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Six Weeks. Three Instructors. One Amazing Quilt.
Create an Out-of-this-world 60″ x 72″ Quilt from the Comfort of Your Own Home!
Register before August 31st and Save $20 – only $79 when paid in full
Join Gyleen Fitzgerald, Ebony Love, and Latifah Saafir in an exciting new quilt adventure!
Starting January 1, 2021 and extending for 6 weeks, you’ll enjoy learning new tips, trying new tools, and learning from three dynamic instructors in a round-robin-like mystery quilt experience.
Together, we have designed a quilt that will not only challenge experienced quilters, but will also provide newer quilters with the skills they need to be successful.
The quilt itself has been meticulously designed and tested, and is available in two colorways: Primo Batiks and Kona Solids. The mix of traditional piecing, geometric and curved elements, and modern blocks are sure to delight and challenge quilters of all skill levels and interests.
All three of us are internationally-known designers and instructors, and we’re sure that the Parallel Universe Mystery Quilt will be among our most popular classes, and it’s sure to be a learning experience you will never forget.
You might be a little hesitant to join us because you don’t like mystery quilts, or you worry that you don’t have the skills or the time to keep up with it. Maybe you’ve even had a bad experience before, or you feel anxious to start something without knowing where it will end up. Trust me, we know how you feel, and we’ve worked hard to design a program that’s easy to follow, has everything you need to be successful, and is sure to result in a beautiful quilt that you’ll be proud to own.
Meet the Instructors
Fun fact: we’re all engineers!
Gyleen X. Fitzgerald makes quilts that blend color, pattern and texture to provide a contemporary essence in traditional quilting. She infuses engineering tools and innovative techniques to simplify visually complex geometric polygon quilts.
An avid quilter, Gyleen has earned Best of Show honors. As an author/publisher, she is a consistent Gold Medal winner which included Polygon Affair…So Easy You’ll Fall in Love. She is best known for inspiring Trash to Treasure Pineapple Quilts and the creation of the Pineapple Tool by Gyleen.
Award-winning author and quilter Ebony Love is recognized as one of the leading experts in fabric die-cutting techniques who regularly contributes to magazines, videos, and television programs.
A founding member of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild, she’s best known as the author of The Big Little Book of Fabric Die Cutting Tips, Binding Crazy Angles, and other books about quilting, sewing and die cutting.
Ebony is fond of blindingly-bright prints and takes a contemporary approach to traditional designs. She’s also designed fabric lines in collaboration with Island Batik, including Primo and her upcoming release, Forecast.
Latifah Saafir is known for her bold and innovative quilts. Combining her training as an engineer with her lifelong passion for sewing, Latifah creates designs that are graphic and contemporary, featuring challenging techniques with meticulous attention to detail.
A co-founder of both the Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild and the worldwide Modern Quilt Guild, Latifah currently teaches workshops to guilds around the world. She has a line of patterns and templates that she has designed to use her favorite techniques, including a line of patterns called Quilt Cadets that teaches kids how to sew!
She has released three fabric lines with Me + You, the modern fabric brand with Hoffman Fabrics. She’s been featured in over a dozen books, magazines and newspapers.
Sneak Peek
Of course, this is a mystery quilt, so we can’t show you what it looks like in advance, but we can at least show you how we’ve divided up the quilt for our modern round robin:
We’ve also chosen two awesome color stories for you to choose from: a modern batik line, Primo by LoveBug Studios for Island Batik, and fresh Kona solids by Robert Kaufman:
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Primo by Ebony Love for Island Batik -
Kona Solids by Robert Kaufman
We’re also providing a blank swatch chart for you to use on your own to choose your own fabrics. The pattern will easily enable you to substitute your own choices.
Each instructor has selected one of their signature tools for use in making this quilt, so you can see how easy and fun it is to work with different shapes to achieve more complex designs.
While the tools aren’t a required purchase, we highly recommend that you purchase a Tool Kit so you can take full advantage of the class. Each instructor will provide paper templates within the pattern should you choose not to purchase a Tool Kit. However, the focus of the live instruction will be around the tools.
How This Works
Once you register, you’ll get immediate access to our private Classroom under the “My Account” area, where you may review preliminary information before class begins in January.
You’re also able to order kits and supplies to take the hassle and stress out of hunting down fabric and products we recommend. Of course, you are welcome to use your own fabric, and if you have a local quilt shop that needs your support, we encourage you to do your shopping there.
Once the class starts, we will release a new section of the quilt every week on Friday morning (9am Central), complete with a PDF pattern and instructions for assembling the units. On Friday evenings, join us for the live instructional webinars (available via FB Live at 5pm Central) to help you as you go.
Blocks are available precisely at the posted time, but we also send weekly reminders and other information about upcoming classes to our students via email.
You’re also encouraged to join our supportive Facebook group where you can post photos and interact with your fellow classmates and the instructors. There’s a great network of support that’s committed to your quilting success!
