Workshops by Craftwright Quilts
Click Here for Available On-Demand and Live Workshops
About Janet’s Journey to Quilt Teaching
My grandmother, Hilda, taught me how to hand piece when I was just eight years old, over 40 years ago. Grandma Hilda kept me busy over many hours and years with nothing more than a needle, thread, a pair of scissors and scraps from her meticulously handcrafted quilts. She made the templates from the cardboard from our cereal boxes and I would mark the pieces with the same pencil she used to track the eggs from her chicken coop.
As my quilting progressed I dove into machine piecing, longarm quilting, and every other technical advancement that has swept through our community. Laser cutting complex fabric shapes, specialized sewing machines to duplicate the effect of hand stitching, art quilting, paint, dyeing, and everything in between – I love the diversity of techniques available to quilters and have tried them all!
And while my ADHD brain loves the sheer scope of techniques and projects quilting has to offer, from designing and digitizing custom longarm quilting designs to the artistry and chemistry of hand-dyed fabric, I keep coming back to hand-stitching and, in particular, hand-piecing. When English Paper Piecing swept through our community, I jumped right on board, making multiple quilts with thousands of hand-basted and stitched paper pieces.
Then, when working on the holy grail of EPP patterns, La Passacaglia, I was researching the designs and techniques used by the author of the pattern, Willyne Hammerstein, in her famous Millefiori Quilts (1-5) books. Her books and technique brought me immediately back to Grandma Hilda’s kitchen table, hand stitching pieces cut from cardboard templates. Turns out, virtually any EPP pattern can be easily (and more quickly) made by simply removing the paper from the process and returning to Grandma Hilda’s (and Willyne Hammerstein’s) hand piecing.
My stash had dozens of EPP patterns and templates and bags of paper pieces for my planned EPP projects. By repurposing the patterns and templates, and dusting off Grandma Hilda’s lessons, I have been able to make my beloved EPP projects even more portable – and faster – than ever before. While I still need to destash the paper pieces, bringing these time tested techniques back to life has allowed me to honor tradition while continuing to enjoy my favorite part of quilting for over 40 years now – the active and therapeutic meditation that can only be achieved with hand piecing. The result? Paperless EPP – quilting at its simplest and most satisfying.
From there, my hand stitching journey brought me to needleturn applique and hand quilting, which round out the traditional trifecta of hand stitching techniques. Using those, together or in combination with machine piecing or quilting, gives any quilter easy, portable projects that require minimal supplies while delivering timeless results.
Available On-Demand and Live Workshops
Paperless EPP
For this workshop, we’ll use the traditional Tumbling Blocks pattern as the basis for our project, but all of the techniques you will learn can be adapted to any of your favorite EPP patterns, including Grandmother’s Flower Garden, Smitten, or Queen of Diamonds. Learn to mark the fabrics using EPP patterns and templates you already own while still ensuring the accuracy and precision that brings fussy cut patterns to life. Then, hand piecing techniques for straight and Y-seams will be taught, allowing you to quickly create beautiful and complex shapes with nothing more than a simple running stitch.
Learning to piece without papers gives you more time to do what you love – hand-stitching gorgeous projects!
On-Demand Class
This on-demand class is available at any time and you will have access to the pre-recorded videos at your convenience and on your schedule for the foreseeable future. Downloadable templates and class notes are included, as well as dozens of technique and project demonstrations and recommendations.
Live Workshop (Zoom or In-Person)
Janet is available to teach this class as either a 3 or 6-hour workshop and, with bookings made 60 days in advance, kits can also be available for purchase.
Needleturn Applique: Design Without Limits
In this class, you will have the choice of making either a throw pillow cover (18 inches by 18 inches) or tote bag using the provided templates and patterns. Fabric choice is completely up to you – this is a great project for using up your stash and upcycling the fabric totes collecting in all of our closets.
This on-demand class is available at any time and you will have access to the pre-recorded videos at your convenience and on your schedule for the foreseeable future. Downloadable templates and class notes are included, as well as dozens of technique and project demonstrations and recommendations.
Live Workshop (Zoom or In-Person)
Janet is available to teach this class as either a 3 or 6-hour workshop and, with bookings made 60 days in advance, kits can also be available for purchase. The 3-hour workshop will be designed for a small zip pouch or lumbar pillow, while the 6-hour workshop can be expanded to the throw pillow (18 inches by 18 inches) or tote bag.
Hawaiian Quilting: Needleturn Applique and Echo Quilting
All proceeds of this class are donated to the Waianae Public Library in the Hawaii State Public Library System, which has over 500 Hawaiian Quilting patterns available for free to the public, including use of tracing materials and table. A must-see visit for any quilt tourist to Hawaii!
This on-demand class is available at any time and you will have access to the pre-recorded videos at your convenience and on your schedule for the foreseeable future. Downloadable templates and class notes are included, as well as multiple technique and project demonstrations and recommendations.
Live Workshop (Zoom or In-Person)
Janet is available to teach this class as either a 3 or 6-hour workshop and, with bookings made 60 days in advance, kits can also be available for purchase. The 3-hour workshop would focus on pattern creation and transfer as well as needleturn applique. The 6-hour workshop would include time for learning echo quilting by hand as well.
Hand Quilting: From Big Stitch to 12 SPI
This on-demand class is available at any time and you will have access to the pre-recorded videos at your convenience and on your schedule for the foreseeable future. Downloadable templates and class notes are included, as well as multiple technique and project demonstrations and recommendations.
Live Workshop (Zoom or In-Person)
Janet is available to teach this class as either a 3 or 6-hour workshop and, with bookings made 60 days in advance, kits can also be available for purchase. The 3-hour workshop would focus on the basics of fine hand quilting, while the 6-hour workshop would include alternate hand quilting techniques, such as big stitch quilting.
Pricing and Hiring Information
Live Zoom Workshops
3 Hour Workshop Live Via Zoom
- $450, no booking fee
Includes pattern instructions and templates
6 Hour Workshop Live Via Zoom
- $750, no booking fee
Includes pattern instructions and templates
Direct Registration:
Students Register and Pay Craftwright Quilts Directly
- $35 per student for a 3 Hour Workshop Live Via Zoom
- $60 per student for a 6 Hour Workshop Live Via Zoom
NOTE: $100 Booking Fee is Required for Direct Registration Workshops. This fee is refunded 4 weeks before the workshop if at least 10 students have directly registered with Craftwright Quilts.
In-Person Workshops