Workshops and classes for Guild members occur throughout the year. Attendees have a chance to learn a new technique, build their skills, or take on a new project while enjoying the company of fellow Guild members.
Workshops often feature guest speakers from our monthly meetings or guild members sharing a special talent so those may be covered here as well.
Sew-ins have been held at the Half Century Club or the Veteran’s Building and at least 10 people need to sign up to meet the building rental cost.
Payments should be made at time of sign up. Those who have not yet paid are not fully signed up and may be bumped. Checks can be made out to Quilters Etc.
2025
- August: Going Bananas
- July: Quilting Bee
- March: 3D Dresden
- February Meeting: Wonder Curve
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2024
- September : Demo-A-Thon
- August : Ombre Bargello Quilt
- August : I Love a Challenge Truck Show (Guild Meeting)
- July : Patchwork Jacket
- April : Simple Pattern Drafting
- April : Quilts of Valor (Guild Meeting)
- March : For the Love of Ric Rac
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Going Bananas 2025
- When: Saturday, August 30th, 2025
- Where: TBD
- Who: Sharon Pederson
- Cost: $50
Join us for a workshop on the bright and bold Going Bananas quilt.
Fabric Supply List: Download – Start collecting now!
- Fabric Strip Requirements
- Full 2.5 inches wide
- If using a Jelly Roll, please measure the width of the strips as some are not a full 2.5″ wide, especially batiks.
- Do NOT trim off the selvages.
- Have the ones for the grab bag separated out.
- Please make sure the fabrics are good high quality cotton quilting (not some of the lower end fabrics found at Jo-Ann’s, Hobby Lobby, or Walmart).
- Full 2.5 inches wide
- 40 ‘Black on White’ or ‘White on Black’ strips
- No muted or gray colors. Think bright white and deep black.
- 20 of these will go into a grab bag for sharing with the other participants.
- 40 Bright Colored Fabrics
- No muted, gray, or pastel colors.
- Think bright bold primary and secondary colors.
- 20 of these will go into the grab bag for sharing with the other participants.
- The other 20 need to be 10 sets of two strips that are the same.
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Quilting Bee 2025
- When: Saturday, July 26th, 2025
- Where: Valley of the Flowers Half Century Club
- 341 North N St. in Lompoc, CA
- Who: TBD
- Cost: $0 (FREE)
Machine and hand quilting!
The Quilting Bee: The origin of “bee” comes from dialectal ‘been’ or ‘bean’ (meaning “help given by neighbors”) and a Quilting Bee started out as an important means of socializing for colonial and pioneer women (and men). Through the winter months, the women would piece their quilt tops. Since there was no central heating in these homes, there was usually only one main heated room that was too crowded during the winter months for a quilt frame to be assembled. When the weather became warmer, an invitation was sent to the surrounding neighbors for the quilting bee.
On the day of the quilting bee, the quilters would arrive early and begin marking the quilt top which had been put into the quilt frame by the hostess. Very often, plates, thimbles and tea cups were used to mark the quilting patterns.
The quilters would then begin to quilt the top while exchanging conversation. The quilt had to be finished before the husbands and beaus showed up in the late afternoon when dinner was served to all, the hostess being given a chance to show off her cooking skills. After dinner, there was very often a square dance or country dance with fiddles accompanying the dancers.
The quilting bee was an important part of the social life of these people surpassed only by religious gatherings.
Originally Seen on Facebook – Post Credit goes to Kimberly Wright.
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3D Dresden 2025
- Summary: This project is perfect to learn the Modern technique for making the Dresden block. Anelie will teach her Stitch-n-flip method and students will love the option to appliqué or not!!! (More Info from Anelie)
- When: Saturday, March 29th, 2025
- Where: Valley of the Flowers Half Century Club
- 341 North N St. in Lompoc, CA
- Who: Anelie Belden
- Anelie Belden is a nationally known sewing instructor, quilt and pattern designer and author. She began sewing by constructing garments which lead to her degree in Fashion Design
- Cost: $50
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Wonder Curve 2025
- When: Thursday February 27th at 6:30pm
- Where: Monthly Guild Meeting
- Who: Michelle Strunka and Stacy Murray from Old Town Quilt Shop
About Michelle:
I moved to Orcutt after retiring from a 30+ year career overseeing medical supply inventory for a San Diego hospital system. My husband and I searched for a place to retire and one of my requirements was that it be a small town with a quilt shop. The quilting community here opened their arms to me and I was soon working part time at the shop, then became a partner with the original owner, and then purchased the business when the original owner retired. I have been quilting for over 20 years and I love so many aspects of the whole process, but I don’t hand sew! I particularly enjoy curved piecing and machine applique. My favorite fabrics tend to be the more modern designs in bold colors.
