Workshops & Lectures

Bonnie K. Browning

Workshops & Lectures

This page lists the workshops and lectures that I am currently teaching. See my Schedule (the link is on the left of this page) for my committed teaching dates. A minimum booking of one lecture plus two 6-hour workshops are required if more than 2 hours of travel is involved. Please e-mail or call (270-898-4065) to check my availability for your guild or conference.

Contact Bonnie by e-mail for fees and scheduling information.

Click here to see quilts by some of my class participants.

E-mail Bonnie

Wrap-sody - Pojagi Patchwork

New!

Bali Wrap-sody: (This is the project we'll do on our Bali trip!)

This new class combines Paintstiks and batiks with Pojagi-style patchwork for a fun day of painting and hand sewing. You'll experiment with Paintstiks and learn a new method of stitching patchwork. No experience necessary. 6 hours. Hand class.

The Edge Runneth Over

Make a sampler of ideas for finishing the edges of your quilts or garments. From traditional French binding to a variety of piped binding treatments, Hong Kong edge, and novelty treatments like fuzzy raw edges and fluffy binding. We'll even try out a raw-edge fused binding that might be perfect for that next quick project. Beginner/Intermediate. Sewing machines required. 6 hours.

Whacked Up Nine Patches

Whacked Up Nine Patches

Starting with 12" Nine-Patch blocks, we'll whack them up and create a great design without sewing any little pieces together. Just choose three color families -- you can use three fabrics or make it scrappy by choosing several pieces in a color family. Add some solid fabric for accent and you have a smashing quilt. Come enjoy a day of easy sewing on a fun project. All levels. Sewing machine required. 6 hours.

NEW... Shark's Teeth Pillow

Make this beautiful pillow and learn the tricks for making Shark's Teeth. See how easy it is to make your own designs -- it's all in the clipping and folding. Includes demonstration of pillow finishing technique. Panel can be used in clothing or in a small quilt. Some experience in sewing is needed. Can be a hand class or a machine class (cannot mix techniques in same class). 3 hours. $2.00 pattern fee.

NEW... Prairie Points & Scallops

Prairie Points add a fun edge to a quilt. Learn to make them as single units, stacked, and in a continuous strip. Best of all, you'll learn how to make them fit the edge of your quilt, using Bonnie's no-math method. Demonstration of piped prairie points too. See how easy it is to make a scalloped edge. All levels. Sewing machine required. 3 hours. $2.00 handout fee.

New... Binding - What's Old & What's New?

Do you like the traditional double binding on your quilts? -- we'll make a sample. Then, we'll make a piped binding, and some fun novelty bindings from fuzzy to fused, and you'll even see some heavy metal. Jazz up those bindings of your quilts. All levels. Sewing machine required. 3 hours. $2.00 handout fee.

NEW... Nine-Patch Fun

Play with the traditional Nine-patch pattern. We'll make strips in different sizes and combine them in different ways to give exciting new designs from this old standby pattern. Choose your favorite two colors and come have some fun. All levels. Sewing machine required. (3 hours - technique only, or 6-hours for a project.

Windmill Log Cabin

Wallhanging project for class

Click here for the link to Starr Design hand-dyed fabrics.

Windmill Log Cabin With A Twist... as seen on Simply Quilts #802

Learn the secrets for using a triangle shape to make this terrific Windmill Quilt. This quilt has been shown at the beginning of the Simply Quilts program and requested by many viewers. Learn to draw and sew the triangle and other shaped Log Cabin blocks. Sewing machine required. Helpful to have some paper piecing experience. 6 hours. $12.00 fee for 32 prepared foundations.

Happy Trails

Unquilted

Fancy Trails

Looking for a speedy quilt to make. Fancy Trails uses just half-squares and 4-patch units - rotary cutting, strip piecing, and chain piecing make preparation and sewing a snap. This is a fun project for a beginner, a group, or more advanced quilters. Sewing machine required. All levels. 6 hours.

