Are you ready for Tanque Verde Ranch!?

We are! In preparation for your trip, we’re sending the Retreat Supply List and Retreat Schedule for reference below.

Quiltworx and Cactus Quilting have been busily working on compiling supplies and fabrics for your Quiltworx University experience in Tucson, AZ at the Tanque Verde Ranch in just a few short weeks! We can’t wait to see all your creative projects come to life and share lots of fun Quiltworx inspired kits and tools with you when we are together.

The purpose of this email is to help you gather last minute supplies and also give you an idea of the schedule for the week.   Also, we have some questions for you below denoted by bold Quiltworx green text. Please reply to this email with your responses as soon as you can!

If you have any questions regarding rooms and accommodations, please contact Madeline Island School of the Arts at erin@madelineschool.com. Additionally, if you are curious about Covid measures, we will be following the latest recommendations for the local, regional, and State health authorities at the time of the event. Requirements seem to be changing daily at the moment, so please bear with us as we work with the Ranch and others to be responsive to the circumstances of Tucson and our guests at the time of the event.

We hope you enjoy quilting adventures in sunny Tucson, and we can’t wait to experience it with you! ~ Sincerely, the Quiltworx University Team

Retreat Supply List

You’ll need to bring the following items with you to class:

• 3″ by 12″ piece of Template Plastic (3″ by 12″ piece)
• 3-1/2″ by 18″ piece piece of Template Plastic
• 12″ Add-a-quarter ruler
• 18″ Add-a-quarter ruler
• Purple Thang (optional)
• 6″ by 12″ ruler
• Medium size (or travel size) cutting mat (18” by 24”)
• Rotary cutter 45mm or 60 mm
• New rotary blade
• Size 70 needles (Microtex recommended)
• Scissors
• Seam ripper
• Small Extension Cords and a surge protector strip if you plan to bring your own iron and sewing light, or at-station mobile device charger.
• Fabric glue UHU stic
• Glue Pen (Fons and Porter, Sewline, or Avery recommended)
• High quality cotton sewing thread
• Repositionable Glue (Judy prefers Scotch Brand)
• 12” Creative Grids Wave Ruler or the Curved Diamond Cutting and Trimming Ruler from Quiltworx.com
• Flower pins
• Scotch Tape
• Large Ziploc Bags
• Stapler
• Binder Clips (medium and small)
• Large Paper Clips

If you do not have any of the above supplies (or if you forget something!), the shop will have many of these items on hand for you to purchase.  You can also contact Cactus Quilting and purchase supplies in advance! Kelly is offering 25% off for pre-orders on supplies and 15% off during the event! 

 
❗❗❗ Due to sewing machine shortages, we have a very important question for you! Can you bring your own machine? We would like to hear from each attendee (please reply to this email) on whether you plan to bring your own machine or will need one for the event. ❗❗❗

Judy will be bringing machines that we use at our Retreat Center in Montana, and MISA will be bringing machines they rent for their events at Madeline Island School of the Arts, on Madeline Island, in Wisconsin to make up the difference. But, it would be very helpful, when calculating space needs, to know how many we need to bring.

Sewing Station Information:

First, we will have assigned seating at this event. However, this does not mean that you will not be able to sit with your best friends, it simply means that if you have not already done so, we would appreciate you contacting us with requests for sitting with friends in advance of the event. Thank you for helping us establish a quick and easy check-in process with this communication!

Every student will have ample sewing space and their own 5-ft sewing station and a padded, conference style seat. If you cannot carry a cutting mat with you for the event, please let us know. If you can bring your own cutting mat to use at your sewing station, this will be helpful. If you would like to bring a rolling chair of your own, you are welcome to do so. There is one plug-in per station and you are welcome to bring your own small travel iron and light, however, we ask that you please bring small extension cords and surge protector strips as these are not guaranteed to be provided. Quiltworx will bring some extra and the Ranch has some as well. If we need more, it will be helpful if you bring one with you to help with supply.

