Classes, Workshops and Lectures

Classes can be taught as either a 3 or 6 hour workshop unless otherwise indicated:

  • 3 Hour Class – With some basic preparation and rotary cutting in advance as outlined in the supply list, students will learn the technique and be able to construct at least one or two blocks in class and leave with the confidence and expertise necessary to complete the quilt at home.
  • 6 Hour Class – With some preparation as outlined in the supply list before class, students will learn the technique and have ample time to construct blocks and piece a major portion or possibly the entire quilt top during the workshop.

Download the Complete Workshop Brochure

"The class was fabulous! Kimberly was very informative and personable. Would love to take another class from her in the future. Can't wait for next year!"— 2008 AQS Quilt Show, Des Moines
  • Mystery Quilts


    Choose from these highly popular,
    stunning mystery quilt patterns:
    Rhein Wein
    Star Trail
    Fractured Light
    Trail to Paducah
    English Enchantment
    Inaugural Star
    Twist and Shout
    City of Lights
    Ginger and Tea Leaves
    Serenity Garden
    (Contact me to see photos of these quilt designs.)

    6-hour class - Skilled beginner or intermediate level

    Do U do KMQs? (This means "Do you do Kimberly's Mystery Quilts?") Are you one of the many quilters who love to make my original mystery quilts? Or does the very thought of choosing colors and making a quilt for which you have no idea what the end result will be scare you? Fear not! Whether you are a seasoned veteran and you thoroughly enjoy the intrigue and suspense of not knowing the final outcome; or if you have never had the courage to tackle making a mystery quilt before, my mystery quilt classes and patterns are just for you.

    I've designed the entire process to be simple, fun, and stress-free so you can take as much risk as you like in making your fabric selections, or risk nothing at all. Step out of your "color comfort zone" and try something new. The rule of thumb is this: if your fabrics have good contrast, look great when lined up together, and match the color value as given in the fabric requirements table, then they will look beautiful when sewn together in these quilts. The success of your mystery quilt is certain. These classes are suitable for any quilter with some rotary cutting and machine piecing experience.

    A Mystery Quilt Designed EXCLUSIVELY for YOU! I'll design and name a mystery quilt specifically for your quilt conference or show featuring blocks uniquely representative of your region, community or event. This class is sure to be the first to fill up with attendees who will want to take home a unique quilt top designed especially for your premiere event!

My Signature Series Techniques

Choose a class or workshop featuring my signature methods of fast, accurate rotary cutting and speed piecing or appliqué techniques! I'm one of those rare instructors who never, ever requires any student to purchase my rulers to attend class. Students are free to borrow a ruler for use in class from me.

Simpli-EZ Jelly Roll Ruler NEW!

Easy Stars and Flying Geese Ruler

EZ Pineapple Log Cabin Ruler

EZ Hearts Cut Tool



Jelly Roll Quilts & More

Classes from my newest book Jelly Roll Quilts & More (published January 2010)

Simpli-EZ Jelly Roll Ruler

  • Jelly Roll Magic

    3 hour class / Skilled beginner or intermediate level

    Pre-cut fabric packs are the hottest trend in quiltmaking today and quilters just can't resist these delectable textile treats! But what do you do with them? This fast-paced, fun-filled, hands-on workshop is the perfect answer to turn all those enticing 2½" fabric strip bundles into fabulous quilts! All you'll need is one Jelly Roll plus one yard of background fabric to get started. I'll show you how to use my Simpli-EZ Jelly Roll Ruler to make cutting the units accurate, ultra-fast, and fun! In class, you'll choose from dozens of block styles designed to work perfectly with Jelly Roll strips. Love the idea but don't have just the perfect Jelly Roll on hand? No problem! I provide alternate yardage requirements and will show you how to use strips from fabrics you already have on hand. Perfect for stash-busting! As your very own personal quilting coach, I'll share dozens of fast and efficient piecing techniques guaranteed to improve your accuracy while saving you time, effort, and even wasted fabric! Come prepared for a great time and leave feeling like a pre-cut fabric pack pro! This class is extremely popular and always draws a crowd.

  • Cut the Cake

    Slash and Shuffle Fun with just one Layer Cake

    3 or 6 hour class / Skilled beginner level or higher

    This fantastic quilt packs a visual punch yet is fast, funky, and just plain fun to make! No matter how you stack your fabric layers, once you begin shuffling the pieces, every block will turn out just a bit different and the end result is guaranteed to be a delightful surprise. Pick any layer cake bundle (or 36 of your own 10" fabric squares) plus one yard of a dramatic contrasting fabric to make this original quilt. There's no math, no wasted fabric – just no-calorie, fat-free fun. Now, that's what I call having your cake and eating it too!

