If you ever have the chance to attend a Quilting Class from Jenny Lyon – take it!
Jenny came up to our guild to teach her 2-day intermediate level: “Fearless Free Motion Fills & Frills” class. Most of us had dabbled with free motion after Susan Scott’s class, who told us we were ready for Jenny’s course. So we booked her and looked forward to this new adventure in quilting.
For the first couple hours of class, Jenny showed us examples and did demonstrations that she projected on a screen large enough to see exactly what she was, so quickly and beautifully, doing. She taught us about the best thread to use for which project, ditto for needle sizes. She also explained about fabrics to use.
Jenny has a wealth of knowledge to pass along – how-to tips, effective fix’s, and her experience with basting and marking. Her ability to walk us through the movements needed to create a motif, draw them on the chalkboard, and had the class draw them on paper to practice the motions. By the 
time she let us loose to sew we had a good idea (with our brains, anyway) what we were supposed to be doing.
The 2nd day, she took turns showing us a motif then lead the classes discussion on how best to go about quilting our fellow students quilts. We were gathered around Jenny, mesmerized (some of us terrified), by the decision-making process involved.
Whether you are a visual, audible or tactile learner, Jenny can communicate to you. She demonstrated on her machine, then showed us the “moves” on the chalkboard, while she walked us verbally through the motif we were learning. She had a humorous mantra for each different motif, which she shared with us. Her informal and personal manner made us all relax and enjoy learning. Even when we felt nervous, she inspired us to “do it!”
No matter how awful your motif looked, she could find a place in the quilting where you were actually doing it correctly. She told us that having that little part of clarity, showed we could do it and only practice would perfect it. In one of the hand-outs she laid out her 21-day plan for successful Free Motion Quilting (FMQ), listed recommended books and helpful YouTube’s and websites.
After 2 full days of learning, our brains are full! But we have Jenny’s website as well as her excellent handouts of motif instructions. Those of us who had quilts to consult with Jenny now have homework – send her a photo of our finished product.
My favorite wall hanging in Jenny’s collection is this one:
She did gorgeous bead work, in addition to her perfect quilting. A close up shows just how intricate this piece is.
Thank you Jenny for teaching us what we needed to know, and your patience while we were trying to do it!
♥ TTFN ♥
Photos of quilted work are not for distribution, they belong to Jenny K. Lyon ©, and are being used here with her expressed permission.
Independence Hall Quilters Guild 