Julia Graves: Amazing Abstracts, Price Includes $5 Class Handout (6 hr WS, Weds, 6/24/26, 10am-4pm EDT)

The workshop fee includes the $5 class kit. The Class Kit includes emailed digital workshop handouts. Please note: Digital kits can be emailed worldwide. 

-        Pencil, eraser, fine tip Sharpie, dry erase marker (optional)

-        Scissors for paper and fabric

-        Paper to write on and draw on (with lines and without – just a few pieces)

-        Sturdy paper to glue on (large index cards – 4x6 or 5x7 or card stock – just a few pieces)

-        Double-sided tape or glue-stick to use with the sturdy paper to create your mock-up.  Tape is preferred as glue stick sometimes dries before the design is finished.  An easier but more expensive option is Grafix doubletack mounting film.

-        Long thin ruler for drawing lines with Sharpie

-        Square rotary cutter ruler – 6 ½” square or larger; 8” square or larger gives more flexibility for block sizes

-        Rotary cutter with new blade, mat

-        Pictures for inspiration – color schemes, design ideas, etc. 

-        Clear plastic - at least one piece, such as plastic document protector sleeves (8 ½” x 11”), template plastic, or large clear Ziploc bags (you will draw a grid over your design onto this clear plastic)

-        Sewing machine and supplies (machine, power cord, foot pedal, needles, feet, bobbins, neutral thread (gray or beige), extension cord)

-        Freezer paper or parchment paper, at least 12” by 12” (optional - to cover any sticky spots on your mockup)

-        Tweezers (optional – for placing small bits of fabric on the design)

-        Portable light (optional)

-        Iron, pad

-        Color wheel (optional)

Fabric Supplies:

-        ½ yard foundation fabric (muslin, or white/cream fabric without pattern, as sometimes the foundation shadows through light colored fabric).  This is enough for a small wall hanging or pillow.

-        Fabrics in at least 2-3 colors for your chosen color scheme in a full range of value (light, medium, and dark) and intensity (pure/clear colors and muted/grayed/toned colors), plus lots of neutrals (white, cream, beige, brown, gray, black & white, and black).  Variety is better than yardage.  Long, narrow scraps work well (1-3” wide and 6”-12” long, but don’t trim if you have larger pieces).  Think mostly tone-on-tone blenders vs multiple colored fabrics, though fabrics that have just the colors of your color scheme can also work well.

-        Extra fabrics – if you have room, throw in small pieces of fabric in a wide variety of values and colors, so you have more choices

-        Avant-garde fabrics – the foundation piecing method lends itself to using fabrics that are not traditional quilting cotton, such as silks, drapery fabric, polyesters, etc.  So – if you want to be adventurous, have at it!  A woven fabric is easier to sew with than a non-woven fabric, such as knits.  Use a ½” seam allowance vs the traditional ¼”.

-        If using an inspiration photo, look closely at all the colors in the photo and bring fabrics in all the colors.  The color effect of a photo is often driven by the colors that hide in the background as much as by the bright colors that pop.