There is nothing more ideal than having a Canadian quilt celebrity teach and be one of the feature evening entertainment at
Quilt Canada 2017 to celebrate our 150th! Kathy Wylie is just that quilter!
If you know her or have had a workshop with her, you know exactly what we mean when we say she embodies Canadian quilting and all that it is! She teaches with the patience of a sweet mom, has the quilting knowledge compared to a genius and her quilts are exquisite, plus she excels at both hand and machine quilting! So every quilter can adore her!
If you haven't heard it yet, we know her
evening lecture will sell out. So don't wait too long buying tickets.
It was fun to ask her to open up a bit so you can find out a bit more about who this amazing quilter Kathy K. Wylie really is, and why you will regret it, if you dont' take her workshops at
Quilt Canada!
Tell us a bit about when you quilt, or what motivates you to
do what you do.
The creative process brings me joy. I have been stitching
and crafting since I was a girl, but quilting became my passion as soon as I
discovered it in the spring of 1994. I guess I am motivated by that passion and
by the thrill of discovery. Quilting can take so many forms, styles, genres and
techniques – it just never gets old.
When do I quilt? Whenever I can ;) Winter and summer tend
to be my quilting seasons; spring and fall are my teaching seasons. I like to
do studio work during the day (designing, prep, machine work) and try to do a
couple hours of hand work in the evening.
Tell us a bit more about your workshops that you are teaching at Quilt Canada 2017.
106M - Designing with Diamonds in EQ7
One Half Day Workshop
Wednesday, June 14, 2017, 08:30 - 11:30
Cost: $75.00
Take your EQ7 quilt design software to new heights with five diamond design challenges: stunning kaleidoscopes, classic nosegays, pictorial pieced backgrounds and much more!
Students need to have EQ7 installed and activated and bring
their own laptop. In this class, we work on five different design exercises –
all featuring diamonds.
Exercise 1: Fabric Kaleidoscopes – we learn about the Fussy
Cut and Rotate Fabric Tools
Depending on the fabric choice, different kaleidoscopes can
be virtually created – or auditioned.
Exercise 2: Drafting an Eight Pointed Star Block – we
practice using PatchDraw with the Eight-Pointed Star grid.
Exercise 3: Blocks in an Eight Pointed Star Layout – we set
blocks as diamonds into an eight-pointed star layout.
Exercise 4: Variable Point Layout – we set blocks as
diamonds into a Variable Point Layout
Exercise 5: Photo Patchwork – we use the Photo Patchwork
tool to create a diamond background layout from a photo and add applique motifs
on Layer 2.
106A - Quick & Easy Turned-Edge Applique: The Apliquick Way!
One Half Day Workshop
Wednesday, June 14, 2017, 13:00 - 16:00
Cost: $75.00
Discover the Apliquick method for turned-edge appliqué. The innovative Apliquick tools provide unprecedented ease and precision for preparing fabric for hand or machine stitching – even miniature-sized. If you have always wanted to learn turned-edge appliqué, or struggled with it in the past, this system is for you. Apliquick rods will be available in class so you can try before you buy, but we’re sure you’ll want a set for your toolbox. Award-winning quilter Kathy K. Wylie has specialized in appliqué techniques for over ten years and she hasn’t seen anything like them!
There’s something here for everyone. For those who have
never done turned-edge applique – or who have struggled with it in the past –
the Apliquick method will make it very easy for them to get started and achieve
excellent results. For those who enjoy turned-edge applique and have had
success using other methods, Apliquick will allow them to take their applique
to new heights – smaller scale, more detailed shapes. Once the applique shapes
are prepared, they can be sewn by hand or by machine – appealing to both types
of sewists.
206 - Machine Cutwork: The Look of an Heirloom in a Fraction of the Time (Janome)
One Full Day Workshop
Thursday, June 15, 2017, 08:30 - 16:00
Cost: $145.00
Cutwork is a needlework technique where portions of fabric are cut out and the resulting holes are reinforced with embroidery. Learn how to create this heirloom needlework by machine in a fraction of the time.