Classic Quilts

Just one possibility of designs in this class.

Classic Quilts

Everyone loves the traditional red/white, pink/white, or blue/white quilts. Learn the tricks for using fabrics with white backgrounds and how to use color value to make the blocks sing! 6 hours. Easy sewing, great for quilts to give away. All levels. Sewing machine required.

USA Salute

Bonnie's block in Presidential Quilt for President & Mrs. Bush, AQS United We Quilt Project

USA Salute

Patriotism is nothing new to Bonnie. A flag has been a permanent fixture on the Browning home for years. This workshop was inspired by some WW II blocks that were given to her. An old technique of combining embroidery with applique adds to the charm of this block that features Lady Liberty and Old Glory. 3 hrs. Need some experience in applique. Hand.

Sample for Classic Embroidery

Classic Embroidery

Decorate quilts, clothing, towels, and other sewing projects with classic embroidery stitches. In class we will work on a sampler to try out a variety of stitches. Make it into a pillow or frame it later. 3 hours. All levels. Hand.

Last Roses of Summer

Learn to make double ruched roses from circles (Bonnie's way), applique by hand or machine, and make easy stems while working on this 18" block. Four blocks with a Shark's Teeth border makes a great wallhanging. Intermediate. 3-hour workshop -- block techniques/6-hour workshop includes Shark's Teeth technique. Hand (machine is optional).

Victorian Jewelry Cushion

As shown on Simply Quilts... Victorian Jewelry Cushion

Make a replica of an antique jewelry/pin cushion with running stitch applique and Bonnie's version of the double circular ruched flowers. 3 hours. All levels. Hand. (Need one or two sewing machines in classroom for assembling cushion.)

Mistletoe & Holly (unquilted)

Mistletoe & Holly

This heart-shaped design with mistletoe and holly combines bias stems and glue stick applique (of use your favorite applique method) to make a great wallhanging. Add Shark's Teeth for a terrific border treatment (demo in class). 3 hrs. All levels. Hand.

As seen on Simply Quilts... Borders & Finishing Touches

Learn the art of making your borders fit the edges of your quilt...every time... and what you can do to make them lay flat and be straight. This lecture/demonstration includes many tricks for adjusting patterns and using paperfolding techniques for accurate borders. See how to make prairie points (several ways) for decorative edges and Shark's Teeth for a more sophisticated decorative border. 3 hr demo...just bring a pencil for taking notes; for 6-hour workshop, stitch a border on a small quilt. All levels. Hand or machine (optional). $2.00 handout fee.

Memory Album Cover ...as seen on Simply Quilts

Make an album cover with a Rose of Sharon flower design, using machine blindstitch or zigzag. Make it fit a photo album or your favorite book. This is so easy you'll want to make more. Great Gift or Bazaar item. 3 hrs. All levels. Sewing machine required. Source: Any Body Can Learn to Quilt

Stardust Quilt

As seen on Simply Quilts... Stardust

Make the Sawtooth Star block in this easy, rotary-cut, graphic quilt. Perfect project for beginners, young and old, to learn to quilt. Looks great in red, white, and blue too. 3-hour workshop - learn the techniques/ 6-hour workshop - nearly finish the top. Sewing machine required.

Finishing Touches -- Shark's Teeth

Learn how to add the beautiful border called Shark's Teeth to your quilts. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to do. The teeth make a great inner border or add a complete set of teeth on both sides of the border edges. 3 hrs. All levels. Machine optional.

Stars on Safari

Only Four Blocks

You don't need to make 20, 30, or more blocks to make a quilt. Using only four blocks, borders and large-scale piecing of design elements from the center make a quilt for a wall or bed. Techniques: corner squares, half-squares, mitered corners. Beginner/Intermediate. Sewing machine required. 6 hrs.

Seeing Green

Framed Square in a Square

Save time in making quilts for your beds by using blocks set on point. You'll have fun making these framed blocks. Techniques: framed squares, sashing, blocks on point. Beginner/Intermediate. Sewing machine required. 6 hrs.

