattern. Fee: $25
Twice as Nice with Marcia Evans
Syracuse, Saturday, January 21st, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Set your fabric in motion by combining pinwheels and whirligigs! Learn the skills to build a stunning quilt with a trellis design featuring double pinwheels. Take your skills to the next level and learn some new ways to make perfect points. Great class for the confident beginner or intermediate quilter. Fee: $20
A Simple Point Tablerunner with Melonie Unger
Syracuse, Monday, January 23rd, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm or 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Learn a new technique while creating a beautiful tablerunner or dresser scarf. All points will line up perfectly when you start with a preprinted foundation.This is a class anyone would love – even beginners! Complete the top in class and go on to larger projects. It’s fast and easy (the pattern, not the teacher.) Fee: $20
Open Season with Marcia Evans
Syracuse, Thursday, January 26th, 2:30 – 4:30 pm or 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Tackle a fun project that’s not too big. This 28 x 34 inch makes a delightful table topper. Start with five inch squares and Marcia will show you how they will be Flying Geese blocks! Learn the technique and you’ll be cutting 10 inch squares to super-size the quilt. Fee: $20
Quilted Dog Coat with Nancy Graham
Syracuse, Saturday, January 28th, 12:30 – 4:30 pm
Keep your pooch warm and fashionable in this adorable dog coat. Learn to adapt the pattern to fit your dog, quilt coat top and batting together, and attach collar, belly strap and velcro closures. Special bonus: add your dog’s name to the back of the coat or choose a decorative stitch to jazz it up! Fee: $25
Four Patch Posies with Sue Ellen Romanowski
Syracuse, 2 Sundays, January 29th & February 12th, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Love the idea of the stack-and-whack method but feel like it’s a little complicated? Start with 4-Patch Posies. Only four pieces to each block make it easy to cut and piece, and yet the variations are endless. Start with a fabric that has a large scale print and lots of colors. Learn the tips and techniques for squaring up your fabric and cutting your pieces to make the kaleidoscope-looking blocks. Hard to believe that all of your “posies” came from the same fabric! Fee: $38
February 2012
My Best Friend with Debbie Butler Miller
Syracuse,2 Saturdays, February 4th & 25th, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
The beautiful work of textile artist Debbie Butler Miller amazes all who see it. Join Debbie and learn to capture your best friend’s joy of life forever in fabric. Class includes personalized pattern created especially for you from your photograph. In this two session class Debbie will share her technique of fusible applique and thread painting. Begin in Session 1 with a concentration on appliqué and color placement. Add dimension and shading with thread painting and bring your quilt to life in Session 2!
Felted Knit Bowls with Melonie Unger
Syracuse, Monday, February 6th, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm or 5:30 – 8:30 pm
WARNING! This project is very addictive! Start off with some simple knitting in wool yarn and end up with a beautiful and soft bowl. You will make lots and lots! Melonie will take you through the steps from yarn to bowl. Basic knitting skills recommended. Fee: $25
Blooming Nine Patch with Sue Ellen Romanowski
Syracuse, 2 Wednesdays, February 8th & 22nd, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
If you can make a 9 patch, then you can make it bloom! Sue Ellen has taught this quilt in a color theory/design class in the past. Now she is incorporating those lessons and adding a hands-on segment so you can design and sew your own Blooming Nine Patch. Learn to create the illusion of colors melting into one another. Start small and watch your quilt grow. Fee: $38
Beatrice the Bear with Melonie Unger
Syracuse, Saturday, February 11th, 10:30 am – 4:30 pm
Everyone loves a teddy bear! Make a special memory gift when starting with articles of clothing or a special blanket. Learn tips on cutting out a pattern, sewing the pattern pieces together, stuffing the bear and closing the seam after stuffing. Choose a large or small size bear for your project. Fee: $25
Bali Sea Star with Margaret Lambert
Syracuse, Wednesday, February 15th, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
One of our favorites at Calico Gals is Kim Brackett’s book Scrap Basket Surprises. The technique learned in this class can be used in many of the quilts in the book. Choose some goodies from your scrap basket or make it fast and easy to start with precut 2-1/2 inch strips. Learn some great tips for piecing triangles and making a piano key border. Leave class with at least one complete 12.5 X 12.5 inch block and a plan to finish your quilt. Confident beginners will love this class! Fee: $20
English Lane with Beth Broadway
Syracuse, 2 Tuesdays, February 28th & March 27th, 5:30 – 8:30 pm
Kaye England has done it again with a beautiful, romantic quilt. Learn more about expert cutting and piecing in the first class. Come back for class two and learn to work with setting triangles and stripes as sashing and borders. The kit comes in 2 colorways. Choose your favorite: the yellow/blue or rose/black. Queen size quilt kit, including pattern and all fabric for top and binding: $160. Class participants save 15% of the price of the kit. Class Fee: $30
