Quilt making offers immense satisfaction – not only as an attractive handmade item to use on New York winter nights but also for its many hidden benefits. But quilting goes deeper than meets the eye.
No matter your level of quilting expertise or experience, there is no shortage of classes. From in-person sessions to virtual ones – the options are extensive!
History
Quilting has long been a beloved pastime. This art form involves stitching together three fabrics–top, batting, and backing–into an “assembled sandwich.” Once sewn together, quilts create flat designs, often featuring decorative stitching or other details. Quilts can serve many functions – decorating homes, keeping families warm, raising charity funds, or expressing political themes through their creation. Today, many quilters even make a living through quilting!
Quilting is an engaging hands-on activity that develops vital practical skills, including cutting, measuring, and sewing. Children of all ages can enjoy quilting; many schools now incorporate it into their home economics curriculum.
Quilting has long been used to mark important life events and milestones. Once reserved for upper-class craftspeople, modern sewing machines made this pastime accessible to more people – even quilters using their art to defy gender dress codes and address social issues!
Craft companies and community centers across Brooklyn provide quilting classes. Craftsman Avenue hosts a Modern Improv Quilting class where students use old dress shirts to turn into finished quilts, while The 92nd Street Y provides adult learning quilting courses via the CourseHorse online platform and Adult Learning Division classes. Longarm quilting services are also offered through specialist quilt shops; longarm machines use stitch patterns such as running or backstitch stitches and more complex designs such as wavy lines or zigzags when stitched large quilts together.
Techniques
Quilting is an immensely satisfying hobby involving sewing fabric layers into an “assembled sandwich.” Quilting requires precise sewing while offering creative expression and improvisational opportunities – plus, it can even serve as a meditative activity! For those wanting to start quilting themselves, numerous online courses teach all the basic techniques and provide the necessary skills.
Brooklyn Craft Company is a sewing shop offering DIY supplies and classes designed to help busy adults unleash their creative side. Their classes span crocheting, embroidery, and quilting; beginning courses cover essential tools and techniques, while advanced lessons teach complex ones.
Some classes focus on one quilt design or technique, like Karen Bryant’s 6-class course on “Creating a Judy Neimeyer Sampler.” This pattern features various forms of applique, thread play, and foundation paper piecing techniques – making a beautiful door hanger or holiday table runner!
Skillshare, an online arts and crafts class provider, offers affordable courses. Skillshare classes generally cost under $100 per month and allow students to learn one new skill each month, mirroring an in-person workshop where lessons are spread over time and practiced before moving on to the next step. These quilting lessons from Skillshare are ideal for those wanting to build their quilting abilities gradually without spending much money, unlike its competitors’ offerings, which provide comprehensive overviews.
Fabrics
Quilting may conjure images of pioneer women gathering around a hoop in a barn to stitch bedding, but quilting remains a popular hobby today. Quilting involves sewing together three layers: top (the patchwork part), insulation material called batting (for insulation purposes), and backing fabric (typically a solid piece of material). Although quilting may appear challenging at first, classes exist to help new quilters master this art form.
Brooklyn Craft Company, situated a block from Greenpoint Avenue station of the G train, provides classes designed to engage busy adults’ creative sides. Offerings include Mini Patchwork Quilt Workshop, which gives participants two hours to produce an affordable quilt of modest proportions, and Easy Modern Quilting Boot Camp, which explores contemporary quilt design trends.
Brooklyn Craft Company offers quilting classes, sells an extensive selection of sewing supplies, and has a bustling retail business. Craftsman Avenue in Manhattan also provides courses showcasing various artisanal skills like woodworking, welding, and knife forging, as well as Modern Improvisation Quilting classes for three sessions at which participants take old dress shirts from their closet and transform them into crib quilts!
Quilting classes provide an intimate learning experience in New York City schools such as Brooklyn Craft Company, the New York Sewing Center, and 92nd Street Y. Additionally, M Avery Designs of Hoboken provides quilting courses not offered physically at its location.
Patterns
Quilting is an exact and creative hobby enjoyed by millions around the globe. Though the process involves sewing, quilting also demands creativity in creating patterns for fabric pieces to stitch into quilt tops, battings, and backs. If anyone in NYC wants to start or enhance this calming hobby, many quilting classes are available here.
Brooklyn Craft Company offers an introductory patchwork workshop, providing participants a basic understanding of this potentially complex art form. In this class, participants learn the fundamentals of using a rotary cutter and machine to cut fabric evenly into pieces that can be sewn together to form patchwork quilts and different tools that simplify this task.
Experienced sewists or those who have completed beginner sewing machine classes will find this Open Sew session the ideal environment to work on projects alongside fellow quilters and crafters. Bring whatever project you’re working on – an instructor will be available for assistance should any issues or queries arise.
Quilting classes provide the ideal environment to explore various techniques, such as applique or free-motion sewing. Your instructor may offer different materials and supplies so you can try them all out.
Although you can find online classes to hone your quilting skills, nothing beats taking an in-person class with an experienced instructor, if possible. A quilt shop or major quilt show often has machines for students’ use during these courses.
Finishing
The Quilt Tree offers more than fabric and quilting supplies; we also host workshops, classes, and retreat weekends throughout the year in our historic Hudson River community venue – ideal for restaurants and galleries nearby!
The Quilt Tree, located in Rochester, New York, is an experienced quilt shop that caters to beginner and experienced quilters looking to hone their skills. Offering courses ranging from machine quilting and baby quilt making to longarm machine use. Furthermore, The Quilt Tree also hosts workshops dedicated to longarm machines.
If you want to learn the fundamentals of machine applique, Julia Quiltoff offers her Modern Tree project class as a great way. The class covers essential tools, techniques, steps, and shapes involved with this process and how students can design their applique shapes using Sue Pelland’s Leaves Galore templates.
Marge Friesen offers an Eel Grass and Eddie’s class for those wanting a more challenging quilting experience. Students learn to improvise curved cutting and piecing techniques using two fabrics and tips and techniques for quilting curved lines and spirals.
No matter your experience level, the Quilt Show and Conference at AQS offers an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow quilters and learn from top professionals in the field. The event features an expo area, lectures and demonstrations, charity sewing sessions, open sewing opportunities, and much more – plus, attendees can purchase tickets online or at their store; their website even features event schedules, ticket prices, and registration!