Flowering Dogwoods

Make paper-pieced dogwoods using Bonnie's original design called Paducah Dogwoods; you see this design on the banners and Dogwood trail signs in Paducah every spring. Intermediate level/some knowledge of paper foundation pieced is needed. Sewing machine required. 6 hours. $3.00 for prepared foundation patterns.

Xquisite Scrap Quilt

The Xquisite Scrap Quilt

(My Most Popular Workshop)

Taking tips from our forbearers, have fun working with scrap fabrics from your own collection; this is a project to use up fabric -- do not buy more. Using squares and triangles, explore color and design possibilities by fabric and value placement. Enjoy seeing the many designs you can make with the blocks. All levels. Sewing machine required. 6 hrs.

Another quilt from Xquisite Scrap class

This quilt is made with all of Bonnie's Traditions fabrics by Marcus Brothers Textiles.

Summer Fun... as seen on Sew Young, Sew Fun on PBS -- A Class for Children to Sew

A great project for a day of sewing with children. Using Bonnie's foundation technique, child stitches with a needle or on the sewing machine to make a fun sailboat quilt. Makes a 14" quilt. Any age child from first grade to junior high can be successful. 6 hrs. Sewing machine needed. (Four children can share one machine. Helpers, one for each sewing machine, are required to assist with machine sewing.)

Lectures

Quilts & Quilters Around the World

Quilting is truly an international language these days. Even with language barriers, we quilters understand using needle and thread and our sewing machines to piece together quilts. Take a PowerPoint journey with Bonnie as she looks at some of the countries she has visited as a quilting instructor -- Australia, Turkey, Japan, Canada, Switzerland. See how our quilts, how we live and eat (yes, you'll see some of the food that she has shot - with her camera, of course), and how we are alike and different. 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Good program for non-quilters too.

The Princess & The Pea and True Teacher Stories

How are quilters alike across the U.S. and around the world? How are they different? Journey with Bonnie Browning and she will show you, through slides. Learn some of the glamorous, including meeting a real live Princess, and not-so-glamorous things that happen to a quilting instructor. It's fun and you'll see some great quilts too!

The 6,000 Mile Quilt... or Whatever Happened to Those Old Blocks?

What do a designer from Revere, Massachusetts; 50 quilt blocks from WW II; embroidered names; a computer search; and a quilter in Paducah, Kentucky, have in common? Learn the story of this special quilt and its 6,000 mile journey to completion. Bonnie and this quilt were featured in an HGTV Special Program called, "Quilts: Secrets Hidden in Fabric."

Getting It Straight: Are you at the very end of your quilting project and discover it isn't straight? What happened? Learn what factors, from the design phase to the last stitch on the binding, that affect your quilts being square and flat when you are finished. The goal of this lecture is to familiarize the quilter with the choices one makes and the effect those choices have on their quilts. 1 hr.

For a 3-hour lecture/demonstration, bring a problem quilt to analyze during the discussion portion of the class. Need note taking supplies only. All levels.

Trends in Quiltmaking Today: Learn what quilters are doing to construct their quilts. Using slides, Bonnie shares examples of the latest trends and techniques. You will leave inspired! 1 hr. This lecture is revised every time I give it...always something new!

Quilting - Artistic Expression/Hobby for a Lifetime: (for general non-quilting audiences) Quilting, past and present, is the focus of this lecture and it includes a historical review and slides of the types of quilts made by our grandmothers and those being made today. Quilts will be displayed to show the variety of designs available. 1 hr.

After the Judging: After judging your quilt show, Bonnie will discuss what she saw in the quilts in the show, including areas of expertise and areas that need improvement (in general terms - not specific quilts); share some ideas for correcting problems, and answer questions from quilters. Can include a walk-through of the quilts if held at a time when the show is not open; that's a great time for guild members to ask questions.

1 hr.

Fun day = Taking a workshop with Bonnie Browning.