Pressing and cutting stations will be located in the classroom if you would like to stand while cutting or pressing your projects. There are 34 students as I put this message together. If we have any last minute signups, I would like to get to 40. We will have 4 pods of up to 10 students in the main conference hall. The shop will be located in an adjoining room and in the foyer of the conference hall. We are excited to have the shop in the same location as the class this year and are able to accommodate this change due to the smaller class size! In past years, the shop has been located upstairs in a separate room. This will make it much more accessible to students during the week.

There will be lots of space to spread out. The ironing/pressing stations will have disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer, so we ask that you use these before and after each use. Most of your pressing and cutting can be done at your own table. But, we understand that it is sometimes more comfortable to cut at a standing station. There will also be (3) teaching stations at different corners of the classroom. You may be moving between teaching stations throughout the week to watch demonstrations, but the instructors will be moving back and forth to assist with one-on-one help as well.

We kindly ask that for the maneuverability of all of our students, that you leave your table extensions at home for this event. The orientation of the tables at the workshop requires that students pass by each other to access teachers and pressing and cutting stations, along with getting up to go attend to personal needs. We also ask that any storage containers that are too large to fit beneath your own sewing station be stored in your vehicles or in your room during the week.

In addition, some students like extra light. LED Lighting Kits for sewing machines are allowable, but please do not bring magnifying glass combos as these have been known to start fires, particularly in hot southern climates!

Program Schedule

The general program schedule is provided below if you are interested in how your day to day will work! Your week will include special events, check-in, and check-out information!

Sunday, September 19th: 

• 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Check-In. Early check-in to the sewing area will not be allowed. Thank you for your understanding and patience. During check-in, you will get situated in your room, then come to the main Conference building and find your sewing station. Instruction and tutorials on using your machines will be provided if you are using a machine from Quiltworx or Madeline Island. You will also meet your instructors to get started on cutting papers for your first workshop, which will start on Monday.
• 7:30 p.m. Welcome Reception: Dinner will be provided at 6:00 p.m. in the dining hall on Sunday evening. At 7:30 p.m, we will meet back at the class room to do a small Trunk Show with Judy and learn a little more about the week that you will be spending with us!
• 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.: Continue with machine demos, meeting instructors, and learning basic cutting techniques for Monday’s first workshop.

Onsite Quilt Shop!:

One of the most amazing parts of this event is the onsite quilt shop, which will have hundreds of bolts of fabric, kits, paper piecing tools, and more available for you throughout the week. Staff from Quiltworx Certified Shop, Cactus Quilting (Phoenix, AZ) will be on site for the event. Not only will there be store specials and exciting shopping promotions in the onsite store, but the store will also be helping, with Judel Niemeyer, to create custom kits of Quiltworx patterns using Quiltster during the week. There will also be lots of fun surprises from the shop Monday through Friday, so make sure to listen up for details to win!

Special Dietary Needs:  

Please don’t forget to share this information with MISA staff. Tanque Verde Ranch has a large selection of options for most of our meals that can accommodate almost any dietary needs of the group. They do their very best to accommodate dietary challenges, but can only help with this if we are aware of the situation. Please understand that they cannot accommodate dietary “restrictions”, dislikes, or dietary choices beyond the menu options that are provided for the event. However, they would like to know about allergies so this can be addressed as appropriate.

Daily Schedule* (September 20th to 24th Monday to Friday):

