Rachel loves to use coats as a way to express her creativity. A coat can be an excellent canvas for special fabrics, personal statements, quilt blocks or other themes or statements. There are two options for this class: 1. Students use an A-Line coat pattern and choose between strip-piecing arrangement of units and blocks, or arrangement by pre-selected rows to create an elegant and fun coat. 2. Students bring a coat pattern of their choice and use a grid system to place blocks within a lattice to show off special fabrics. The course will take students from plan development through the cutting and sewing of a wonderfully expressive garment. Sewing experience is preferred, but beginners are welcome in a 2-day minimum class.

Students use Rachel’s “Picture This” Vest Pattern, or bring their own, to create a wonderful and unique vest. This class explores building a vest around a batik panel, large-scale novelty or pictorial fabric, quilt block, mola, and other ethnic textile. Sewing experience is recommended, but beginners are welcome too.

In this workshop students will explore a variety of techniques such as fast piecing techniques, appliqué, folded technique, fake bound button holes, piping, covered buttons and anything else that may pop into Rachel’s head! The goal is to give both beginning and intermediate sewers some ideas to improve and enhance their work. An illustrated booklet is provided for a small materials fee. The booklet is designed for a full day class, so a half day class may not complete all of the exercises in the booklet.

Scraps galore! Pins wheel, stars tweak, and shoos fly in the scrappy combo of three blocks: Pin Wheel, Rachel’s Tweaky Star, and Shoo Fly! Students can have fun creating a small, whimsical quilt using light, medium and dark fabric, or if they prefer a longer project they can size up to a larger quilt. This is an excellent way to incorporate treasured fabric scraps and embellishments into a keepsake with many uses. Everyone will go home with Rachel's Shoo Fly! Pie recipe. It's possible to do this class as a half-day, but for a beginner level class a one-day minimum is recommended.

Students will use Rachel’s Monster Purse pattern to create a REALLY BIG purse, or a smaller one, or a quilt. The pattern contains directions for all three, as well as directions for a portfolio sized purse Students can make a purse or quilt with the feathered star block using paper piecing and the provided template, or use another more friendly block of their own choosing.

Students are invited to join Rachel on safari! Many graphic interpretations of African designs can be used for artistic expression in creating patchwork, piecing, and appliqué, quilting patterns, embroidery, stamps and stencils. Students can apply this design class to garments or the designs can easily be adapted for quilts. Sewing experience is preferred, but beginners are welcome too.

During this workshop students will explore various concepts and guidelines to creating a complete garment ensemble. Students will be encouraged to look beyond preconceptions and explore new territory that permits free license in planning and designing. The class is part lecture and part demonstration that will explore a variety of images as inspiration to help students translate ideas into designs. Combine this workshop in a half-day or one-day session with Clothing for the Body and Soul or Let Your Clothing Speak for You, for a longer workshop. This class is best suited to intermediate and advanced levels.

In this workshop students will mix and match their favorite fabrics to make a skirt or a shirt that is fun to wear. The garment can also be a great way to use ethnic textiles such as batiks and African fabrics. In a longer class, both the tiered skirt and the big shirt can be made to complete an ensemble. Sewing experience is preferred, but beginners are welcome too.

Create a small quilt or wall hanging using Nigerian figures, design and the technique of Nigerian appliqué, which is a reverse appliqué technique. Rachel can supply some fabrics and designs. Students may choose to use Rachel’s vest pattern and the Nigerian appliqué designs included with that pattern. Students create their design on freezer paper, transfer it to fabric, and then hand appliqué that onto a garment or quilt. It's possible to present this class as a half-day, but students will only get through set-up. For a beginner level class a one-day minimum is strongly recommended.