the Original 2013 Penny Sampler

Hooray!!! Today registration opens for the Penny Sampler at Stitched in Color! Class begins in earnest August 19th, but we'll get a jump start next week with lessons on choosing your fabrics!

The Penny Sampler is a skill-building course with Scandinavian style. It began with Scandinavian inspiration, its folk notes and modern melodies combined. That first vision became a framework of ideas - miniature pictures, small geometric piecing, intricate sashing, a pointy border.

But I wanted it to be lively, unexpected, definitely different than your everyday sampler quilt. So, I threw out regular gridwork and traditionally placed sashing. Instead blocks are a smorgesboard of sizes, sashing falls here and there for movement, layers of interest. The border is broken up and resized in a decidedly unpredictable way. All this aiming to be true to the quirky charm of modern Scandinavian style.

I'm pleased to invite you on our journey, spanning August 19th through November 15th. It's 14 weeks of instruction at a manageable pace. All instruction is delivered via a separate password protected blog that allows you to access the lessons at your leisure, with posts delivered day to day during instruction weeks.

This online class centers around the making of an epic quilt - the Penny Sampler - while developing three themes: machine applique, precise piecing and machine paper piecing. These skill sets go beyond basic quilting to equip a quilter to face with confidence tricky traditional geometric piecework and picture-motifs made by applique or machine paper piecing. All lessons include full, detailed photo tutorials and many downloadable templates.

Plus, for each theme, I've created 2 practice projects. These stand-alone projects are optional creative outlets and/or opportunities to practice the skills before sewing your sampler. Of the two projects, one is relatively quick and one is an actual quilt. The practice quilts included in our course are Dogwood Blossoms, Pixie Churns and Pantry Shelf. The other 3 (quicker!) practice projects will be revealed as class unfolds.

Wondering if this class is the right fit for your level or how much time you'll need to keep up? See the Penny Sampler FAQ for more details!

Here's a bit more detail on what we'll cover with some examples...

Weeks 2-5: Machine Applique- Think of applique as a simple way to achieve any shape you desire, especially curves - see the hearts, mitten and bird blocks! Applique also allows for unbroken backgrounds and unbroken prints with no distracting seams. I love that! Projects will cover 2 different user-friendly methods for turned-under edges with options for attaching by machine or by hand. For more project examples see "why Applique?"

Weeks 6-9: Precise Piecing - At some point most quilters yearn to refine their piecing skills, to chase down that perfect seam and be able to create small-scale traditional patchwork in triumph. We'll discuss the merits of both the scant and true 1/4" seam and when to use which, plus other little details that can effect the accuracy of your sewing. Each fancy block is another gem for your quilt! To see lots of these projects visit "the key to Precise Piecing."

Week 10-14: Machine Paper Piecing - Patchwork addicts, like myself, are often charmed by the perfect points and unusual made possibly by machine paper piecing. This method of patchwork tends to be intimidating, but it's actually not hard at all once you get the hang of it! Starting from some really easy diamonds to wrap your mind around the process, projects will gradually build up to include my favorite block of all- the Dala horse! See more at "the Joy of paper piecing."

Choose your class!

Class runs on 3 distinct private blogs where I can answer questions in the comments.

The super affordable Penny Sampler includes everything you're used to seeing from me in the way of detailed, step-by-step picture-packed tutorials and access to all projects.

Penny Sampler adds extra helpful (and time-intensive) features like numerous video tutorials and an eBook of the class for your reference.

Then there is a smaller, more exclusive Penny Sampler Camp for folks who want it all, plus lots of interaction, with the give and take encouragement you'd experience in a real in-person class. Penny Sampler Camp is limited to 20 campers. We'll enjoy (6) live community chats, each an hour in length, plus a private Flickr group to help us keep up with our works-in-progress. And, campers who complete their Penny Sampler by December 15th will receive a little something handmade by me as a souvenir of Penny Sampler Camp. I hope I get to make one for each of you!

There is an early registration discount for Penny Sampler and Penny Sampler Premium, only applicable during the week of July 22 - July 26th. Prices are live and accurate at my shop.

Class runs through November 15th. Your access to the class blog will remain open through December 15th, during which time I will continue answering questions. After December 15th the blog will be closed and you will no longer be able to login. This provides much-need motivation for us to get everything we can out of the class in real time, rather than leaving it open ended for "someday."