Sew with a published quilt designer
CHOOSE YOUR CHAIN - CHOOSE YOUR STAR - MAKE IT YOUR OWN
jULY 21 - 25, 2027 | 50 Acre Woods – Palmyra, TN
Join us at 50 Acre Woods for a creative and technique-filled quilting retreat led by Lisa Sutherland, Author, Quilt Designer & Patriotic Quilting Specialist, featuring her Chains & Stars Mix & Match approach to quilt design.
This isn't a class where everyone makes the same quilt. Instead, you'll choose a chain, choose a star, and create a combination that's uniquely yours. Lisa will offer a variety of star and chain designs that can be mixed and matched, giving each participant the opportunity to select a quilt that fits her own style.
And your experience begins well before you arrive at 50 Acre Woods.
A private Facebook group exclusively for retreat participants will give you an opportunity to explore the available designs, choose your star and chain combination, ask Lisa questions, and receive the specific fabric requirements for your quilt. Design selections will begin after January 4, 2027, giving you plenty of time to choose your fabrics and prepare for the retreat.
While Lisa is well known for her patriotic quilting, Chains & Stars isn't limited to red, white, and blue. Choose traditional patriotic colors, create a beautiful red, green, and cream Christmas quilt, or select another three-color palette that makes the design completely your own.
Throughout the retreat, Lisa will teach the techniques behind successful precision piecing, including fabric starching and preparation, accurate cutting, multiple methods for constructing Flying Geese, half-square triangles, triangle-in-a-square units, diagonal block settings, and more. Step-by-step instructions and demonstrations will guide you through each stage of constructing your quilt.
Each participant will also receive one of Lisa's specialty rulers, selected specifically for the star-and-chain combination chosen. Lisa's other specialty rulers will be available for participants to use throughout the retreat.
Your learning begins on the very first evening with a hands-on fabric starching session. Lisa will provide the starching supplies and setup and teach you how—and why—she prepares fabric before cutting. Whether this technique is completely new to you or simply something you'd like to understand better, you'll leave with a skill you can use in quilts long after this retreat is over.
If you love traditional quilt blocks, want to strengthen your precision-piecing skills, and enjoy having the freedom to make a project your own, Chains & Stars was made for you.
Choose your chain. Choose your star. Make it your own.
chains and stars
with lisa sutherland
quilt designer, author & educator
Meet the Instructor
lisa sutherland
Quilt Designer, Author, and Educator
Lisa Sutherland brings decades of quilting experience, a love of teaching, and a genuine passion for helping quilters succeed.
Lisa has been teaching quilting since 1989, but what makes her especially well-suited for a retreat setting is her desire to do more than simply demonstrate a pattern. She loves sharing the why behind her methods—helping quilters understand techniques, improve their accuracy, and discover new ways of approaching familiar blocks.
Her love of patriotic quilting has deep personal roots, inspired by generations of military service within her own family. That connection eventually led Lisa to design patriotic quilts, write her own patterns and book, and become a longtime supporter of the Quilts of Valor community.
During Chains & Stars, you'll have plenty of opportunity to learn directly from Lisa. From starching and precision cutting to Flying Geese, half-square triangles, triangle-in-a-square units and diagonal settings, she'll guide you step-by-step while helping you create a quilt that's distinctly your own.
Perhaps the best indication of Lisa's heart for teaching is this: she isn't coming to 50 Acre Woods for a teaching fee. Instead, Lisa has asked that a donation be made for each participant to a charitable organization she supports.
We're delighted to welcome Lisa to 50 Acre Woods and can't wait for our guests to spend four wonderful nights learning, creating, and quilting alongside her.
LISA SUTHERLAND
quilt designer, author & educator
Insert bio here
Biography
About the workshop
Chains & Stars is all about choices—and building your quilt your way.
Rather than having every participant create the same project, Lisa will guide you through choosing a chain design and a star design and combining them to create a quilt that is uniquely yours. Go patriotic with classic red, white and blue, create a beautiful Christmas quilt, or choose a completely different three-color palette.
Throughout the retreat, Lisa will provide step-by-step instruction and demonstrations while teaching techniques you can carry into future projects. You'll work with fabric preparation and starching, precision cutting, Flying Geese, half-square triangles, triangle-in-a-square units, diagonal settings, and more.
Your workshop actually begins months before you arrive! Starting January 4, 2027, retreat participants will have access to a private Facebook group where you'll explore Lisa's available star and chain combinations, choose your design, ask questions, and receive the yardage requirements needed to prepare your fabric.
Each participant will also receive a specialty ruler selected for her chosen design, while Lisa's other rulers will be available to use throughout the retreat.
And we'll start things off a little differently on our first evening—we're getting starchy! Lisa will provide all the supplies for a hands-on fabric starching session, showing you how proper fabric preparation can make a noticeable difference in cutting, piecing, and accuracy.
Choose your chain. Choose your star. Then make it completely your own.
What You’ll Accomplish:
By the end of Chains & Stars, you’ll have much more than a beautiful quilt in progress—you’ll leave with new techniques, greater confidence, and skills you can use again and again.
During the retreat, you’ll:
Create a quilt that is uniquely yours by combining your chosen star and chain designs.
