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We are SO excited!  We have two special guests coming all the way from Australia!!  Irene Blanck had so much fun on her first visit to Sweet Home Quilting (and so did we!!), she has graciously agreed to come back...and this time with a friend!  Joining her is her good friend and Australian quilt and fabric designer Kathy Doughty!  

Check out details of this exciting event below the sign-up buttons!
Sign up below for our lecture & workshops with Irene and Kathy before they fill up! They will fill up fast!!

Lecture with Kathy Doughty & Irene Blanck 
- October 31, 2024 5:30pm

This lecture will NOT be at the shop. 
Join us at Faith Presbyterian Church in Huntsville! 
5003 Whitesburg Dr.  Huntsville AL 35802

Coming to us from Australia, Sweet Home Quilting presents, quilt designers Kathy Doughty and Irene Blanck!
Join us for a fun and relaxed evening as they come together to share their journey and perspective on all things quilting!

Kathy will talk about designing fabric and will preview her upcoming fabric collection as she will be coming to us straight from Quilt Market!  They will have a trunk show with some of their latest quilts and a slide show of those they couldn't bring from Australia!

Please bring any quilts made with their patterns or from their workshops so we can all enjoy them!

SCHEDULE FOR THE EVENING:
 
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. to enjoy our Pop-Up Shop and fellowship.
Lecture starts at 7:00 p.m.
Book Autographing, pictures and more shopping to follow the lecture.
Kathy offers a unique opportunity for study and immersion into Kathy’s imaginative world!  Focusing on composition and color along with her simple techniques for using fabric to create interest, her methods will open doors to creative freedom and control of design.  Kathy will demonstrate her methods for appliqué using your own designed shapes or her templates and work with you on your own composition. 

Because of the flexibility in her designs, this workshop will not focus on any one pattern, but instead focus on her techniques and methods for composition.  You can choose one of her patterns (from her Organic Applique book or from 3 of her latest patterns) as a starting point, or design your own!  Select some fabrics and start the development of your own unique Organic Applique quilt! This class is very flexible - beyond the required supplies for Kathy's techniques, the creativity will be all yours to develop with her help! Trust in her process and be amazed!

We will be offering patterns, Organic Applique books, some applique starter bundles (supplies and tools), some thread bundles, some Creative Applique templates that Kathy has designed, as well as some fabric starter packs to get you started.  They will be available, but not required.

Class will begin with learning techniques.  Then she will start a conversation about color, value, scale, and texture to create interest while developing confidence in choosing fabrics. Guidelines for selecting fabric, considering value, scale and more are all reinforced with a language developed at Material Obsession over the last 16 years.  Classes then include demonstrations using a few simple techniques that allow for easy expression of personal choices. 
Techniques include needle turn using wash away stabilizer, Boro applique, broderie perse, paper piecing, and hand quilting with Perle 8.  

The content of Organic Applique is designed to inspire experienced applique artists to embrace the freedom of breaking routines.  Novice quilters will achieve success with helpful instructions.  Everyone will have fun! If you have been considering tackling a particular pattern but have been holding back, this class will give you the confidence you need to stop avoiding that pattern!  
As Kathy states "often times even those in the room that like the comfort of knowing exactly what they are going to make come around to loosening up."

Join International Quilt Designer and Instructor Irene Blanck for a two-day workshop featuring one of two patterns of your choice - Maggie Mae or Clementine!

Irene will teach her methods of straight-line applique, curves, points in leaves, circles and stems, and English Paper Piecing.  Irene will teach you how to prepare your shapes as well as glue them onto the background using a lightbox - this is essential for the workshop.  Using the lightbox eliminates many steps in the prep process that she used to do many years ago (in the dark ages!!)  For Irene, needle turn applique must be fun!!  Needle turn applique does not have to be accurate - our perceived mistakes are all part of the charm of our quilts. Workshop attendees will get to choose from two of Irene's quilt designs: Clementine or Maggie Mae!

About Irene Blanck
Irene moved from Kenya to Australia via Mumbai in the 1970s, but it wasn’t until 1991 that she took up quilting. As so often happens, Irene’s love affair with quilting began after seeing a feature in a magazine. Tackling her first quilt on her own and ‘making every mistake in the book’, it was her sheer will and determination that kept her going until the project was finished. Over the course of 30 years that love of making has taken her from student, to accomplished maker following patterns designed by others, to forging her own creative path in 2007 as a pattern designer.

 

About Kathy Doughty

Kathy Doughty is a self-taught quilter, author, fabric designer and obsessive quilter. Since 2003, Kathy has been the owner of Material Obsession, a patchwork shop in Sydney, Australia that is known for innovation in contemporary fabrics and designs. Working with customers, teachers and industry leaders has provided a unique skill base and an eclectic style that she loves to share. “When surrounded by supportive, generous, creative people it is easy to feel that new direction is the norm,” she says. Many of the concepts that define the current modern movement have been practiced at Material Obsession since its inception. Kathy’s workshops are focused on building confidence in making decisions and learning to take control of the design process. Students enjoy a flexible environment where all intentions are welcome!