Fusing Fun! Fast Fearless Art Quilts Class Plan

by Laura Wasilowski

NOTES TO INSTRUCTORS AND SHOP OWNERS
This class features Country Cottage, a small landscape quilt made from fused fabrics. It is a one-day, 6-hour class, suitable for beginners and more advanced quiltmakers. This quick project encourages variations in design, and leads to more fused quilt classes.

To prepare for the class, make sure there is enough fusible web in stock for each student (page 7, Fusible Web). You may want to provide kits with bright, pre-washed fabrics. Hand-dyed cotton and batik fabrics work best for fused art quilts as the color penetrates all the way through the fabric. Do not use permanent press fabrics (page 8, Fabric Selection).

Usually 3 to 4 students can share an iron and ironing surface. It is best if the ironing surface is at least 20" wide for fusing the initial fabric.

Reviewing the items listed in the class outline before class will help you successfully teach the quilt construction and finishing.

Class Description: Country Cottage
This is a one-day, 6-hour class that teaches basic fusing techniques.

Student Supply List

  • Required text: Fusing Fun! Fast Fearless Art Quilts by Laura Wasilowski
  • See page 22 of the text for a complete materials list.
  • Optional items students may need are: small, sharp scissors, decorative rotary cutter blades, and tweezers (page 10, Scissors and Rotary Cutters).

IN THE CLASSROOM

Review and Discuss:

  • Application of fusible web to the fabric (page 12, Fusing: Transferring Fusible Web to Fabric).
  • Release paper (page 13, Release Paper).
  • Free-cutting (page 16, Free-cutting).
  • Cutting with decorative blades (page 14, Cutting with Decorative Blades).
  • Fuse-tacking (refer to page 15, Fuse-Tacking and Steam Setting).

Quilt Construction:

  1. Build the background collage of sky, hills, and field fabrics (page 22).
  2. Add a free-cut river, house, trees, shrubs, grass, and flowers. (pages 23-24).
  3. Steam set the quilt to the batting and backing (page 15, Fuse-Tacking and Steam Setting).
  4. Hand or machine quilt the quilt (pages 60-61, Quilting the Fused Quilt).
  5. Trim the quilt (page 61, Trimming the Fused Quilt) and add a rod pocket to the quilt (page 67, Rod Pocket).
  6. Bind the quilt with a fused binding (page 62-63, Binding the Fused Quilt).

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