What the Class Includes
We are personally invested in your success, and we want to make sure you get the support you need to get started and finish a quilt you can be proud of. Here’s what our class offers:
- Quilt in your pajamas! You don’t have to pack up your machine or haul your sewing room someplace to join us. You’ll always have your favorite snack and comfy slippers nearby.
- 6 amazing quilt lessons which have been specially designed in a round-robin-style format. You’ll experience three different approaches to quilting that result in one gorgeous quilt.
- The live portion of the course is 6 weeks, but you get permanent, unlimited access to work at your own pace. Once you pay your registration fee, the class is yours forever!
- Live Webinars hosted weekly by each respective instructor. You’ll be able to ask questions, learn new skills, and replay the Webinars at any time if you can’t catch us live. We always have a ton of fun!
- Downloadable PDF patterns for you to keep, with smart file names to keep your computer organized so you can always find the related pattern files.
PLUS…
- Downloadable badges to show friends & family the excitement of your participation in this event
- Well-organized class content & schedule to help you navigate and preview what’s ahead
- NEW! Our “Mark Complete” feature helps you keep track of where you are in the class, and you can always see your course progress within the classroom.
- Access to your class from mobile devices (via a browser)
- Payment plans are available to help you spread the costs
Skills You Will Learn
This isn’t your typical quilt along, where someone just posts a pattern and expects you to figure it out on your own. We’re here to help you grow, and we’re targeting specific skills for you to learn in an approachable way. While making this quilt, you’ll learn:
- Curved piecing skills to get you started the right way
- How to use specialty rulers to create dynamic blocks
- Practical tips to advance and practice your existing piecing skills
- NEW!! Die cutting preparation and Ebony’s ingenious EDeN System for notating dies (where applicable)
- Alternate half square triangle construction techniques to improve your accuracy and speed
- The art of partial seam construction to achieve more advanced block layouts
- The best ways to sew & press strip sets for straighter, more accurate blocks & borders
This class is simply packed with knowledge and fun!
Who Should Register
- Fans of Gyleen, Latifah, and Ebony, of course!
- Avid quilters who want a new challenge and a new experience
- Newer quilters who want to build skills quickly in a safe & supportive learning environment. (Don’t get us wrong: this quilt is challenging, but you CAN do it!)
- People who don’t often have the opportunity to take a class from National Instructors (we’ve never taught in the same place at once!)
- Quilters who appreciate thoughtful design & well-written patterns
Payment Plans
We recognize that taking a class like this is a huge investment, not only of time, but also of your hard-earned quilting dollars. We appreciate you spending your time and money with us, and we want to help make this affordable and accessible to anyone who wants to participate.
We are offering a 4-month payment plan to spread the cost to help you plan your spending (available on select kits & supplies).
We’ve tried really hard to set the class fees at a level that is sustainable for everyone involved. A comparable program at a quilt shop would easily cost 3-4 times more, and would likely take an entire year to finish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I see prices?
You can see everything in the Parallel Universe Supply Shop. Just don’t forget to register! You can add whatever you want to the cart and get an estimate (including shipping) before you check out.
Do I have to buy the templates?
Nope. Paper templates are provided inside each pattern if you prefer to do that or cut them from template plastic. We highly encourage you to get the tools though; they really will help!
Do I have to buy a die cutter?
Nope. Ebony just die cuts everything, and if she doesn’t provide die cutting instructions, her regular students will think an alien has taken possession of her body. Seriously though; use the tools you want to use. We’ll try to support you where you are in your journey.
How big is the quilt?
60″ x 72″.
Can I make the quilt a different size?
Anything’s possible, but we don’t recommend attempting to resize the blocks or the quilt. It was designed in a round-robin format and you’ll be less stressed if you make the quilt we show you. Designing quilts is a lot of work!
Can I use my own fabric?
Of course! Just download the fabric requirements chart (it’s in the Classroom, under What You Need). The column on the far right gives you the yardage, the column on the far left is the fabric # you should assign to that fabric. Once you’ve chosen your fabric, number them in order, and follow that numbering in the pattern instructions for cutting & assembly.
How do I access the private classroom?
Just click the “My Account” link at the top of the page. (If you’re on a mobile device click the 3 parallel lines at the top of your screen to open the menu to see it.) Log in to your account if you aren’t already, and then scroll down on the page to the “Registered Classes” heading. All your classes are listed there, so just click the title to enter the classroom.
What types of kits are available and which one should I get?
For the quilt, there are yardage kits available in both colorways; the quilt kit includes binding. Backing may be purchased separately. There are also tool kits (if you don’t currently own any of the instructors’ tools) and notions that may be purchased separately.
Are there any quilt shops that are carrying kits?
At this time, you may not purchase this pattern through a local shop. However, if your shop is carrying Primo or Kona, just take the fabric requirements with you and they will be happy to cut for you. Please do NOT add any additional fabric to your kit because you think you’re going to run out. If you want extra fabric because you love it, great – but our fabric requirements are generous enough to accommodate rotary, die cutting, and the occasional “oops.”
Can I use fat quarters?
Sure… but please don’t ask us to figure out how many for you.