Patsy will be teaching a two-day class on Monday and Tuesday #1203 Love Birds-Machine Embroidered Applique (MEA), and single day classes on Wednesday #3018 Feathered Wreath Block (MEA) and on Thursday #4019 Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Feathers But…
Personal: Patsy Thompson currently resides in not one but two states: Ohio and North Carolina. When she is not traveling between these two locales, she is enjoying eating chocolate and spending time with her husband whom Patsy says, “is the funniest and kindest person I know.”
How did you get started in quilting? I have a niece that I have adored since the day she was born. When she was about to move from a crib into a “real bed,” I decided to make her a quilt. I had no idea how to do it and didn’t know anyone else who did. This was back in the 1970’s when there were no quilt shops, so I kind of had to “wing it.” It was an easy quilt, made of many fairly large blocks (I think they were 8-9 inches square) and when I went to quilt it, I had no idea what to do. I used an ultra-high loft polyester batting from Joann Fabrics and didn’t even baste it. (Who knew?!) I machine quilted it and the batting all shifted so there were these huge blobs of quilt in several places. It really wasn’t much of a quilt, but she loved it to death and that experience got me hooked!
Where do you find inspiration for your quilting? Everywhere! I am especially inspired by floral scenes, but pretty much everything I encounter in my daily life gives me some type of inspiration, whether it’s a combination of colors or shapes or patterns.
What is the one quilting tool that you can’t live without? I have two that are tied for first place. The first is the rotary cutter. They didn’t exist when I first started quilting and I spent many years cutting out fabric pieces by pinning small paper triangles, etc. to the fabric as a template. My whole life changed when Olfa debuted that rotary cutter! The other tool that has revolutionized my life is my Sizzix Big Shot machine. That has allowed me to quickly/easily cut out intricate shapes for applique that I would never even try to cut by hand. That little machine has really spoiled me!
What was the best class you have taken? It was a class on free motion quilting taught by Caryl Bryer-Fallert. Mid-way through the class, I had an “aha” moment and finally learned to stitch a free-form feather. I had tried to do this so many times unsuccessfully, so learning this skill meant the world to me. The rest of the class was also fabulous, but it didn’t matter because I had finally conquered feathers!
What do you like best about teaching? There is nothing more rewarding than seeing another quilter learn a new skill, especially if it’s something they’ve struggled with. The other thing that really makes my day is inspiring quilters to try something new.
What is your best tip for quilters? Loosen up! Let yourself bask in the fun of quilting and don’t worry so much about the rules.
What do you want your students to get out of your class? I want them to leave feeling thrilled and inspired by what they have seen and spent the last several hours doing. If they leave the class jacked up and dreaming of ideas of how to use the skills they just learned, I will have done my job.
Please visit Patsy at www.patsythompsondesigns.com
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Tags: Feathers, Machine Embroidered Applique, Olfa rotary cutters, Sizzix Big Shot Machine
