Improvisational Quilting: Surface Design and Stitching
Thursdays, April 16–May 21
6 Weeks | 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: High Museum of Art, Blue Workshop, Red Family Education Center
Registration Required
Members get first access! Not a member? Join today!
The registration fee includes all materials, weekly access to world-class art in the museum’s galleries, hours of expert instruction, and access to a Friday afternoon Open Studio during the run of the class.
Registration opens to the public on December 3, 2025 at 10 a.m.
The registration fee includes all materials, weekly access to world-class art in the museum’s galleries, hours of expert instruction, and access to a Friday afternoon Open Studio during the run of the class.
Discover the art of surface design. Define your artistic voice within richly layered textile works, and create an expressive mini quilt that tells personal or collective stories. Draw inspiration from fiber artists in the museum’s collection while experimenting with vibrant techniques like direct painting with fabric paint and dye pastes, stamping, mark making, and stitching.
- Week 1: Explore the museum’s collection of fiber art, and gather visual references while considering personal narratives. Determine the primary concept of your work, and experiment with imagery, colors, and materials that will guide your design journey.
- Week 2: Dive deeper into surface design, experimenting with painting and layering techniques to create dynamic patterns and textures on fabric.
- Week 3: Refine your surface designs by exploring ways to balance color, pattern, and composition. At the end of this session, you will have a collection of fabrics ready to stitch into your mini quilt.
- Week 4: Start assembling your quilt. Learn machine and hand-stitching techniques that support improvisation with pattern.
- Week 5: Continue stitching your quilt. Add details and experiment with texture to make it expressive and personal.
- Week 6: Refine your quilt, adding final stitches, embellishments, and binding. Share your completed work and reflect on the story it tells. We will conclude our time together with a conversation about what we have learned.
About Studio Classes
Expand your art-making skills through guided, step-by-step instruction with expert teaching artists. Over multiple weeks, you will learn alongside other creative adults and delve deeply into the artistic process, explore new techniques, and build your practice.
This is an intermediate-level Studio Class. The curriculum and instruction are intended for adults with some prior experience. While all motivated learners are welcome, students with a foundational understanding of this medium will be most successful in keeping pace with the class and fully engaging in exercises and activities.
The registration fee includes all materials, weekly access to world-class art in the museum’s galleries, hours of expert instruction, and access to a Friday afternoon Open Studio during the run of the class.
About your Instructor
Loi Laing is a visual artist and educator specializing in fiber art, natural dyeing, earth pigments, and botanical inks. She is committed to sustainability and is passionate about connecting people with nature through art. Her workshops emphasize the use of locally sourced, ecofriendly materials, fostering creativity and respect for the environment. By sharing ancient techniques alongside contemporary approaches, Loi empowers participants to explore their artistic potential while honoring the earth. Her writing is featured in the book This Long Thread: Women of Color on Craft, Community, and Connection (2021) by Jen Hewett.
Please note that in the event of a session being canceled, May 28 is reserved as a makeup date.