March 2012
Candice: The Perfect Purse with Kathy Barden
Syracuse, Saturday, March 3rd, 10:30 am – 4:00 pm
Candice is the perfect purse to carry all your things. Learn to make the innovative “Fat Pocket” with a faux gusset – it’s great for bulky items: a tablet, eReader, journal or simply to keep your papers/receipts/coupons in order. The top is secured with a zipper while an outside slant pocket makes for easy access to gloves and grocery lists. Practical and pretty, too! Learn about working with fusible batting and interfacings, the use of “D” rings in handles and “lazy girl” zipper insertions. Leave with an almost completed, professional looking purse and the knowledge to finish it at home. Fee: $35
Early Blooms Rug Hooking with Melonie Unger
Syracuse, Monday, March 5th, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm or 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Rug hooking is an old-fashioned craft that is gaining popularity again. Join Melonie and learn to rug hook with wool strips or needle punch with heavy yarn on a cloth base. Create a 17×17 floral mini rug or wallhanging beginning with instruction on transferring your pattern onto the base cloth.Then get busy hooking or punching your design! Experienced hookers and beginners will enjoy working on this project throughout the winter. Fee: $20
Textural Landscape with Sharon Bottle Souva
Syracuse, Tuesday, March 6th & 13th, 5:30 – 8:30 pm
Learn to create original simple landscapes using techniques in appliqué, reverse appliqué, texture and random piecing while making a small original wall quilt. Experiment with these techniques and use them to enhance your pictorial quilted art. Sharon will demonstrate the use of freezer paper pattern making, teach composition and perspective, show quilting stitches using variegated threads and talk about creative binding options. This class is a great opportunity to work with a popular local fiber artist. Fee: $50
Sew Trashy: Denim Duffle Bag with Gay Silkey and Melonie Unger
Syracuse, Wednesday, March 7th, 2:00 – 4:00 pm or 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Denim is the perfect choice for recycle projects – it looks good, wears well and we have lots of it! Learn to disassemble those jeans, cut your pattern pieces and create a duffle bag. Wonderful project and makes a great gift too! Fee: $20
Spicy Spiral Tablerunner with Sue Ellen Romanowski
Syracuse, 2 Wednesdays, March 14th & 28th, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Check out this fun, colorful, curvaceous tablerunner! It’s a bargello that twists and shouts! Sue Ellen has taught the bargello square and round – now she’s adding a spiral to her repertoire. The pattern has a few challenges, so it’s best to get some help from someone with experience. Join this class and learn tips for choosing dynamic color combos, building strata, plus cutting and assembling the fabric wedges. Great class, great project! Fee: $38
Feathered Jewls Hummingbird Wool Table Mat with Melonie Unger
Syracuse, Wednesday, March 21st, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm or 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Winter is the perfect time to work on wool projects. This fun class features Melonie’s practical tips for working with wool appliqués. Learn the ins and outs of transferring designs, cutting, fusing and embroidery with wool. Your base will be ready and your stitching will be started in class. Create a beautiful hummingbird table mat or wallhanging that makes a wonderful gift! Fee: $20
Oh, Henry! Quilt with Margaret Lambert
Syracuse, Thursday, March 22nd, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Start with a fun fabric panel or large scale print, add 6 fat quarters, and just 22 simple seams later you’ll have a quilt. Oh, my . . . Oh, Henry! This clever quilt goes together quick as a wink and a nod! Perfect for a kid’s quilt and or choose the larger size and big folks will love it, too. Great project for confident beginners and intermediate quilters. Quilting experts will just have a blast with it! Leave the class with 1, 2, 3 or even all 4 rows of your top completed. Fee: $20
Binding Basics with Sue Ellen Romanowski
Syracuse, Saturday, March 24th, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
New and experienced quilters! Learn the tips to finishing your quilt edges with traditional French double-fold binding. Lots of important information will be shared in this class including strip cutting, beginning, mitering corners, and making those smooth connections at the end. Sue Ellen will bring a small quilt for you to bind in class and keep for future reference. Learn a lot and head off to finish your own quilts! Fee: $28 includes kit and handouts
Feather Adventures Machine Quilting with Beth Broadway
Syracuse, Saturday, March 31st, 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Beth loves quilting feathers! When she read Patsy Thompson’s new book on machine quilting feathers, her mind was poppin’ with ideas and a desire to share her passion of machine quilting with others. Learn to quilt feathers that softly curve around the outside border or create an amazing design that fills your background. Great hands-on class. Never be afraid of feathers again! Fee: $38