Jane Sassaman August 18-22, 2025
Totem of Life Five-Day Quilting Retreat
August 18 - 22, 2025 |$1,250
In this workshop, we will stylize some of your favorite characters in nature and arrange them into an interlacing appliquéd fabric collage, a colorful and graphic “Totem of Life.” Come to the retreat with your theme pre-chosen to help organize your creative ideas. For, example, if you choose “autumn” as your theme, your characters could be fall leaves, moths, chrysanthemums, and a harvest moon. Your theme could be butterflies and flowers, ocean life or even planets. Choose a theme that delights you and resonates with your life.
You will collect photos and prints of the characters that are candidates for your composition. From these you will stylize (simplify and exaggerate) each object so it can be transformed into a graphic fabric shape for appliqué. Your composition will evolve as your shapes play off one another.
Your fabric totem will be a uniquely personal project.
Learning Objectives
Choose your own subject to create a personalized totem quilt
Learn a machine appliqué technique using interfacing for stability, body and easy assembly
Design your own quilt top in your choice of colors and fabrics for a unique composition
Learn how to stylize your elements into shapes for appliqué
Learn how to work with shapes and color for a dramatic composition
With Jane’s expert help, learn machine stitching, constructions and quilting tips
Skill Level
The class is targeted to all levels of sewers.
What's Included In Retreat
● Meet and greet with hors d'oeuvres on Sunday, the 17th at 5:30 pm● Five days of instruction--Monday through Friday● Three lunches● Two dinners
Rent a Sewing Machine
If you need to rent a machine, we rent the The Bernina 350 Ricky Tims' Special Edition which is a great machine for quilters. Click here for more information.
Retreat Sequence
Stylize Elements
You'll begin making your totem by stylizing your elements into simple shapes.
Design Patterns
The next step is designing your appliqué patterns.
Compose
At this point, you are ready to compose your quilt top.
Pre-Assembly
Now that your quilt top is done, you will pre-assemble your shapes and units.
Construction
Time to construct your quilt top.
Quilting
Lastly, you will learn quilting Sassaman style.
Supply List for Jane Sassaman Retreat
Photos & Prints
Large photos and prints of the subjects in your theme. Since these designs are organized symmetrically, Jane recommends looking for vintage scientific prints that often display the objects as flat and symmetrical.
Pinterest and Google Images are a great resource. You can often drag a picture to your desktop or email the images to yourself for printing at home. There are also sites which offer libraries of free images. If possible, please print the subject so it fills an entire 8.5” X 11” page or bigger. Bigger is better.
Suggested Website Sources for Free Photos and Prints
Archive.orgLibrary of CongressPublic Domain PicturesScrapper Circus
Drawing Materials
Miscellaneous
Sewing Items
Books by Jane Sassaman
About Jane Sassaman
Jane A. Sassaman worked in many design mediums before discovering quilting. After graduating as an art major at Iowa State University, she worked as a window dresser, a sign maker, an illustrator and as a designer of decorative accessories.
All of these talents came into play when Jane began to quilt in 1980. Since then her exuberant quilts and fabric designs have attracted worldwide recognition. Under the influence of 19th century Arts and Crafts designers, her work is abstracted from nature, but her signature graphic style is totally contemporary.
As an art quilter, Jane’s designs are always recognizable for their bold color and graphic style. In fact, her quilt ,“Willow”, was named as one of the hundred best American quilts of the 20th century.
Today she is translating her unique vision into exciting fabrics for FreeSpirit. Like her quilts, Jane’s fabrics are nature inspired, large scaled and colorfully enthusiastic. They have been lovingly referred to as “William Morris on antidepressants!” "I try to express the energy and mystery of our amazing universe - from the miraculous beauty of a single blossom to the complicated powers of the soul." When she isn’t fondling and designing fabric in the studio, she is on the road teaching quilt classes, sketching in the garden or browsing through her wonderful library of design books. She is also the author of “The Quilted Garden”, which includes twenty years of her work and exercises for making nature inspired quilts. Her book “Patchwork Sassaman Style” is a primer for using personality prints for quilt making.
Important InformationRead Before Registering
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation Policy: If WE cancel the retreat, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel 60 days or more from the start date of the retreat, you will receive a full refund minus $100 cancellation fee.
If you cancel 59 days to 31 days before the start of the retreat, you will receive a 50% refund minus $100 cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 30 days of the start date of the retreat, you will not receive a refund and will be charged a $100 cancellation fee.
Payments
A deposit of $625 is required to register. The balance of $625 is due by June 18, 2025. You will receive an invoice around June 1st for the balance due.
Meals & Lodging
The Jane Sassaman Quilting Retreat includes three lunches and two dinners. Other meals and lodging are not included in the registration fee.
Estelle Center guest rooms are currently under construction. Estelle’s Upstairs, our overnight guest accommodations, will be available in March 2025.
If you’d like to be notified when the registration is available, you can email Sunshine Caulfield. In the meantime, you can find other dining and lodging options on our Plan Your Visit Page.
What To Expect Next
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Payment
I wish to pay a deposit of $625
I have read and understand the cancellation policy. I understand the balance of $625 is due by June 18, 2025.