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Demo-A-Thon 2024
- When: Thursday, September 26th, 2024
- Where: Guild Meeting
Diagonal Backing (by Mary and Penny)
This fabric-efficient technique can be used when making a quilt back that is up to one-and-a-half times wider than your backing fabric (up to 66″ wide with 44″ fabric).
Diagonal Backing Worksheet: Hint – If you enter your data directly on the page, it will automagically run the calculations so you know how much backing you need for a quilt using this method.
Flange Binding (by Delores)
Flanged binding is an additional narrow strip of fabric between the quilt and its binding that adds an extra pop of color and/or texture.
Flange Binding Instructions
With a couple exceptions (see * and uppercase), flange binding is the same as regular binding.
- *Create FLANGE binding strips using the measurements below and iron to the main fabric.
- Assemble the strips together to the needed overall length.
- Fold in half and iron.
- *Sew the binding with the flange side UP to the BACK of the quilt using a 1/4″ foot.
- Iron binding out flat and then wrap around and clip or pin to the other side.
- *The FLANGE fabric should now be mostly hidden inside with just the edge exposed.
- *Switch to a regular foot and sew on the front using stitch in the ditch where the ditch is where the binding switches from the flange to the main fabric. Put a knot or backstitch in the corners.
Flange Binding Strip Measurements
To make the math easier to understand, the fractions below have not been reduced.
| 2.25″ | 2.5″ | Strip Widths |
| 1 1/8″ 1 5/8″ | 1 1/4″ 1 3/4″ | Main fabric Flange fabric (yes, 1/2″ wider than main) |
2 4/4″ – 2/4″ —— 2 2/4″ or 2 1/2″ | 2 6/8″ – 4/8″ —— 2 2/8″ or 2 1/4″ | Math For Determining Those Widths sum of widths seam allowance (1/4″ off each fabric) —– width of binding strips reduced to standard fractions |
General Binding Measurements
This is the same for standard or flange bindings but not for larger custom width bindings.
Overall Length: (quilt length + quilt width) * 2
Fabric Required*: (round up (overall length / WOF) )* binding width
Example: 40″ x 50″ quilt
Overall Length: (40 + 50) * 2 = 90 * 2 = 180 (no extra added)
Fabric Required*: ((180 / 40)) * 2.25 = (4.5 rounds up to 5) * 2.25 = 11″ (1/3 yard of fabric)
Note*: Subtract seam allowance from WOF to allow for joining the seams and a bit for a safety margin.
Crooked Courthouse Steps Block (by Judy)
The Courthouse Steps block, which has been around since the civil war era, is a variation of the Log Cabin block where the strips (or steps) are sewn to opposite sides of the center square (the Courthouse) instead of wrapping around the center.
Crooked Courthouse Steps are a variation that allows you to use up scrap fabric and does not require precision cutting as random widths and lengths are used.
Leaders and Enders (by Judy)
At the end of a seam, sew on an ender (a scrap of fabric). Cut off your piece leaving the ender behind. When you sew the next seam, the prior ender is now a leader for the next seam. This always leaves something under the foot so you don’t have to worry about managing long thread that can get tangled or sucked down into the needle hole.
Quiltville takes Leaders and Enders to the next level. Instead of using just scraps, squares for potential scrappy quilts are used. After finishing a quilt, cut the extra fabric into squares and set them aside in a container. When doing the next quilt, use two squares from the container as the leaders and enders and sew a quarter inch seam creating a two patch and set them in another container. Two patches are turned into four patches in the same manner. When enough four patches are collected, create a scrappy quilt.
Consider variations such as changing the size of the squares, creating half square triangles by drawing a line down the middle of one of the square and sewing on both sides, or even using strips to create Crooked Courthouse Steps blocks.
