Irene RoderickImprovisational Quilting Quick StepOnline Workshop
November 7 - 8, 2026 |$350
Release your inhibitions and tap into your creativity in this two-day online workshop.
Irene Roderick will guide you through improvisational quilting, where you will learn how to let go of your expectations and allow your sub-conscience to move your work forward. This freeing process reveals your unique aesthetic. You relax, play, let it happen, and see what comes.
You may love it. You may hate it. (At first, but put your work away for a week or two and then revisit it. You will like it much more.) But have fun and enjoy the process. The methods you learn in this online workshop will work for any medium--painting, collage, printmaking, etc.
Improv is difficult. The process requires letting go of control but at the same time, remaining constantly thoughtful. You have to keep reminding yourself to get out of your own way and let it happen. Even if you are very accustomed to improv creating, the process is very rewarding. It is a process of discovery and invention. Improv is not sloppy. It’s a deliberate kind of spontaneity. It’s a state where you stay relaxed, connected, and alert.
Participants Will Learn To
Look & RespondLook at your work and respond thoughtfully to each next step.
Create BalanceDesign a balanced and interesting quilt.
Use a Design WallUse a design wall for placement of fabric pieces.
Limit ColorsHow to make a design with two colors of fabric.
Make & Combine ShapesHow to make shapes and combine them to make new, exciting designs.
Skill Level
This virtual workshop is appropriate for beginners to advanced quilters.
Pre-Work
Students will be asked to watch two YouTube videos prior to class. You will get the links to the videos after you register.
Daily Schedule
Saturday, November 7
9 am to 2 pm
● Irene will give a short presentation. ● You will begin your 24" - 30” quilt on your design wall.● Irene will watch every student on screen.● She will add comments and make suggestions as needed.
Sunday, November 8
9 am to 2 pm
● Irene will instruct you on how to sew the quilt pieces together.● Irene will watch every student on screen.● She will add comments and suggestions as needed.
Supply List for Irene Roderick Online Workshop
Basic Sewing Tools Required
Fabric
Two yards each of two colors that play nicely together and that you love. They need to be high contrast and solids.(Ombres work quite well for this workshop.)
Irene Roderick
About Irene Roderick
Irene Roderick has been a painter and crafted for over 50 years, while working and raising four sons. Irene returned to school at 46, earning a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in 2001.
In 2016, when searching online for a bed quilt, she discovered the works of Nancy Crow and Gwen Marston. No one in Irene’s family sewed or quilted, so she was unfamiliar with quilting, but she suddenly wanted to make what they were making. She took a beginner piecework class at a local quilt store and was hooked. She found quilting to be the same as painting, but with fabric as the medium.
Irene has two quilting books: Dancing With The Wall, which is about improvisational quilting, and her newest book, Design Then Quilt, is about the elements and principles of design.
Irene Roderick’s work has been exhibited throughout the United States and is included in private and museum collections. Her quilts have received numerous awards in juried and invitational exhibitions. She has served as a juror for several juried shows.
Currently, Irene is working in her studio, lecturing, and teaching workshops online.
Irene's website is: IreneRoderick.comHer Instagram is: @hixsonirHer Facebook is: hixsonir
Important InformationRead Before Registering for Your Online Workshop
Cancellation Policy
If the Estelle Center must cancel a retreat, you will receive a full refund.
Your $350 fee is non-refundable. However, if you cancel your reservation and the Estelle Center is able to fill your space, your payment of $350 will be refunded less a $100 cancellation fee.
Payments
The entire workshop fee of $350 is required to register. This is an online workshop. You will receive the meeting URL one week before the workshop.
What To Expect Next
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Payment
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