Lectures offered
"Quilted Memories and Celebrating YOUR life"
Lecture covers ideas of going back and considering how your life is different from other people's lives. What is important to say in a quilt and what will people know about you in years to come from your quilts? Lots of inspiration and lots of exciting colors and ideas.
"Creative YOU"
Lecture covers all kinds of ways to become more creative. Mary Lou explains avenues of creativity, the personality of the creative person and how you can stretch and become more creative with you thoughts and your quilts. Prepare to be inspired and to go away thinking of things you want to do to be a new "creative YOU."
Workshops
| Comments from students: Mary Lou is a delightful, caring, kind, talented and sharing lady. She has a calm manner and gets the creative juices flowing – whether you are creative or not! |
Important information
- I only offer classes via local guilds or national quilt seminars. I can be reached at MaryLouQuilts@aol.com to discuss my teaching schedule if you would like to offer one of these classes at your guild.
- All of my workshops are two days or longer as the storytelling, personalized, and unique nature of the quilts produced in each class requires more time.
- My goal with each class is to teach creativity, color, design, & story development.
- I also teach brief lessons on drawing and some basic knowledge on how to buy fabric and what your stash may be missing. "Your Story in Quilts" is the recurring theme in each class.
Hoochy Mama Quilts
This workshop introduces new friends to the technique called “Hoochy Mama” which uses 4” strips of fabric to make wonderful traditional blocks wonky and fun. These blocks can make any everyday block into something interesting, exciting and fun and even better, once you get the hang of this technique and style, you can make a quilt in much less time. For baby quilts, hangings and gifts this is the perfect class. Come prepared to learn about color, value and a new way to make fabulous, funky blocks. Smiling and laughter is a part of this experience too.
Hoochy Mama Quilts 2
Note:
- Advanced
- Students should be well acquainted with the Hoochy Mama technique by using the book or having taken a class from Mary Lou or another teacher before
This class is for those students who know how to do the Hoochy Mama blocks or who have taken classes before and want to stretch even farther. We will be exploring “things” made of Hoochy Mama blocks, wild wild geese, flowers, cats and hats and more. This is for students to who want to get out of the box even farther…maybe even jumping high out of that box. If you want to stretch your creativity, this class is for YOU.
Flower Power
Class is based on Mary Lou’s new book “Flower Power.”
These blocks are pieced blocks done Hoochy style and made into great wall hangings and quilts. Then when they are done, you have the option of adding buttons for centers and eyes and other fun things in the garden. These quilts have a “WOW” factor and are loads of fun to do and to enjoy making. See what creativity, color and exploring design can do for a great quilt!
Embellishing Your Quilts
Bring a favorite quilt that has been quilted, your favorite buttons, beads, ric rack , trim, floss’s, and see what wonderful glorious things we can do to make a simple quilt, a piece of art and excitement. Mary Lou’s embellished quilts have won many awards and this class has been requested by many shops and guilds. Once you start embellishing quilts, you won’t be happy with keeping them plain. Come and learn the basics and some exciting new ideas that can make something ho hum, TERRIFIC art!
In The Creative Neighborhood
This is a creativity class that Mary Lou is exploring with piecing and appliqué.
Learn how Mary Lou pieces a large house, garage and other buildings into her background. Then once the quilt is pieced, she adds people and things in the windows, on the roofs tops in the sky and on the ground. Animals, flowers, cars, and fun characters make this quilts prize winners at shows. Mary Lou can help you make your neighborhood one that will please those lucky enough to see them.
See Mary Lou’s “The House That Jack Built” for an example. Lots of fun!
Self Portrait Workshop
This class has become very popular and in fact has taken many quilter’s self portraits to Museums for shows. Step out of the box and learn about yourself and how you can put ideas and things you had not though of before into a quilt to leave a lasting impression about who you are and what is important to you. These quilts become legacy pieces that can tell others imaginative, fun and creative things. It might even surprise you to see how wonderful a self portrait of YOU can be.
Lots of smiles, easy going fun and friendships made in class.
Story Quilts- Quilted Memories
This is by far Mary Lou’s best and most popular workshop. Mary Lou is a process teacher and with this workshop we work with process, stretching, thought growth, design, colors and how they work with other colors around them, composition and imagination. This class is for the quilter who wants to do something a little more involved (not hard), to develop and stretch and go on the road “less traveled.”
These quilts tell about you, what and who you love and with sentiments and smiles make the viewer know something special about the artist that they didn’t know before. These quilts are crow pleasers and often are winners in quilting venues and shows. This class helps you ”think” of events in your past with a positive, happy outlook and offers up many ideas that tell of you and events you remember. This surprises the artist often and lets process take flight as you stretch and learn as you sew. It is both fun and satisfying too.
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
This is a fun class that starts with a fun chilly background and brings in Snowmen, cats, houses, boots, hot chocolate cups, and more for a Winter Hanging. Mary Lou will provide patterns for the students and directions for making your own special wallhanging to bring smiles to family and guests. These make great gifts as well.
Angels Everywhere
Years ago Mary Lou wrote a book about Angels and ever since there has been lots of interest in Angel quilts and wallhangings. Mary Lou brings ideas, wing patterns and poses for your favorite angel. Learn how to make patchwork wings and dresses and to include your favorite kitty or dog with your dearest angels.
This is a creative class that brings wonderful results.
Christmas All Over the World
Mary Lou’s favorite subject often is Christmas and she makes one new Christmas Wall hanging yearly. Mary Lou will bring ideas for developing the perfect Christmas quilt for your wall or the wall of someone in your family. You have your choice of small or large and you will get a handout of patterns and ideas to develop into a one of a kind, original quilt to bring out year to year.
Autumn in My Town
After traveling to many destinations, Mary Lou started making Autumn wall hangings with fabulous Fall colors and iconic symbols. Mary Lou will give you a list of ideas and a list of colors to bring and styles of fabric. This is a good chance to learn about color and what makes or breaks a great quilt. You will have the choice of piecing things or appliquéing too or a combination of both which is really the most exciting. See what wonderful results you can get with a little bit of color knowledge and some great design ideas.