AliKat

Ask those attending to bring colored pencils or crayons and a straignt edge or ruler. Then you can provide the graph paper. That covers design and color theory simplified.

The rest I would do as a talk with a the main points in writing to give to each person attending. Sometimes I leave room for the 'students' to write their own notes.

Bring your own samples to show, such as: 4 patch, 9 patch, HST's, sandwiching, and binding. Maybe even include some sewing machine feet that they may want to consider using: 1/4" foot, 1/4" foot with flange guide, and open toed foot.

Hopefully there will also be some nice snack foods for your 'students'. Somehow we seem to remember best when other memories are triggered.

ali

jcrow

I would show how to use a rotary cutter and mat and different rulers. I was fascinated to learn how to do a nine patch by sewing strips together and then cutting them, say, every 2 1/2" and having all three pieces already sewn together. I thought that was a nifty trick. I would show the group how to do a nine patch. It's basic and I think everyone loves a 9 patch. I would show them the trick to making a triangle by drawing a line down the middle and sewing 1/4" on each side and then ironing it open. Or how you sew 1/4" all around a square of two fabrics and cut an X and make 4 triangles. Just showing them a couple of tricks really amazes people. It's so amazing when you are new. I would talk about ironing and piecing, how to properly iron when piecing. I would bring a quilt that is done and show everyone the binding and quilting done to it.

Lauray

Joyce888 - I'm not part of the demo but would sure love a 'lesson' on how to pick a group of fabrics and using the color code on the selvages. I've been quilting just under two years and haven't heard of this before. Would you mind?

carolynjo

Make a small design wall. Use some of your squares to demo the many designs that can be made from them. Let your listeners try their hand at designing a quilt block, but give them poster board cut into the right sized squares and some Elmer's glue. They can see how the blocks go together and hopefully will then have confidence enough to learn to sew them together.

MrsWiggs

It would be helpful to cover the basic tools need for newbies- scissors, rotary cutter , cutting mat, rulers, needles thread, sewing machine?, fabric, batting, etc.

Yarn or Fabric

Check out Missouri Star quilting's youtube channel. A lot of their blocks work up quickly and are really sharp and clever. I've done a few of their demos as my own demos for my small guild. http://www.youtube.com/user/MissouriQuiltCo

When I do demos at the group I bring my blocks for every stage of the process. squares before cutting, then cut, then sewn - and if there are multiple steps to sewing, I make a block for each step to show it off.. then one that is completed. If it is something that there are multiple ways to assemble the blocks to show off a pattern, I make enough to show off the different patterns. It's a lot of work but it does give me a bunch of blocks to be used for donation quilts down the road.

nstitches4u

cad_queen_200,

What a great story! Look at all the new quilters you inspired.

cad_queen_2000

Thanks, we changed plans at least 3 times, it was the first time this was ever done, so there was no wrong way to do it. (just like quilting, we went with the flow.)

One little girl made me smile. She joined 3 blocks together at a time, so she had 4 sets of 3 blocks. When she went to join 2 of the sets together, one was longer than the other. She asked why, and i explained that it was because the seams were different, and that is why it is important to try and keep your seams even. She replied "I don't think the squares were cut correctly".

nycquilter

There were two times that I introduced quilting to newbies; one was a group of adult ladies and the other was my daughter's 3rd grade class. Using muslin as the foundation, I had each person foundation-piece a house block. It was simple, the window, the wall above and beneath, side walls, a door, another wall, then rectangular roof with triangles on either side in sky colors. Then we sewed them pillowcase style, and "tie-quilted" with embelleshments--bird charms, flower charms, etc. The finished pieces were about 5x7 and really adorable.