• 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.: Breakfast will be held in the Dining Hall.
• 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.: Morning Workshop
• 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Lunch will be held in the Dining Hall.
• 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Afternoon Workshop
• 3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Afternoon Break (The workshop is over at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 11th.)
• 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.: Afternoon programs, Quiltster demonstrations, trunk shows, or free sew (optional). We will need to work with the Ranch to find a space to offer Quiltster Demonstrations. So, stay tuned on where we will offer them!
• Dinner 6:00 p.m.: Dinner will be served in the Dining Hall.
• Check-Out on Friday: 4:00 p.m. from the workshop. (If you are leaving on Friday, please verify room checkout with the Ranch and take time for this during the day as appropriate). If you are not checking out until Saturday, sewing will be allowed in your rooms in the evening. Quiltworx and Madeline Island must pack up the machines they have brought and begin their travels home and the room will be needed for other events at the ranch. If you are traveling out of the state, we can make recommendations on local rentals, or you may be able to discuss options with MISA.
• Late Sew: The sewing studio will be open 24 hours a day. There will only be teachers available in the evening hours on certain nights and until 10:00 p.m. Please understand that the teachers need their sleep to be prepared for the following days classes. More information on late/early sewing responsibilities (turning off irons/machines/lights/closing the sewing studio doors) will be provided on Sunday evening.
• Beverages: There will be a beverage station on the teaching floor with conference style beverages provided by the Ranch.

*Please note that as we get closer to the dates, the times for meals may be adjusted slightly.

In general, we will work on the following sections of your quilts on the following days. When you get to the event, there will be a box with your schedule, pattern, and fabrics at each station. There will also be a schedule near each door that outlines which classes each teacher will be teaching throughout the day in case you want to attend another class. Please reference your personal schedules to learn which instructors are teaching each workshop on each day. There will be a morning and afternoon session of each class, unless all students show up for the morning (some groups are smaller than others). So, if you feel the class is large or want to see it again, or possibly have multiple workshops on the same day because you have purchased more than one kit, do not worry! We will have plenty of time to teach you what you need to know:

• Monday – Group A/B: Every quilt includes a Group A section, which is only a small square. And, Group B Melons!. Some of your classes may not be first thing in the morning. However, you can use this time to cut papers, or visit the store! Many of you have used multiple melon styles in your quilts so may need to attend more than one workshop.
• Tuesday – Group C: All students have at least one Group C! If you have more than this, you may need to sit in on multiple workshops throughout the day.
• Wednesday – Groups D and E: Every student will have one of these options, and the blocks are similar, with one being a square and the other being a rectangle. We will offer the block classes at multiple times throughout the day.
• Thursday – On Point Queen Borders and Block Assembly.
• Friday – On Point Queen Border Quilt Assembly Tricks and Tips 

Quiltster demonstrations will be provided for interested students at a location to be determined at the event. We will run these throughout the week until every interested student has attended.

• Custom Kits! Throughout the week, Judel will be working with the shop to create custom kits for customers using fabrics available at the On-Site Quilt Shop. She will take custom orders through Wednesday night late, so if you are hoping for a special kit project to take home with you of your favorite Quiltworx design, please think about it and come prepared with some ideas! She will use Quiltster, then send the project information to your Quiltster accounts and also to the shop so they can kit!
• Trunk Shows from instructors and students will be held either in one of the classrooms or outside over a balcony throughout the week if you are interested. Feel free to bring a few projects to show off if you can spare the space! We’d love to see your special touches to Quiltworx projects you’ve made over the years!

Judy will be available for demonstrations on other techniques beyond just those used in the units for the workshop as time permits. She will also be in the teaching room on most nights (perhaps not all) after dinner, to discuss workshop needs in general.

• The Certified Shop will be available throughout the week for supplies, quilt kits, fabric, and anything else you may need to satisfy your quilting desires! In general, the shop will close at 10 p.m. and open at 8:00 a.m. each day.
• On Friday, class will end at 4:00 p.m. Students can check out early and head home, or stay for the duration of class, but this year, we ask that you begin taking apart your sewing station at 4 p.m. Checking out at the store will take place beginning Thursday evening and into Friday morning. We will be packing up and preparing for the end of class throughout the day as appropriate. With a limited window to clear the area, this is important for us to accomplish.

Meet Our Team!

Cindy Haddick

Riverton, UT

Cindy is so excited to be a part of the Quiltworx team of Certified Instructors and share her passion for all things quilting!!

She was born and raised in Minnesota, where she was introduced to sewing at a very young age. She remembers taking a basic sewing class for summer school, back when summer school was for fun. That was almost 45 years ago and she hasn’t stopped sewing since. 

