Quiltology

Quiltology is a simple program designed to encourage quilters to take a broad range of classes in order to develop a solid foundation of quilting skills.  Ology means a branch of knowledge or learning and we hope to help you move further along the quilting knowledge branch!

Many quilters would like to know more than just piecing and basic quilting, but they aren’t sure where to start.  This program is set up to introduce quilters to a wide range of quilting techniques and components.  Participants will take classes from 8 different areas of quilting, choose a couple of electives, attend one history lecture and 4 in-shop demonstrations.

By the end of the program, quilters will have dabbled in a broad range of quilting techniques and will have a basic understanding of most aspects of quilting.  Classes will be spread out over several years, as we all know that knowledge and understanding takes time and practice!  All eight areas of the program will not be offered in each set of classes.

There is no cost to the program and no cash prize or free car will be awarded at the end.  Quilters who complete the program will walk away with the confidence that they understand a broad range of components of quilting, they will feel they have been stretched in many areas, and they will have been exposed to areas of the art form that they look forward to exploring further.

Components of Quiltology

Quilters involved in the Quiltology program must complete a class in the eight required areas and take two electives (your choice) for a total of 10 classes.  Quilters must also attend one history lecture and 4 demonstrations.

Prerequisite: Quilting 101
All new quilters must begin with this course.  It introduces them to cutting, piecing, quilting and binding.

1.  Thread – Stitch Journeys, Thread Workshops, Thread Painting, etc.

2.  Color – Color Basics, Color Challenges, Color Theory, etc.

3.  Applique – Needle Turn, Machine Applique, Rough Edge Applique, etc.

4.  Embellishments and Texture – Beading, Foiling, Needle Felt, Silk Ribbon, Crazy Patch, Embroidery, Weaving Fabric, Fabric Painting, etc.

5.  Quilting – Machine Quilting, Hand Quilting

6.  Cloth Basics – Batting, Weaving, Fibers, Dying, etc.

7.  Design – Journaling, Design Elements, etc.

8.  Piecing- Paper Piecing, Curve Piecing, Hand Piecing, etc.

2 Electives – These are classes that you choose above and beyond the 8 areas listed above.  We hope that you will take a class in a certain area and find that you would like to learn more about that area.  Taking further classes in a topic area count as electives in the program.

History Lecture – Lectures on Underground Quilts, The Quilts of Gees Bend, Chinese Quilt History, African American Quilts, Dating Quilts and Fabric, Quilt Canada, etc.

Demonstrations:  Free demonstrations will be offered throughout the year at the shop.  Watch emails and posting in the shop for demonstrations on topics such as stabilizers/adhesives, yo-yos, postcards, patchwork balls, charm square/jelly rolls, etc.

How the program works:
When quilters sign up for the program at Hopscotch Quilt Shop, they will be given a Quiltology form.  The form remains on file at the shop.  Each time they take a class at the shop, the course they take will be registered on their Quiltology form.  When quilters complete classes, Lectures and demonstrations in all of the required areas, they will have completed the course.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1.  How do I know where my class fits in the Quiltology Program?
Each class in the class list will have several letters after the title.  For example, Hand Quilting QQ means that this Hand Quilting class fits under Quiltology Quilting (QQ).  All classes are eligible for electives.  All shop demonstrations will be eligible for Demonstrations under the program.

2.  What if I took a class at Hopscotch before Quiltology began?
In order to be fair to everyone, we had to choose a start date.  January 1 2008 is the beginning of the program.  If you took a class before that date, it is not eligible for Quiltology.  We hope that you will be able to find another class on that topic that interests you as well.

3.  Can I take classes at other shops and use them for the Quiltology Program?
We hope and expect quilters to take classes and workshops beyond what we offer at our shop.  The program is set up with the assumption that quilters will be taking classes elsewhere to further add to their quilting knowledge.