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Ombre Bargello Quilt
- When: Saturday, August 24th, 2024
- Setup: 8:30am Start: 9am
- Where: Dick DeWees Community & Senior Center
- 1120 W Ocean Avenue in Lompoc, CA
- Who: Yvonne Phoenicia
- Cost: $45 (to cover the room and presenter)
Yvonne, our August guest speaker, will show how to make an ombre bargello quilt – and promises it is not as intimating as the instructions suggest.
We only have the room for 6 hours so bring a bag lunch and be ready to start at 9am. Ironing, starching or best pressing, and removing selvages ahead of time is recommended.
Each person will have their own table. Outlet locations are limited (wall and floor) so bring an extension cord just in case. Ironing stations will be provided.
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I Love a Challenge Truck Show
- When: Thursday, August 22nd, 2024
- Where: Guild Meeting
- Who: Yvonne Phoenicia of Inspire Quilts
Yvonne Phoenicia is a quilt maker, teacher and designer. Not shy about using color, you will find that most of her quilts are bright and fun. She has been a quilt maker since 1990, when she started working at a local quilt shop. There she taught quilt classes, everything from beginning kids to paper piecing and more. She has been lucky enough to continue teaching quilt classes both in Northern and Southern California, as well as some local quilt shops, In 2017 she taught a paper piecing class at the Quilt Jamboree in Redding, California. In 2019 she became a Certified Teacher of Sew Kind of Wonderful quilt patterns and the Quick Curve Rulers.
She is a member of the Pacific Flyway Quilt Guild in Colusa and the Orland Quilt Guild in Orland, California. She has been president of the Pacific Flyway guild twice. As a part of this group she has designed and made two of their opportunity quilts, as well as being a part of their 2018 and 2019 opportunity quilts.
Yvonne lives in the Northern California town of Colusa with her husband Mike a retired Jr High and High School Music teacher. Yvonne retired in 2016 from the County Office of Education as a Special Education Transportation Assistant. When not quilting they enjoy camping and traveling in their RV, and spending as much time as they can with their five grandchildren.
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Patchwork Jacket
- When: Saturday, July 27th, 2024
- Where: Valley of the Flowers Half Century Club
- 341 North N St. in Lompoc, CA
- Who: Judy Davis
- Cost: $20 (to cover the room)
Judy will show you have to convert a sweatshirt into a fabulous quilted jacket.
Supplies to Bring
- Sewing Machine and all the assorted stuff that goes with it
- Quilting pins: 1″
- Sweatshirt: no zipper (will be used for the base)
- Scrap quilt pieces or blocks (will be used for shell)
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Quilts of Valor
- When: Thursday April 25th, 2024
- Where: April Guild Meeting
- Who: Mary Ann Carnegie
A Quilt of Valor is our reward to Service Members and Veterans who have been touched by war. It says, “Thank you for your service and sacrifice in serving our nation.” Quilts of Valor reflect the best possible workmanship and use of quality materials. This is consistent with the Foundation’s core value of promoting excellence.
QOV Guidelines
- 100% Cotton Fabric
- Red, White and Blue are popular colors
- Any design suitable as a patriotic theme
- Size: 60 x 80 (55 x 65 minimum; 72 x90 maximum)
- Machine or Hand quilted
- Quilting may be provided by a LongArmy volunteer, if desired
- Low loft batting
- Double fold binding
- Label
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Simple Pattern Drafting
- When: Saturday, April 27th , 2024
- Where: Valley of the Flowers Half Century Club
- 341 North N St. in Lompoc, CA
- Who: Marilyn Romine
- Cost: $20 (to cover the room)
Have you wanted to draft your own block pattern? Have a block you want to use but the pattern you have is not the right size for the quilt?
Marilyn will show you have to draft a pattern in the size that you want to make.
Supplies To Bring
- Graph Paper, Ruler, Pencils, and Eraser
- Calculator (on phone works)
That’s right, no need to lug the machine this time!
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For the Love of Ric Rac
- When: Saturday, March 30th, 2024 from 11am to 4pm
- Where: Creation Station
- 252 E Hwy 246 Unit A, Buellton, CA
- Who: Dawn Farrier
- Cost: $
Dawn will show how to use ricrac with quilt and sewing projects. The Creation Station has lots of colors in lots of sizes so arrive early to choose yours.
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