Cindy had a successful children’s clothing business in Minnesota and Georgia and then she found quilting. She feels that quilting is her true calling and is VERY passionate about it.

She enjoys all aspects of the quilting process – picking a new pattern, the colors to work with, the right fabrics, piecing, assembly and even the long arm quilting. 

She really enjoys making Quiltworx designs because the end result is so detailed and intricate, but the process to get that end product isn’t hard or intimidating. To date she has completed nearly 20 Quiltworx designs with several others in various stages. In addition to the many Quiltworx designs she’s also completed another 20+ quilts.

Sandy Lieske

Boise, ID

Sandy is an avid quilter, enjoying all types of projects she makes for friends and family. After taking early retirement in 2012 after a 32-year engineering career, Sandy had more time to begin working through her immense stash of projects and fabric. At the urging of a friend to try something new, Sandy completed her first Quiltworx pattern, Prismatic Star, and really enjoyed Judy’s approach to paper piecing. She was truly hooked after making Summer Solstice in her first class with a Certified Instructor.

As an engineer, Sandy appreciates the precise way the seemingly complex designs come together using techniques such as smart corners, and reference points. As a quilter, she loves the color selection process that enables the creation of beautiful projects from placemats to queen size quilts.

Sandy is excited to share Judy’s efficient and organized method of creating the stunning Quiltworx designs. It has been incredibly rewarding for her to see students finish their Quiltworx projects and become advocates for Judy’s foundation paper piecing approach. Her personal goal is to help quilters of all skill levels realize they can create that special Quiltworx project that may look complex but in fact “just isn’t that hard”.

See you soon!

Hello everyone! We’re beyond excited about this upcoming retreat, and the beautiful design options Judy and Brad have created especially for you! We’re stepping away from the mandala-like mixers to give you an amazing block-style mixer based on one of our most popular patterns, 4th of July. We’re pleased to unveil your exclusive project, the Fireworks Mixer which can be purchased for this workshop through Quiltster, and will be supplied by our partner shop at this event, Cactus Quilting.

PLAN YOUR PROJECT!

There are three options for selecting the pattern and your fabrics:

OPTION 1:  Purchase a 4th of July pattern (coming August 1, 2021) for $62.50, and choose your own fabrics from your stash or as desired. To purchase just the pattern so you can work with your own fabrics in your stash, open Quiltster, click on the Quiltworx University Tucson 2021 link (at the top or bottom of your My Projects page depending on your browser) and choose the blank Fireworks Wall Quilt Blank Template (66×87), then click Add to Cart. You can also call Quiltworx at 406-393-2646 and we will process an order over the telephone.

RECEIVING YOUR PATTERN: A pattern will be sent in advance by early August, which will give you a few weeks to familiarize yourself with everything and complete the final preparation prior to the event.  You’ll need to cut your own kit based on the strip size suggested in the unit charts in each pattern booklet, and label your pattern prior to the workshop with the fabric references. This way, you will be prepared to begin working on your project at the same stage as the rest of the students.   

OPTION 2: Select one of the Fireworks Mixer kits, exclusive to this event!  There are 12 options that have been created for you to choose from. You will have a Quiltster account for six months (from sign up) as part of your event and will need to use it to purchase your project if you choose one of these options. 

We have not finalized all kit pricing at this time, but to give you an idea, your kit will include the following:

• A pattern, ranging from $32.50 to $125.00, depending on the size and number of papers required.    
• A kit with fabrics included, pre-cut for you to the strip size, (Small patterns will range from $175, with larger designs being as much as $400 or more for King size quilts with backing). 
• A 17% kit cutting fee will be included so the shop and Quiltworx staff can prepare your kit for the workshop.

OPTION 3:  Create your own completely customized quilt, where you pick the combination of blocks for your quilt and your favorite fabric collections from the list shown below! If you haven’t received it already, any day (or upon sign-up!) you’ll receive a six month subscription to Quiltster, allowing you the opportunity to mix and match blocks and fabrics in seven different quilt sizes to achieve your perfectly unique quilt!  You may use Quiltster, or contact Judel Niemeyer for an additional design fee ($25/design) to help you create your perfect quilt.

