In-Person Workshops & Classes

Native Americans originally developed the Seminole technique which Rachel will teach in this class. Please note: this class will focus on Seminole techniques, as opposed to Seminole piecing. Students will be creating units that are cut from long strips, and then sewn together and remade in a Seminole pattern. The strips can be very colorful and are suitable to be used in a small quilt, wall hanging, or as accent to brighten up a garment.

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.

This workshop is designed to use materials saved for that special garment: the designer collection of fabrics, fabrics all in one color-way, buttons, beads, laces and treasured fabrics. Students will learn how to combine some or all into a fanciful designer coat. Students may also personalize their garment further by adding hand embroidery, machine embroidery or other fancy stitchery techniques that Rachel will demonstrate. Sewing experience is recommended, but beginners are welcome too in longer classes.

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.

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.

This workshop is designed to help students create a garment that will “speak” for them. Using either a contemporary or traditional pattern, students will be coached through creating a one-of-a-kind garment to reflect their personality, ethnicity, sense of humor, or to create a mood or to make a social or political statement. A variety of construction and embellishment techniques will be explored. Sewing experience is preferred, but beginners are welcome too.