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Designing with Pieced Fabric

Two-Day Zoom Workshop with Jeanie Low


Wednesdays, 5/10 and 5/17, 10am-noon PT

Zoom-based workshop, in two sessions, one week apart.

Workshop Fee: $90 Textile Arts Council Members, $100 General Public

Optional Materials Kits: $45, paid directly to the instructor

This workshop will teach you a series of techniques to design unique, one-of-a-kind personal fabrics for a multitude of projects, including bags, handbags, garments, pillows and table runners. Learn to handle difficult fabrics. Use your vintage buttons, beads, stitches and threads to embellish. Learn long stitch techniques to create surface texture. This is a great way to upcycle jeans, textiles, home decorator samples and other fabrics.

Session 1 Wed. 5/10, 10a-noon: Designing and sewing a pieced pouch project. We will make a pieced fabric pouch. Use the pre-cut and selected fabric in KIT 1 if you purchased it, If you are using your own fabric choices select: denim and/or home decor fabrics with the same density. Cut your own fabrics (on the straight of the grain) in strips (2.5” wide x 12”). Your fabric may be the same color in different tones with a few contrasting colors. Solids, plaids, geometrics, wovens and small prints.

Session 2 Wed. 5/17, 10a-noon: Learn and practice sashiko, embellishments and other techniques for upcycling sustainable fabrics.

Each session includes a slide presentation illustrating construction, embellishments, sample layouts and notes. A copy of these slides will be sent to all participants following the workshops.


Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced Sewists

Prerequisite: Sewing machine experience


Optional Materials Kits: $45, paid directly to the instructor and mailed to you. More information will be provided upon registration.

If you choose to provide your own materials, the materials list is:

Kit 1: (week 1) Pre-cut and selected fabric and an acetate sheet.

Kit 2: (week 2) Muslin, a large eye needle, blue painter’s tape, hand stitching thread (pearl cotton thickness)


Tools and Supplies Needed:

  • Bias tape to sew over overlapped raw seams on thick fabric, e.g., denim, home decor.

  • Needles: straight pins

  • Iron and dropcloth or teflon sheet for iron-on fusibles

  • 45 mm Olfa Rotary cutter, 12” ruler, Olfa cutting board (12” - 24”)

  • Sewing machine with a #12 Microtex needle and thread in place

  • Scissors: sewing, pinking shears for fabric that fray

  • Tape measure

  • Walking Foot for your sewing machine if working with thick fabric

  • Optional: Mannequin and/or Design wall (2 yards of polar fleece with sewn hanging sleeve works well) / 1 to 3 yards of Fusible (Tricot, light weight) iron- on stabilizer for silk, brocade

Resources: Britexfabric.com, connectingthreads.com, Etsy.com, Hancocks-Paducah.com, Joann.com


Jeanie Low is an award winning fiber artist who creates quilts and wearables. She has designed with ikat, denim, cotton, silk and brocades. She was the Featured Artist for QUILT San Francisco 2019. Her work has also been exhibited at the Pacific International Quilt Festival, Santa Clara, CA. She has taught fabric art at various SF public libraries and with the Textile Arts Council.





Image credits

All images courtesy of Jeanie Low.

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