  • Cross Bows

    6 hour class / Intermediate level

    Tied with bright, colorful ribbons and a big beautiful bow, this quilt reminds me of an exquisitely wrapped present! Made with a delectable combination of Jelly Roll and Honey Bun strips plus one background fabric, this quilt will look spectacular in any color or style of fabrics you choose. With careful fabric placement planning, the colors will weave seamlessly from one block to another to create the illusion of being a complex design. Only you will know the secret of how to stitch this gorgeous quilt together. This quilt also lends itself to larger sizes by adding more rows of blocks for extra versatility. Using the Simpli-EZ Jelly Roll Ruler (optional) I'll show you how to cut your squares and rectangles in record time! Before you know it, you'll have this gorgeous quilt all wrapped up!

  • Square Dance

    3 or 6 hour class / Skilled beginner level or higher

    As much as you love them, there are times when you just don't feel like cutting or stitching another triangle. And there are times when you'd rather not have to think so much about fabric placement in your blocks. Sometimes it's fun just to stitch on a quilt that feels like a "no brainer" but looks as though you worked really hard to make it sparkle. Interested? Then this quilt is for you! This ultra-scrappy quilt is a clever partnership of one jelly roll, one honey bun, and one background fabric. Let me show you how easy it is to use the Simpli-EZ Jelly Roll Ruler, and you'll have your squares and rectangles cut accurately in record time! So pick a pair – a jelly roll and a honey bun – grab your rotary cutter and have some fun!

  • Chain Saw

    3 or 6 hour class / Intermediate level

    This stunning quilt looks incredibly complex, but is really quite easy and so much fun to piece. It requires just one Layer Cake and one Jelly Roll, (or Two Layer Cakes) plus 2¾ yds. of background fabric. If you enjoy fun surprises when you rotary cut, you'll love this design. No matter what fabrics you begin with, the finished blocks will look oh-so-different than what you would expect. I'll share dozens of helpful hints and tricks with you to make these blocks of many seams stitch together with absolute ease. The finished quilt will certainly dazzle your family and friends and the fabrics will dance delightfully with motion and excitement!

Easy Sawtooth Stars and Flying Geese

Learn how to make fast, fabulous, flying geese and super simple Sawtooth Stars with NO MATH, NO WASTED FABRIC, and NO STRESS using the tool I designed called the Easy Star and Geese Ruler. This internationally best selling ruler is the only one on the market with two sides and two colors. All you need is strips of fabric to make flying geese with absolutely perfect points. Trust me – you'll never make flying geese using the traditional method again!

  • Simply Stars and Geese

    3 or 6 hour class / Skilled beginner level or higher

    You're entering the NO STRESS zone! Featuring my revolutionary rotary cutting and piecing technique, you'll love this magic method for making flying geese units and highly versatile eight-pointed stars while constructing a beautiful quilt top. I'll teach precision cutting and piecing methods while keeping you entertained with my own style of humor and sunny disposition. You'll have ample time to explore many creative design possibilities in this energizing class. Just bring a sharp rotary cutter along with your prettiest fabrics as outlined in the supply list to make this dynamic, quick-and-easy wall hanging. Pattern is also available as a queen-size coverlet.

  • Pinwheels and Flying Geese

    3 or 6 hour class / Skilled beginner level or higher

    Fresh as a spring breeze, this quilt is an absolute delight to make! I'll begin by teaching you the basics of Triangles 101 — and why bias matters. You'll learn to expertly cut half-square and quarter-square triangles easily and accurately from simple fabric strips. No more cutting squares first and then cutting them diagonally. Impossible? Not with my amazing Easy Star and Geese Ruler! With this method you'll be able to piece the blocks without worrying about bias edges or trimming units, and best of all, NO PINS! (Really!) This quilt features pinwheels with a twist – and a stunning flying geese border assembled from those same strips used for the blocks. Lots of fun and chock-full of helpful hints and clever tips, come join the fun and capture the feeling of a spring breeze by making an entire quilt of fancifully colored pinwheels and flying geese!

  • Bermuda Triangles

    6 hour class / Intermediate level

    This quilt may look challenging, but piecing the units is completely stress-free with my Easy Star and Geese Ruler. With proper planning and clever fabric placement, you will be able to assemble this quilted beauty with ease. I'll expertly guide you through each step to assemble the blocks so even though they are set together in horizontal rows, the fabric placement disguises where one block ends and another begins. We'll spend time discussing the wide range of design opportunities and creative use of color, value, and scale of prints. While not difficult to piece, this class is best suited for intermediate or higher level quilters. I'll give each participant lots of hands-on, personal attention to help you explore "outside the box." Join the fun and watch your triangles transform into a stunning quilt!

