Quilt Teacher Resources

Teaching From Debbie Caffrey's Books

Open a Can of Worms

Teaching Outline

When teaching in my hometown shop, I allow four classes of three hours each. Some teachers teach this book as a “quilt of the month” working through the eleven quilts in the order they appear in the book, one a month, and using the twelfth month for a show and tell reunion party.

Either way, this book is a wonderful base for a series of classes.

See the outline below for teaching the book in a series of three or four classes.

Class 1

Demonstrate strip cutting and use of the Omnigrid 96 for cutting triangles and trapezoids.
Have quilters construct a Sister’s Choice block.

Show models and samples to encourage them to cut many more “worms” and bring them to the next class.

Class 2

Discuss fabric selection for different effects in the quilts. Just because they are multiple fabric quilts, every quilt doesn’t need to be a “tossed salad” of your fabric stash. Let each quilter pull together an imaginary quilt of twelve to twenty strips from her stash. Discuss and evaluate intensity, value and contrast, scale, visual texture, etc.

Demonstrate Cobblestones (Seminole strip-piecing) and Friendship Braid.

Demonstrate cutting quarter-square triangles with the Omnigrid 98

Encourage the quilters to construct a sample of a Friendship Braid. If each quilter uses two strips of dark and two strips of light to cut trapezoids for the braid they will have enough for a sample piece. Trading among the class participants will give them more variety of fabrics for their sample.

If time allows, have them make a Sawtooth Star block.

Discuss the use of the remaining class session(s).

Class 3 (& 4)

Use the last class session(s) to demonstrate and have quilters make sample blocks and pieces for the remaining patterns in the book, or allow the quilters to choose a project (This should be suggested at the end of Class 2.) and proceed to construct the quilt with your guidance.

Discuss how to convert patterns from other books and magazines so that they can be cut from the “worms” with the Omnigrid 96 and 98 triangles. Contact me if you need some assistance in understanding the tools. I have information that I can provide to you.