There are four project options in this class: lacy snowflake; glittery snowflake; snowflake quilt block; stained glass snowflake.
Bring the beauty of winter indoors with one of these beautiful snowflakes!
Basically, you cut out a hole and then satin-stitch over
the raw edges. The technique we will be learning in this class uses
water-soluble stabilizer (like Solvy). I also teach my three-pass approach for
satin stitching and how to miter the stitch to create perfect points. There are
lots more photos and detailed descriptions on my blog,
- layer two
pieces of fabric wrong sides together and satin stitch over the cutouts. This
creates a lacy or doily-type snowflake.
- if you add a
third layer of sheer sparkly fabric like tulle or organza, the glitter will
shine through the cutouts.
- and if you
place different colored fabrics behind the cutouts, you create a stained-glass effect.
306M - Peek-A-Boo Applique Leaf (Janome)
One Half Day Workshop
Friday, June 16, 2017, 08:30 - 11:30
Cost: $75.00
What happens when you reverse appliqué over patchwork? Peek-a-boo! Use strip piecing to create a vibrant green summer leaf, a colourful fall leaf, or even a red Canadian maple leaf. The result looks like patchwork appliqué! Use this technique to add unexpected detail to your appliqué, make exciting border designs, or transform those orphan blocks.
The concept behind Peek-a-boo Applique is using reverse
applique over a patchwork block. Imagine the possibilities! The applique is done
by machine, and I teach my three-pass approach for satin stitching and how to
miter the stitch to create perfect points. In this class, we will use simple
strip-piecing to create a leaf block. It could be a realistic-looking leaf…
… or a patriotic maple leaf!
Once you get the concept, you can use peek-a-boo applique
to use up orphan blocks or create innovative applique designs. How about a
peek-a-boo heart with crazy patchwork or a peek-a-boo pineapple with a
pineapple block?
406 - New Ways to Hexies: English Paper-less Piecing by Machine (Janome)
One Full Day Workshop
Saturday, June 17, 2017, 08:30 - 16:00
Cost: $145.00
Hexies – or six-sided hexagon patches – have traditionally been sewn together by hand using a technique called English Paper Piecing. But modern times have brought along new options and we will explore them in this workshop. Instead of basting hexies to paper (which needs to be removed), baste them to fusible interfacing. Instead of tracing and cutting dozens of hexies out of fusible interfacing, purchase them precut! And instead of whip-stitching the patches together by hand, sew them by machine in a fraction of the time using a
I have been teaching how to sew hexagons together by
machine for many years, including my very first time teaching at Quilt Canada
in 2006! But this class has been updated in many ways including:
~ using fusible interfacing for the templates – which can
stay in – rather than freezer paper, which must be removed.
~ using the Apliquick method for turning under the seam
allowance
~ and arranging the hexies in other ways besides the
traditional Grandmother’s Flower Garden.
Tell us something you are most proud of, it doesn’t have to
be a quilting
Two years ago, while traveling in Phoenix Arizona, my
husband and I decided to hike up Camelback Mountain. I only made it about
half-way before I was huffing and puffing and could go no further. When we
decided to return the following year, I signed up for a twelve-week training
program to get in shape so I could try it again. I lost 25 pounds in the
process.
What quilt are you most proud of?
Flourish on the
Vine, 2011, 62” x 73”
Won the 2011 IQA Founders Award in Houston and the 2013 CQA
Best of Show Award.
And what is your favourite food?
Bread! Not whole-wheat, but
pretty much any other kind: multi-grain, sour dough, rye, baguettes, Montreal (the best)
bagels, ciabatta… and I wouldn’t turn down a glass of
wine with that!
Thanks Kathy! Are you convinced that you need one of her workshop? You should be, go here to register!
