Country Housez
Country Housez Teaching Notes
* Demo each block slowly and extensively. Give students time to
make at least one block before moving on. As the class progresses,
and whilst each block is explained, you will find that students
are planning their project and often asking questions accordingly.
Each will move their work in a slightly different direction.
* Encourage students to leave the blocks with untrimmed edges. It
makes it easier to join creatively later. The ‘overlap cut’
explained on the Samplerz leaflet best utilises rough edges.
* I usually start off with Housez - they build up confidence as
they are easy to visualise step-by-step. We spend a bit of time
talking about fabrics here. The roof can be different to the body,
as can the chimney. The windowz can be background fabric or yellow
- to represent lights. The background pieces can also be cut from
different prints/colours to create a beautifully scrappy background.
* Daisiez is a good second block. Everyone loves these, they are
easy to understand and quick to make. They are the ‘fillers’
in this quilt - you can never have too many. They are a good block
for the quick students to fill in time with.
* Treez are a good third block. The technique is very different
from what has gone before. It keeps their interest. Good organisational
skills are needed here. In a two day class I teach this at the end
of Day One so they can work on it overnight. It is good to finish
the lot of these, or at least pin them to a backing as ‘branchez’,
before moving on.
* Slender Starz is the fourth block I demo if it is a two day class
as we start it fresh on Day Two. If Country Housez is a six week
program I leave it until Week Five. The techniques are different
again, it is potentially one of the more difficult Stargazey Quilts
patterns but I find that the participants are confident by then.
They also love how Slender Starz finishes off the quilt with a sparkle.
* Last but not least is Butterfliez. They are addictive! Encourage
the students to blend or highlight their fabrics and colour schemes
in this block.
* Make sure that there is fabric available for sale. Often extra
prints are needed to bring variety and interest.
* Refer to the five individual patterns for extra notes
B.O.M/Class Ideas
This quilt works brilliantly as a six session class, a six month Block
of the Month program or an intensive introduction to working in Stargazey
Style in a full two day class. |
