Saturday 16 October 2021: Online Workshop (Improv Triangles Sewalong!)

Nicholas Ball - Saturday 16 October 2021 - 4.00pm to 7.00pm (BST)

Online Interactive Workshop: Improv Triangles Sewalong!

We're absolutely delighted to welcome 'improv-fan-fave' Nicholas Ball back into the CraftyMonkies spotlight once again, this time for a slight twist on his ususal Improv Triangles workshop theme; Nicholas is running a festive-flavoured theme which will accompany his Improv Triangles Sewalong on Instagram during October! Beyond excited? Us too!!!...

For all of you who might not be aware, we first ran a version of Improv Triangles by Nicholas in August 2020, then repeated it in June 2021. If you missed it, or are new to CraftyMonkies, please don't wait to book your place on Saturday 16 October, 4.00-7.00pm (BST) - any class taught by Nicholas tends to sell-out super-duper-quickly!...

Introduction by Nicholas:-

What I love most about my Improv Triangles technique is the versatility of the units created. This simple shape has so many uses in improvised patchwork and is a great skill to add to your improv arsenal. Where some people see trees, others see gnome hats! You can use the familiarity of triangles to suggest all sorts of things in your compositions. After you make a few, you’ll soon find the only limit is your imagination! This workshop is specifically themed as a companion to the festive edition of the #improvtrianglesewalong I’m hosted on Instagram throughout October. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, the triangle technique can be used to create a fun and whimsical quilt that can be interpreted in anyway you like! I do hope you'll join me...

What You Will Learn in this Online Interactive Workshop:-

You'll learn how to throw off the dreaded 'shackles of constraint' and let your inner-creative run wild with this fabulous technique-based improv-quilting class! In the workshop you will first learn Nicholas' basic method for creating improv triangle units. We’ll then look at adding some festive variation using exciting piecing and embellishing techniques. We will also discuss the different ways to arrange your sewn units into a finished composition and the many projects they can be used for.

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Skill Level for this Online Interactive Workshop:-

This class is suitable for all skill levels. It’s perfect for competent sewers who want to explore more liberated piecing, perhaps as a change from traditional quilting, but it’s also a perfect improv introduction for quilters who are just starting out and have little quilting experience.

Material/Fabric requirements for this Online Interactive Workshop:-

Whilst not essential for this workshop, Nicholas' book Inspiring Improv (published by Lucky Spool, 2019) will give you excellent background insight into his approach and variety of work, which you can use in your onward crafting journey.

Whilst difficult to give exact fabric amounts and measurements when sewing in an improvised way, please use the following as a rough guide:-

• For the basic triangles, large scraps of solid and print fabric in square-ish and rectangle-ish pieces work well for the background, whilst smaller scraps are perfect for the triangles. Feel free to cut your pieces from yardage. The background pieces shouldn’t be smaller than approximately 4” for your first attempt at this technique. Look out for Nicholas’ first Instagram post in on the 4th October when he'll be discussing fabric requirements in more detail as part of the Sewalong.
• An assortment of mini ric rac.  Look for doll ric rac that is approximately 3mm wide.
• Small pieces of mini pom-pom trim.  Again, buy the smallest size you can find.
• Various sequins, buttons and beads for embellishment.

Please don’t stress about these requirements!!! They are simply a guide and Nicholas has yet to teach a class where something couldn’t be made because of the wrong fabric pieces. If in doubt, gather up a selection of prints and colours you like and you can cut during the workshop. Accuracy at the cutting stage is not so important using these techniques, so it won’t take long at all if you want to cut your pieces along with Nicholas. They also needn’t be perfectly square or straight, so feel free to use scissors!

This is very much a technique-based workshop. We will be exploring triangles and won’t have a finished project in mind. Feel free to make as many or as few of the units as you like. You can combine them into a sampler or continue to work on the project after the workshop by adding more units to it. Don’t feel any pressure to cut up all your precious fabric!!!

Equipment requirements for this Online Interactive Workshop:-

• Sewing-Machine
• Good quality thread in an appropriate weight for piecing (Nicholas recommends Aurifil)
• Rotary Cutter - with a new blade!
• Cutting Mat
• Patchwork Ruler (we can make any size work, but a small 1” x 12” is very handy, as is a 12.5” square.
• Fabric Scissors
• Most important of all - a willingness to explore your own creativity! We're going to have FUN!!!...

​​Tickets for this Online Interactive Workshop (via the Zoom platform) will be limited & allocated on a first-come/first-served basis! If applicable, any free pattern, or other information, relevant to this course will be forwarded to you after booking and approximately 5 days before the course date. The ticket price of £30.00 is based on ONE person attending this crafting class.

This CraftyMonkies Online Interactive Workshop is being broadcast from the United Kingdom and the class time given is based on British Summer Time (BST). We advise you check via Google Search (or similar) to see corresponding start-time in YOUR location!

Ordering MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT Online For Any Class/Workshop!

In light of the ongoing situation regards potential delays with supply of certain materials/fabrics/equipment from around the world due to the lasting impact of Covid-19, please ensure you book your place & order any materials/fabrics/equipment online in plenty of time ahead of course dates.

​IMPORTANT!

This class is a live Zoom Workshop ONLY!!! As such, we are NOT able to offer a recorded Pay-On-Demand video for sale after this event.