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."
"Out of the Box"
This lecture discusses how to get out, stretch, and stay out of the box.
How to learn new things, go new directions and take the road less traveled.
How to get "Out of the Box"!
Workshops
| Comments from students: Mary Lou puts the FUN back in quilting. I treasure the memory of my wonderful multiple-days class with her. What a difference it made in the way I look at quilting AND at life. Mary Lou is a creative artist, an inspirational teacher and a fabulous person. |
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.
Short Stories
This workshop is a small or short version of my story quilt class. (The story quilt
class above must be three up to five days.)
This short story workshop is two days. No fancy borders to set the color palette
but all of the fun. You will be doing a "short" story about something
that isn't all that involved. See my sample above about all of the places I visited in France.
So easy and so fun to have. Composition, drawing, color and imagination are covered in this workshop.
Rejoice
My Rejoice pattern is back and being offered as a two to three day workshop.
This wonderful Christmas pattern is offered to make a one of a kind Christmas quilt
with all things Christmas.
We will be discussing fabric in your stash, embellishments, what makes a terrific quilt
and how to turn this pattern into a family heirloom to be enjoyed for many years to come.
Pattern fee of $45.
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.
Painted Angels (A Kindness Project for those you care about)
This class teaches you how to draw and paint by hand angels that carry a message of
love and compassion and a bit of whimsy.
I usually turn mine into pillows with a Bible quote, angel quote or message of kindness but I have also made them into a little wallhanging or small lap piece to be touched and treasured by a friend or loved one that needs an angel.
Class provides ideas for angels and quotes to use as well as a healthy dose of creativity and care to insure that someone you love gets a treasure meant to help heal and comfort.
In this workshop, you are responsible to provide your own paints and brushes or Mary Lou can provide the paint and brushes
and other materials including fabric for a fee of $50 - enough to do two or three angels.
This is a creative class that brings wonderful results.
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree
Join Mary Lou in making a nice sized Christmas tree wallhanging that is fun, colorful
and a delight to show off for the holidays.
You will put together your tree in the beginning of the class and then Mary Lou will
give you a pattern for many whimsical and fun decorations and ornaments. If you have seen
Mary Lou's Christmas quilt, then you get an idea of the wonder and joy of this project.
Mary Lou will also give you advice on adding names and perhaps a greeting like
"Joy" or "Merry Christmas" etc. to your wonderful new quilt that is sure to be a hit
every year you hang it. Discussion on embellishments and "how to's" with this workshop.
A quick one day or a two days with more to learn and get out of Mary Lou's teaching.
Christmas Wreath Workshop - Applique or Fused
This class provides you with everything you need for a one of a kind Christmas Wreath for your home
or a lovely gift for someone special.
You may choose to do this out of cotton or perhaps wool. Both are effective and beautiful.
Embellishing will be discussed and encouraged after it is quilted
Fall Scarecrow Quilt
This class is a design class to make a unique one of a kind quilt off of Mary Lou's
"Happy Crow Farms" pattern.
Class will discuss how to use fabrics with light for better results, how to change animals,
how to add lever embellishments for originality and how to get "Out of the Box" as they create.
Must Love Cats
Come and learn how to do cats the Hoochy Mama style. This class will teach you how to
make funky and fun cats the Hoochy Mama way for a wonderful, whimsical and fun workshop. Lots of laughs here.
There will be a book by Mary Lou soon on this. If the book isn't out, we will use a
pattern printed by Mary Lou to get you started on "Fluffy", "Princess", "Sweetie Pie" or
your cats names and faces.