Best-Ever Quilt Class - a TBQ memory

For Cheryl Sloboda’s 31-Day Blogging Challenge, one of the prompts is to reflect on the most impactful quilt class we’ve ever taken. My vote goes to a class I took at Quilt Camp early in my quilting journey. Nancy Chong taught us to make a scrappy Crumb Quilt, and it literally changed my life.

The Best-Ever Quilt Class

Many factors play a part in making a quilt class worthwhile. Ideally, you will learn a new technique, be inspired by the friends you meet, and gain valuable insights from the teacher. Nancy Chong is well-known for her Hawaiian applique, which can be found at Pacific Rim Quilt Company. The Crumb Quilt class was not applique, which appealed to me since I am more interested in traditional piecing.

from best ever quilt class

Tips for fabric selection

The Crumb quilt is built around a focus fabric and I chose an Oriental print. Nancy even complimented me for the fabric palette I selected! I build my quilts by looking for colors within fabrics I like. Have you noticed the dots on selvages? That can be a starting point if you feel intimidated by choosing colors.

Color dots on selvage

Encouraging Teacher

To this day, I remember how encouraging Nancy Chong was as a teacher. Besides her positive comments to us as we displayed our fabric choices, she was helpful throughout the class. She stood at the ironing board and even pressed fabric for the students so that we could focus on sewing! Those memories have inspired me as I teach other quilters. how you make them feel

Finish that Quilt

The biggest transformation from the Crumb Quilt Class was my decision to buy a longarm and start my own quilting business. I knew the designs I wanted to include on the quilt, and I spent days quilting on my domestic machine. Not being able to see enough of the quilt as I stitched was a huge frustration. A few months lat

er, I brought home a Gammill Classic Plus and have since enjoyed building my free motion skills.

longarm sewing room tour