Circles, Curves & Bias: Modern Needle Turn Appliqué Essentials

TUTOR: BARBIE MITCHELL

Make a mini quilt which becomes a basis for a cushion or a block for a larger quilt.
Ready to conquer curves and circles in your appliqué? This workshop dives straight into mastering these essential shapes for modern quilts. Beginners and experienced quilters alike will gain invaluable skills in needle-turn appliqué.

First, students will unlock the secrets to achieving flawless circles, exploring preparation methods and fabric manipulation for smooth, even results in any size. Next, Barbie will move on to mastering curves, from gentle arcs to complex shapes, focusing on precise fabric placement for a professional finish.

Finally, students will explore contemporary quilt designs showcasing circles and curves, providing inspiration and practical ideas for their own projects. By the end of the class, students will have the knowledge to confidently appliqué perfect circles and various curves, understand design considerations, and be inspired to incorporate these techniques into their modern quilts.

Work on the Mini Quilt in class focusing on needleturn appliqué technique. There will also be a Big Stitch Hand Quilting demonstration.

Students will have the pattern for the mini quilt to take home and can either continue at home making it into a mini quilt or turn it into a cushion etc.

Skill level: Suits all

Scroll down for Class Requirements

CLASS REQUIREMENTS

Circles, Curves & Bias with Barbie Mitchell
One-day Class: Friday, April 10
Class Times: 10am to 5pm
Materials fee: $40 for full colour pattern, full Mylar template set, needleturn appliqué booklet. Please have the exact amount in cash in an envelope with your name on it.

You will need to bring:

  • Medium size sharp scissors
  • Appliqué pins or Roxanne’s Glue Baste It
  • Size 10 milliners needle
  • Silver Gel Pen
  • Fine threads to match appliqué fabrics (Barbie uses Aurifil 80wt threads) – bring along any you may have.
  • Ruler
  • Rotary cutter and mat (if you have room)

Fabrics:

  • Low volume background fabrics (perfect time to dive into your scrap bin). You will need in total:
  • Twelve 4 ½ inch squares
  • One piece 4 ½ x 16 ½ inch
  • One piece 5 x 17 ½ inch

Inner border (Barbie used a blue stripe):

  • 1 ½ x 16 ½ inch

Bias:

  • ½ inch bias approx 30 inches long

Appliqué fabrics: Raid your scrap bin and bring a variety of fabrics for your appliqué shapes. This is where you can play with colour and pattern! Mix it up with solids, geometrics, and prints. The key is to make sure your appliqué fabrics have a clear and distinct contrast against your background fabrics, so your design really pops. Please ensure that some of your fabric pieces are at least 5 inches so you have room to cut your shapes.

To complete the project at home you will need batting, backing and binding fabrics for the mini quilt. The size of the complete mini is 17 ½ x 21 inches.