Darlene Christopherson's Workshops

ACCOMODATIONS: I prefer hotels when possible. I do stay in private homes but need a private bath in or near the bedroom. I have neither allergies nor special diets but please, do not bake me a cake!

TRAVEL: I live 10 miles from the Waco, Texas airport [ACT] and use American Airlines to connect to Dallas [DFW] preferably, or Continental Airlines via Houston. These two have direct flights to most anywhere in the US. Hiring parties make the arrangements and pay for the flight at that time. Check with me prior to making flight arrangements. Communicate early. 'any added expenses, such as baggage fees, will be paid by the hiring party'.

When driving, I charge.40 per mile, round trip from my home. I will drive within a large radius of Waco, Texas.

NOTE: If an engagement is cancelled while I am enroute or at the engagement location, due to the weather or other emergency, the sponsor will be responsible for all expenses. Contracted fees will be due unless another booking is contracted and fulfilled.

SALES: The instructor may have books, patterns and related items available for sale at lectures and workshops. Class time will not be used for selling these products. No commissions or other percentages will be paid to the sponsor, as lecture and workshop fees listed here are set
based on an expectation of sales.

For a printable page with photo and supply list for workshops, click on the BLUE class titles.

HAND NEEDLE TURN APPLIQUE Small project. All levels welcome. A full kit is provided to make class preparation as easy as the lesson. Follow an 8" block from Darlene’s book, A Perfect Union of Patchwork & Appliqué to learn the fundamentals of the needle turn method of appliqué by hand. Preparation is essential to any hand work; this method is efficient and comfortable.

A DAY OF APPLIQUE Small project. ALL levels welcome. A full kit is provided to make class preparation as easy as the lesson. A Power Point presentation on selecting fabrics for appliqué and another on the fundamentals of hand needle turn appliqué are presented in the morning session. A 6" pin cushion [kit] is followed in the afternoon session for an easy ‘hands on’ project sampling circles, stems and templates. A wire ribbon rose bud and French knots are demonstrated.

DOGTOOTH BORDERS FOR HAND & MACHINE Small project. ALL levels welcome. A full kit is provided to make the class preparation as easy as the lesson. Make a pillow top with inside and outside dogtooth borders that can be quilted and finished in your own personal style. Darlene’s DCC DOGTOOTH TOOL makes the planning and preparation QEQ [quick – easy – quilting]. Machine workers can begin by hand in class and finish by machine later.

CUTWORK STAR Small Project. All levels welcome. Learn cutwork appliqué using one 8" block pattern from Darlene’s book, A Perfect Union of Patchwork & Appliqué to create an enlarged 24" wall quilt. One block is begun in class. Very informative.

HAND QUILTING FUNDAMENTALS Small project. All levels welcome. A full kit is provided to make class preparation as easy as the lesson. Fabric and batting to make a small pillow top will guide us through the lessons on marking, basting, battings and the rocking stitch and some simple trapunto. Sample HOBBS wool and silk battings.

HAND PIECING; SUNFLOWERS Small project. Intermediate. Follow an 8" block from Darlene’s book, A Perfect Union of Patchwork & Appliqué to learn the fundamentals of hand piecing – curved piecing – ‘setting in’ circular patchwork Mariner’s Compass style.

HAND PIECING; EVENING STAR QUILT Project or lesson option. All levels welcome. See Darlene’s quilt, "Evening Star with Vine Border" in the book Big Book of Scrap Quilts by Oxmoor House. Make this charming old wall quilts or just one block to follow the lesson. An appliquéd vine and leaf border will be demonstrated. Other types of traditional patchwork blocks such as "Drunkards Path" and "Sunflower" will be demonstrated.

HAND PIECING; LOVE RING QUILT Project or lesson option. All levels welcome. Love Ring is a variation on the Drunkards Path format. Contrasting rings forms a lovely circular design offering opportunities for quilting and marvelous fabric combinations. Go scrappy and the initial fabric decisions can be simplified for class.

APPLIQUED DOGTOOTH BORDERS NO project. All levels welcome. Darlene’s new tool, DCC DOGTOOTH TOOL takes the math out of planning this type of border treatment. A Power Point presentation is used for close up detailed and comfortable viewing. Many quilts are shared.

PREPARATION FOR HAND NEEDLE TURN APPLIQUE NO project. Lecture demo. All levels welcome. Learn to prepare stems, circles and template pieces for pictorial appliqué. Tons of great fundamental information is shared however there is no time for actual hands on sewing. A Power Point presentation is used for close up detailed and comfortable viewing. Many quilts are shared.

HAND QUILTING LECTURE/DEMO NO Project. Lecture demo format with no hands on. All levels welcome. A very informative session on batting, marking, basting and the rocking stitch as well as traditional quilt designs as used in many of Darlene’s quilts.

HAND PIECING LECTURE/DEMO NO project. Lecture demo. All levels welcome. Learn to prepare templates, mark, cut and sew patchwork accurately by hand. See easy blocks like "Evening Star" to curved piecing like "Mariner’s Compass" presented in a Power Point format for ease and comfort of the viewer. Many quilts are shared.

CUTWORK & COMPASSES Project. All levels welcome [new beginners as well]. One day will be spent learning cutwork appliqué and sewing on at least one block to have hands on experience together. One day will be spent hand piecing a sunflower block as seen in Darlene’s quilt "Cutwork & Compasses".

NESTING Project. All levels welcome. One day will be spent discussing fabric possibilities for appliqué following Darlene’s Power Point lecture on the subject and looking as student’s fabric choices. A lecture/demo on the preparation for hand needle turn appliqué will follow so that students can begin to prepare for the second day of sewing instruction together. Begin one block from Darlene’s pattern "Nesting" in class and leave prepared to complete the quilt.

VALIANT! Project. All levels welcome – intermediate recommended. Darlene and Sue Nickles made the 2006 raffle quilt "Valiant!" for the International Quilt Association. Spend time planning this medallion set quilt discussing fabric selection and placement. Learn accurate, efficient and comforting hand piecing and appliqué. Hand quilting will also be covered depending upon the number of days.

A PERFECT UNION Project. All levels welcome. Darlene’s book A Perfect Union of Patchwork & Appliqué follows 8" blocks to share lessons on fabric selection and how that can enhance basic patterns.