Easy Piecing, Amazing Design
Debbie Maddy
Class Preview
0:44
- In-depth Instruction; over 127 mins
- On-demand video access anytime
- Bonus downloadable PDF resources
- Access to class Q&A
Starting the Carpenter's Star
12:36
Meet your instructor, quilting designer Debbie Maddy, before embarking on your first in-class project: the dazzling Carpenter's Star quilt. You'll learn to choose effective fabrics for the quilt blocks and background before using Debbie's time-saving techniques for auditioning fabric placement and making the all-important sample page.
Perfect Half-Square Triangles
21:54
Discover the best ways to cut, sew and press the half-square triangles that make up your Carpenter's Star blocks. Debbie demonstrates her favorite techniques for cutting symmetrical pieces and chain-sewing your triangles precisely and efficiently. Finish by pressing your blocks while preventing bulk or accidental stretching.
Assembling the Carpenter's Star
17:59
Learn how to lay out the Carpenter's Star blocks and train your eye to detect layout mistakes. Next, follow along with Debbie's professional pinning techniques to keep your blocks perfectly aligned and prevent mishaps at the sewing machine. Finish by sewing all of the blocks for your center star into rows with perfect star points and matched seam lines.
Finishing the Carpenter's Star
26:31
Continue making perfect star points as you sew the rows you've made together easily and precisely, using Debbie's troubleshooting techniques along the way. Next, you'll measure, cut and add borders, including a beautiful floating border that matches the center of your quilt and highlights your perfectly aligned blocks.
Spinning Stars Quilt
13:48
Transition from half-square triangles to quarter-square triangles as you start Debbie's beautiful Spinning Stars quilt. You'll learn how to start with a half-square triangle center before creating blocks that consist of rectangles and squares, or half- and quarter-square triangles. Debbie shows you how to easily adapt her prior methods to these blocks as you measure, cut, pin, sew and press.
Provence Star Quilt
21:16
Dive into the easy and amazing Provence Star quilt, which pairs bold lines with vibrant colors. Learn to work with directional fabrics with consideration to symmetry, aesthetic appeal and the overall flow of your design for professional, eye-pleasing results. Next, follow along with Debbie as you mark, cut and construct your blocks and assemble the quilt.
Quilting Designs
12:07
Wrap up the class with an exploration of quilting design options, ranging from decorative embellishments to stitches that downplay noticeable seams and intersections. Debbie shows you the best ways to mark your stitch paths using improvisational and stencil methods, and shares a variety of examples to ignite your imagination.
Make spectacular patchwork simple as you master fundamental quilting skills and acclaimed instructor Debbie Maddy’s smart techniques. Start with how to choose fabrics that complement each other beautifully. Then, piece the Carpenter’s Star quilt with the best tips for creating symmetrical half-square triangles, constructing blocks with perfectly matched points, pressing to prevent bulk, pinning for easy assembly and adding gorgeous borders. Build on these skills as you use half- and quarter-square triangles to create the Spinning Stars quilt, which features an impressive secondary pattern. Take your techniques even further as you use directional fabrics to piece the movement-rich Provence Star quilt. Put a new twist on traditional quilts for projects that are striking to behold and straightforward to make.
Debbie Maddy
Debbie Maddy has always loved fabric! She became a quilter in 1982, after learning to sew garments, hand embroider and do needlework as a child. By 1993, Debbie was teaching at quilt guilds and quilt shops throughout the country. In 2005, Debbie founded Calico Carriage Quilt Designs — the same year she taped an episode of Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson. Today, Debbie's patterns are sold all over the world, and she travels internationally to teach quilting.
Bonus materials available after purchase