All kits will be based on a yardage price of $12.99 per yard (or $9.99 for Batik Textile Blenders!), regular price, however, kits purchased for this event will be discounted at 10%! If you are interested in backing and binding, you will have the option to purchase this at the time of kit purchase. Backing and binding purchased with the kit will be discounted 25%. All sales will be subject to applicable sales tax in Arizona. A separate email will be coming by July 19th, or sooner, with information on ordering, so have fun designing in the meantime and stay tuned for more information on kit purchases. Kit ordering must be completed no later than August 6th, 2021.

4th of July

66×87 (Publishing August 1st)

Choose your own fabrics and prepare your own kit using the blocks shown here. If this is your choice, please let Judel know and she will notify you as soon as you can purchase the pattern. Patterns will be shipped after August 1st. If you would like a kit, you can also just click on the pre-colored template in Quiltster (image below), and order a kit in the colorway shown. If you purchase the kit from the shop, the kit (and pattern) will be prepared for you and brought to the event.

Fireworks Mixer Kits

If choosing blocks and fabrics seems overwhelming, we’re also offering the following exclusive fabric kits only available to event attendees.

If you select this option, we’ll cut the kit, and prepare it for the class. We’ll bring the kits to the workshop for you so there is no preparation needed! 

To order these options, you’ll need to find the one you want in Quiltster (click on Quilt Planner from your Dashboard, then scroll down to the bottom and click the blue Enter button next to Quiltworx University: Tucson 2020 to get started). Once you have opened the desired project (by clicking Customize), give it a name, and save it to your account.

When kits are ready to be purchased, you can click the Add to Cart button and it will walk you through the order submission process. All you need to do from there is show up at the event!

(CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE)

Nautical Porthole • 66″ Square

Batik Textiles – Ocean Breeze

Butterfly Baby • 44×66

Batik Textiles- Color Me Happy

Berries and Mint • 45″ Square

Timeless Treasures – Lupine Mini

4th of July • 66×87

Timeless Treasures – 4th of July

Ironworks • 60×72

Free Spirit – Abandoned 1 & 2, and Foundations

Patchwork Deville • 66″ Square

Batik Textiles – Shades of Grey

Kaffe in the Country • 87×108

Free Spirit Kaffe Fassett Collective

Lemongrass • 108″ Square

Free Spirit – Tula Pink Solids, and True Colors

Painters Palette • 66×87

Timeless Treasures – Fingerpaints Strip Set

Coal Miner’s Daughter • 87×108

Free Spirit Tim Holtz Abandoned 1 & 2

Tula Pops • 60×72

Free Spirit Tula Pink Solids, True Colors, and Linework

Sea Creatures • 45×66

Batik Textiles

Bahari and Blenders

Create your own completely customized quilt, by selecting a quilt size and blocks for each section of the quilt shown below along with new fabrics from over 25 collections!

There are two ways to do this:

1. Use Quiltster!  Prior to this event, you’ll receive a 6 month subscription to Quiltster (as part of the fee for attending the event), allowing you the opportunity to mix and match blocks and fabrics in 7 different quilt sizes and 7 different layouts to achieve your perfectly unique quilt!  
2. We’ll Design it With You!  For an additional design fee you can work one on one with Judel Niemeyer as she uses Quiltster to mix and match blocks and fabrics to create your one of a kind quilt. You’ll have final approval before your quilt is kitted.

Whether you use Quiltster on your own, or have us do it, your finalized quilt kit will be prepared for you and brought to the event for you to complete! No preparation on your end will be needed!

