Charade Mini Quilt Workshop (For Zoom)
Supply List
Format: 6-Hour Workshop
Level: All Levels Welcome
Instructor: Mitzie Schafer
This workshop requires a little prep before class begins — and it's worth it!
The more you do ahead of time, the further you'll get in the guided practices during our session together.
Read through all the steps below so you sing on for class, ready to create.
Before Class — What to DoSTEP 1: Purchase the pattern in PDF or print format. If you order a printed version, allow for adequate shipping time.
STEP 2: Determine the size of the quilt you’d like to make. I anticipate the majority of the class can finish a 48”x48” quilt. If you’d like to make a larger quilt, you certainly can; you just need to add more fabrics, as shown in the pattern.
STEP 3: Prepare a place to lay out your quilt top after you have pieced your blocks. You need a space that measures at least 48” on all sides. I recommend a white vertical surface (on a wall). A bed or table will also work.
STEP 4: Select Your Fabrics
Choose from solids and blenders that don’t include contrasting spots, lines, or objects. Each piece should read a single color after being cut to size.
A “Color” would be a light blue, a dark yellow, or a medium purple.
A Color Group is “all” Blues or “all” Purples.
ROY G BIV means “Rainbow Order” = Red | Orange | Yellow | Green | Blue | Indigo | Violet
You may need different fabrics to equal a single “color” when using scraps.
You may have all the ROY G BIV color groups in your quilt or just a couple, like Y (yellow) and G (green). If you only have Y and G, you should have light-to-dark for each color group.
Regardless of the number of color groups, you need a variety of lights to darks in your quilt.
FREE RESOURCE: Below is a link to my free 26-Page Color Flow Theory Workbook to help you select your quilt fabrics.
✓ SOLIDS
✓ BLENDERS
LIGHT VALUES
MEDIUM VALUES
DARK VALUES
NEUTRALS
Step 5: Cut All Fabrics Before Class
Follow the pattern's instructions to precut all your fabrics.
Note if Using Fat Quarters: If you begin cutting with piece E and work to A, you will only be missing a small A piece if your FQ isn’t long enough. If that happens, cut additional A pieces from other fabrics to ensure you have enough.
What to Have Close by:
Have all your sewing tools and notions close by your sewing machine.
Iron and pressing mat.
Sewing machine.
Design wall/area
FABRIC GUIDELINES
What works
Blenders are fabrics with a very subtle, tone-on-tone pattern that reads as a single color from a distance. Hold the fabric at arm's length — if it looks like one clean color, it's a blender. It should be free of any contrasting spots, dots, or printed images.
✓ SOLIDS
✓ BLENDERS
Aim for this mix of values
Bring a variety of colors — including neutrals — and be sure to include lights, mediums, and darks. Value contrast is one of the five design controls we'll explore in class, so the more range you have in your pile, the more you'll learn.
LIGHT VALUES
MEDIUM VALUES
DARK VALUES
NEUTRALS
What to avoid
In Controlled Improv, the arrangement of shapes and color is the design. Prints compete with that and distract the eye from the layout you're building. Keep it clean so your design decisions can do the talking.
✗ Prints
✗ Multi-color fabrics
✗ Contrasting spots or images
COLOR FLOW THEORY WORKBOOK
Questions before class?If you're unsure whether a fabric will work, bring it anyway — Mitzie will help you evaluate it during class.
No one should leave guessing, and that starts before you even arrive.
Visit jitterywingsquiltco.com or find Mitzie on Instagram at @jitterywings.