  • Flying Geese Crossing

    3 or 6 hour class / Skilled beginner level or higher

    Looks difficult, right? No way! Let me show you how to take the math out and put all the fun in to making this gorgeous flying geese quilt. Using my signature method featuring the Easy Star and Geese Ruler, you'll expertly rotary cut and sew flying geese units with speed and ease while assembling blocks that only look as if they are set on point! Fabric selection and placement for this quilt is also a breeze if you use my handy chart. My instructions are clear and concise, and my light-hearted, ever-encouraging teaching style will have you stitching without stress while assembling your blocks. This class is perfect for intermediate quilters, but with guidance, confident beginners can join in the fun, too.

Techniques for Perfect Machine Appliqué and Embellishment

Using the EZ Hearts Cut Tool, you'll have a blast learning how to cut, fuse, and machine stitch perfect hearts.

  • Art Hearts

    3 or 6 hour class / Skilled beginner level or higher

    Hearts aren't simply cutesy or just for country-looking quilts anymore. Be bold! Create your own high-impact quilt using color-saturated fabrics and heaps of embellishments to make hearts that zing! This is your opportunity to create true textile art. You'll rotary cut a wide variety of different size hearts then fuse and stitch them in place with decorative stitches and many exotic new threads. I will expertly show you how to experiment with all those machine accessory feet you've bought but seldom or perhaps never used. Embellish to your heart's content and add a wide variety of braids, trims, laces and cords to personalize your quilt, or add crystals or metal studs to further express the hidden fiber artist within. This class is perfect for beginning quilters with at least some basic sewing skills, but is great fun for anyone who is ready to learn a new technique, perfect their machine appliqué skills and try something different for a change. This original quilt design was featured in the February 2009 issue of McCall's Quilting Magazine.

  • Ooh La La Petite Corset Quilt

    3 or 6 hour class / Skilled beginner level or higher

    Featured in the February 2008 issue of McCall's Quilting Magazine, this fanciful quilt is the ideal project for you to practice and perfect a variety of different machine appliqué techniques. Fusible web makes the process fun and easy, and you'll be able to use a wide variety of different accessory feet for your sewing machine by incorporating an endless number of decorative stitches. I'll teach you all about the vast array of new threads, stabilizers, and embellishing techniques which are available on the market today. The possibilities are endless and you'll lose track of time while you accessorize your "girls" using different methods to enhance these pretty corsets with ribbons and lace. Tres magnifique!

EZ Pineapple Log Cabin Ruler

Learn how to make stunning pineapple blocks using NO MATH, NO TRAPEZOIDS, and NO STRESS, featuring my signature method using the EZ Pineapple Log Cabin Ruler! This remarkable tool is the only one on the market with two sides and two colors and a technique for constructing rows like a log cabin block. All you need are strips of fabric! My method is easy and accurate; you add each row of rectangles (logs) as you would assemble a log cabin block. The possibilities are endless for both traditional and contemporary versions of this timeless block!

  • Pineapple Log Cabin Quilt

    3 or 6 hour class / Skilled beginner level or higher

    Do you love the look of traditional pineapple quilts but thought they might be too challenging to piece? By using my signature method and the Easy Pineapple Log Cabin Ruler, you will easily and accurately construct pineapple blocks to create a stunning quilt all the while having fun in the process! The traditional pineapple block offers unlimited design options for color placement. I'll discuss fabric selection, rotary cutting, piecing and quilting options at length in class. Using this unique and amazing ruler, you will only cut straight of the grain strips of fabric and never need to cut a trapezoid. Sound impossible? Sign up and see what this remarkable ruler and piecing technique can do for you!

Classes from my first book, Quilt a Travel Souvenir

  • ICE Train to Amsterdam

    3 or 6 hour class / Skilled beginner level or higher

    Pack your bags with fabric and supplies and climb aboard for a fun-filled class on the ICE (Inter City Express) Train to Amsterdam! Comprised of blocks with a Dutch theme, this quilt looks terrific in traditional Delft blue and white, or is equally stunning in the fresh, vibrant colors of tulips so famous in the Netherlands! Careful fabric placement within the blocks gives the illusion of being complex, yet it is deceptively simple to construct. I'll review a wide variety of quilting options, decorative machine stitching, and embellishing techniques. This class is chock-full of helpful hints and tips for precise piecing and mitered borders. I'm sure you'll want to make this now-timeless classic to treasure in your home!

  • Keukenhof Tulips

    6 hour class / Intermediate level

    At Keukenhof, located in The Netherlands, millions of tulips of every conceivable color (even black!) cover the seventy-acre, impeccably manicured grounds and stretch like dense satin ribbons along pathways and gently rolling hills. In honor of these world-famous gardens, this quilt combines one appliquéd and two different pieced tulip blocks in a setting that creates a dynamic overall design as unique and spectacular as the gardens themselves. This class is separated into three distinctly different techniques, each lasting approximately two hours. I'll expertly teach you the tips and secrets of precision stitching small units without paper piecing, how to set-in Y seams with ease and accuracy, and how to stitch perfect invisible appliqué by machine. I'll also discuss quilting and finishing options. With so many techniques, this class is like getting three for one!