Helpful Hints: 

1. In General, the blocks can be unlocked and made with lots of fabrics. However, to optimize the use of yardage in your quilt, we recommend that you make at least (4) identical blocks of each colorway you complete.
2. Four border block (both square and rectangle) backgrounds generally can be cut from one strip of fabric.
3. Three or four center block backgrounds can generally be cut from one strip of fabric.
4. The Melon Groups should be done in at least groups of 6.
5. If you have chosen alternate geese units where each goose is a different color, you can cut 12 geese from a strip of fabric. So, you will want to repeat the same color goose in the same place in 12 blocks to use your entire strip if you don’t want to waste fabric.
6. If you have chosen the spike units, you cannot color them separate, but they are 2-1/2” strip compatible, so every block only takes one strip for the spikes.
7. On the accents for the sawtooth blocks, one strip can do 3 blocks whether it’s a border or a center block.
8. The C units can be rotated! Don’t forget to try this out!
9. The Borders come in packages of 5 or 6 blocks, the Centers come in packages of 8, and the Melons come in packages of 12. So, if you only use 4 of one kind of block, your pattern will have leftover pieces. If you are doing a King or Queen and mixing and matching the different block options, depending on how many you use, you may have some leftover blocks in your pattern.

BLOCK AND FABRIC OPTIONS

Your options for blocks and fabrics are shown below. Before you get started, check out this valuable video in which Judel Niemeyer gives you a great walk-through of how Quiltster works.

If you have any questions about how to use Quiltster, we strongly encourage you to visit the Quiltster Youtube Channel and watch some tutorials before you get started.

QUILT LAYOUTS

7 Layouts • 7 Sizes!

CLICK TO ENLARGE

A BLOCK

OK, the A Block isn’t all that exciting, BUT, it’s necessary! 😋

B BLOCKS

The blank templates will be included in your Introduction Booklet.

C BLOCKS

The blank templates will be included in your Introduction Booklet.

D BLOCKS

The blank templates will be included in your Introduction Booklet.

E BLOCKS

The blank templates will be included in your Introduction Booklet.

Fabric Options

Cactus Quilting is offering you the following collections and more!

Click on the images to see the full collection.

Batik Textile Arbor

Batik Textile Bahari

Batik Textile Blenders

Batik Textiles Color Me Happy

Batik Textiles Mid-century Modern with a Twist

Batik Textile Ocean Breeze

Batik Textile Pearls & Rubies

Batik Textile Shades of Grey

Free Spirit Tim Holtz Abandoned 1 & 2

Free Spirit Tim Holtz Foundations

Free Spirit Kaffe Fassett Aboriginal Dot

Free Spirit Kaffe Fassett Brassica

Free Spirit Kaffe Fassett Jumble

Free Spirit Kaffe Fassett Jupiter

Free Spirit Kaffe Fassett Collective 2021

Free Spirit Kaffe Fassett Millefiore

Free Spirit Kaffe Fassett Shaggy

Free Spirit Kaffe Fassett Classic Spot

Free Spirit Designer Essentials

Free Spirit Tula Pink Linework

Free Spirit Tula Pink Solids

Free Spirit Tula Pink True Colors

Hoffman 884 Sunflowers Batiks

Hoffman 885 Dot Batiks

Hoffman R2284 Stripe Batiks

Hoffman Stepping Stones Batiks

Timeless Treasures 4th of July Collection

Timeless Treasures Fingerpaints Strip Set

Timeless Treasures Lupine Mini Collection

Timeless Treasures Palm Tree Mini Collection

Timeless Treasures Pumpkin Spice Mini Collection

Timeless Treasures Wallflowers Spring 2020 Collection

Timeless Treasures Wallflowers Collection

Madeline Island Campus

June 7-11, 2021

Back by popular demand! MISA offers workshops year-round and Quiltworx will soon be returning to Madeline Island where you can partake in a sunset boat cruise of the Apostle Islands, and be inspired by the beautiful vistas of Lake Superior and our amazing Island sunsets.

Tanque Verde Ranch Campus

September 20-24, 2021

Quiltworx is also returning to Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson, AZ where you can explore one of America’s best old-time cattle and guest ranches nestled in the Rincon Mountains and experience our fantastic Cowboy Cookout BBQ dinner experience at Cottonwood Grove.

Join us for some Creativity, Friendship, and Fun!