Ever since I moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2020 from Seattle, Washington, I have been asked if I plan to teach in person workshops here. That has always been in the back of my mind, but never a reality, until now…and there is a sale happening on it right now, scroll to bottom if you impatient like me!

My friend Staci Nixon owns Muses, a multi-disciplinary artists studio and workshop space, in the heart of Santa Fe. She hosts workshops of all kinds there in her spacious location. I love that it is a space made specifically for learning- there’s ample room for students to spread out. A large shared work table, and an abundance of light!

Starflake Quilt and Chicken Scratch Workshop

So Staci and I brainstormed and came up with a unique, 5 day workshop. We will be doing a deep dive into my favorite way to make quilts- using color value and our beloved fabric stash- to make the Starflake Quilt. This quilt workshop is usually taught as a one day, 6 hour workshop. But during our time together, we will have the luxury of time to together, to really design a Starflake quilt that is uniquely our own. A true reflection of our design eye and our own personal collection of fabrics.

That is really how the original Starflake quilt design came to be. I had grown very uninspired looking at the same old IKEA bins of the same old fabric scraps. Too small for many projects, but also too large to part with them. A scrappy quilt confined to all of the pieces of fabric in one color family seemed like a good challenge.

And it was!

I not only used up all of those greens that had been languishing in the corner of my studio, but I actually ran out! (Imagine!!) That’s when I pulled out the fabrics that became the top left corner of the quilt- the pink corner. This was all a very intuitive process for me and I’d love to guide you through this. You will come out on the other side a much more confident quilt “designer” (not just a sewist).

And let me introduce you to Chicken Scratch embroidery!

During the last days of the workshop, we will switch gears to another craft that has become a very important part of my studio practice, Chicken Scratch embroidery. This is a vintage hand embroidery method that is stitched on gingham fabric, using the individual squares of the gingham to create the patterning you stitch on it. I discovered this technique when we made our big move to Santa Fe. I had no studio or space to make quilts, and as I was cleaning out my old studio I happened upon a vintage Chicken Scratch embroidered quilt square I had bought at an antique store years prior. Let’s just say I went down a rabbit hole of the most delightful kind upon finding that piece.

I have stitched hundreds of hours of Chicken Scratch embroidery since then. I’ve done Block of the Months, stand alone projects, and everything in between. And I’ve also experimented with how to do the same basic stitches on solid, non-gingham fabrics. It is a relaxing, beautiful technique you will love, and something that can even add texture to the surface of your quilts!

We will also be taking a field trip to what is quite possibly my favorite place on Earth- the Museum of International Folk Art. This is the largest collection of its kind in the world and it’s right here in Santa Fe! It’s the place I go to when I need to refresh my creative brain and get new inspiration prompts. I wish they had sleepovers in the museum, I’d go!

Workshop Details

• Workshop dates are Thursday, April 10th – Monday, April 14th, 2025
• Location- Muses
• Local sewing machine rental is available, rental fee not included in workshop price
• Price includes workshop only, students are responsible for their lodging and travel expenses
• We have lots of recommendations for places to stay and things to do in Santa Fe, don’t hesitate to ask myself (blair@wisecrafthandmade.com) or Staci at Muses (info@musessantafe.com)

But there’s more!

Get $150 off of all multi-day workshops at Muses during their Black Friday sale, offer good through 11/25/24. Use Code HOLIDAYS at checkout!