  • Hokey Pokey

    3 or 6 hour class / Skilled beginner level or higher

    This challenging-looking quilt simply could not be more fun and easy to piece! It only appears to have set in seams. Choose 2 fabrics or dig into your scrap bag and make it completely scrappy! Cut your strips in advance as outlined on the supply list and then come to class prepared to sit, sew and enjoy the magic! With some rotary cutting magic, you'll create blocks that only look like they have set-in seams! Remember, you "do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around..." You'll simply love making this quilt! You'll have the option to make the blocks in either 6" or 12" sizes. I'll discuss many options for quilting and embellishing in class. "...that's what it's all about!"

  • "They Put Those Lines on the Mat for a Reason..."

    1½ hour comprehensive rotary cutting demo-workshop / Beginners and all skill levels

    This class is designed especially for beginning quilters; however, even more seasoned quilters will learn a few new tricks! I'll teach students how to expertly master the rotary cutter using a variety of professional rotary cutting techniques. Learn how to “measure twice and cut once" to ensure accurate strips and units, including how to effectively use the lines on the mats, how to cut with a variety of specialty rulers, and more. I'll teach you how to “true-up" your fabric, and how to cut on the straight of grain as well as cut bias strips. I'll even show you a foolproof way of achieving perfect strips of striped fabric without cutting! Bring your rotary cutter, mat, 6" x 24" ruler, and any other rulers you'd like to master. This is a great beginning level class, but quilters of all skill levels are welcome and will leave feeling like a pro. No previous skills required; rotary cutter, self-healing mat, and 6" x 24" ruler required. Students may bring any other rotary cutting supplies and rulers as desired.

Lectures

  • Viewing the World Through A Quilter's Eye

    Whether you travel the world or never leave town, you'll find patterns, designs and inspiration for your quilts everywhere! You just need to learn how and where to look for all those creative design possibilities in the world around you. I'll share a fun-filled mini trip through Europe with a vast selection of gorgeous photos and tell you about the inspiration for many of the quilts in my book, Quilt A Travel Souvenir. I'll also offer you many innovative ways to gather your own ideas and incorporate those design elements into your quilts! Using my own brand of humor and story-telling, I'll tell you about some of my personal experiences and offer many helpful tips for viewing Mother Nature and the endless possibilities in the environment around you so you can visualize these inspirations, too!

    • PowerPoint presentation with slides.
    • Approx. 50 – 60 minutes, and I'll be happy to answer questions following the presentation.
  • Quilt A Travel Souvenir Trunk Show

    Would you like to see the gorgeous quilts featured in my book up close and personal? I'll share many of the entertaining stories that inspired their creation. The trunk show can easily be combined with the lecture and power/point presentation for a dynamic, interesting, afternoon or evening presentation. Sit back, relax, and be an armchair traveler as you spend an hour or two with me as your guide for an entertaining journey through Europe with my quilted souvenirs!

    • Approx. 30 – 45 minutes in length; 90 minutes total when combined with the "View the World"lecture.
  • Ingenious Ways to Jumpstart Your Creative Mojo

    Feeling uninspired? Going through a patch of quilting doldrums? Do your quilts seem to lack sparkle and pizzazz? Languish and procrastinate no more, because I've got just what you need to jumpstart your creativity engines and help you get your mojo back! Everyone goes through periods of lackluster quilting; similar to having writer's block. Whether you're in a slump right now or you've been in a rut before, I've got tons of tips, ideas and ingenious ways to get you back on track. If you could use some serious (and some not-so-serious) inspiration, allow me to share my best tips and tricks for getting your creative juices flowing freely once again. You'll leave with tons of helpful hints and some clever (and fun!) mental exercises guaranteed to infuse you with quilting enthusiasm. If inspiration and motivation is what you need, this lecture is your ticket!

  • Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes, Honey Buns = Recipe for Design Success
    You've heard about them. You've seen them. But what can you do with them? Well, let me introduce you to the delectable world of calorie-free fabric delights! These pre-cut bundles of are pint-sized powerhouses of scrappy design opportunity just waiting for you to cut and sew! I'll share photos, quilts and more inspiration than you can imagine in an hour to tantalize your "inner design chef" and get you excited about working with these amazing fabric bundles. Even if you don't plan to use these pre-packaged fabric lines, you'll find plenty of inspiration for stash busting from your own fabrics, and ways to use up those leftover strips and squares. You'll be scrap happy and itchin' to stitch by the end of the hour!