Learn Lisa’s methods for starching and preparing fabric before cutting and piecing.
Improve your cutting, accuracy, and precision piecing.
Explore different ways to construct Flying Geese, half-square triangles, and triangle-in-a-square units.
Gain experience working with diagonal settings and more complex block arrangements.
Learn how to use the specialty ruler included with your chosen design.
Discover techniques and shortcuts that can make future quilting projects easier, more accurate, and more enjoyable.
Make significant progress toward completing your Chains & Stars quilt top while enjoying plenty of hands-on guidance from Lisa.
Most importantly, you’ll leave understanding not just how to make this quilt—but with techniques you can carry into many quilts to come.
Skill Level – Is This Workshop For You?
Confident Beginner to Advanced
You don't need to be an expert quilter to enjoy Chains & Stars, but you should be comfortable using your sewing machine and have some basic piecing experience.
Lisa will guide you step-by-step, beginning with fabric preparation and precision cutting and continuing through the techniques needed for your chosen design. Depending on your star and chain combination, you'll work with techniques such as Flying Geese, half-square triangles, triangle-in-a-square units, precision piecing, and diagonal settings.
Already an experienced quilter? There's plenty here for you, too. Lisa will introduce different methods and techniques that may give you new ways to approach familiar blocks—and improve your accuracy along the way.
The best part? You get to choose your star and chain combination, allowing you to select a project that suits both your style and your comfort level.
If you can confidently operate your sewing machine, sew an accurate ¼" seam, and are ready to learn, you're ready for Chains & Stars!
Skills You’ll Learn:
Lisa will introduce techniques designed to improve both your accuracy and confidence, with plenty of hands-on practice along the way.
Fabric starching & preparation for more accurate cutting and piecing
Precision cutting techniques
Accurate ¼" seams and improved block construction
Multiple methods for making Flying Geese
Half-square triangle construction
Triangle-in-a-square techniques
Working with specialty rulers for greater accuracy
Creating and combining star and chain blocks
Working with diagonal settings
Tips for achieving crisp points and better intersections
Lisa’s alternative methods for making familiar units easier and more precise
These aren’t skills you’ll use for just one quilt—they’re techniques you can take home and use again and again.
Photo Library
Materials & Supplies
Provided by Instructor:
Lisa will provide the specialty tools, instruction, and preparation needed to help you get the most from your Chains & Stars experience.
One specialty ruler for each participant, selected according to your chosen star and chain combination
Access to Lisa’s other specialty rulers for use during the retreat
All starching supplies and setup for the hands-on fabric preparation session
Step-by-step instructions and demonstrations throughout the workshop
Private Facebook group access beginning January 4, 2027, where you’ll choose your star and chain combination, ask questions, and prepare for the retreat
Fabric yardage requirements specific to your chosen quilt
Lisa’s hands-on guidance throughout the retreat as you cut, piece, and construct your quilt
You’ll bring your fabric, sewing machine, and basic sewing supplies—Lisa will provide the specialty tools, techniques, and guidance to help bring your Chains & Stars quilt to life.
Provided by 50 Acre Woods:
Your retreat experience includes much more than the workshop! 50 Acre Woods provides:
4 nights of lodging at 50 Acre Woods
Meals and snacks throughout your stay
A dedicated sewing station with a spacious work surface
Individual task lighting at your sewing station
Access to our large cutting tables and cutting mats
Ironing and pressing stations
Generous design-wall space for laying out and evaluating your quilt
High-speed Wi-Fi and convenient power/USB access
Comfortable shared spaces for relaxing between sewing sessions
Coffee, beverages, and the little extras that make a 50 Acre Woods retreat feel like a retreat
Just bring your project supplies and settle in—we’ll take care of the lodging, meals, workspace, and hospitality so you can concentrate on learning, sewing, and enjoying your time with Lisa.
What to bring
To get the most out of your workshop experience, please come prepared with the following:
Required Materials
Fabric for your selected Chains & Stars quilt — exact yardage requirements will be provided after design selections are made
Sewing machine in good working order
Your sewing machine instruction manual
Machine cleaning brush
Neutral sewing thread
Extra bobbins, wound and ready to sew
Extra sewing machine needles — 75/11 and/or 80/12
Sewing Essentials
Bring the basic tools you normally keep beside you while piecing:
Fabric scissors and small snips
Seam ripper — because we all need one!
Pins and/or clips
Marking tools you prefer to use
Any other favorite everyday sewing notions
Cutting & Tools
Rotary cutter
Extra rotary blades — a fresh blade is highly recommended
Your favorite cutting rulers, if desired
50 Acre Woods has large cutting surfaces and mats available, and cutting rulers will be available for use during the workshop. You’re welcome to bring your own familiar rulers if you prefer working with them.
specialty tools
You do not need to purchase Lisa’s specialty ruler in advance.
Each participant will receive a specialty ruler selected specifically for her chosen star-and-chain combination. Lisa will also have her other specialty rulers available for use during the retreat.
Helpful Extras
These items aren’t required, but you may enjoy having them:
Small tableside iron and pressing mat
Extra thread
Additional machine needles
Small project organizer or tray for keeping pieces together
Labels or sticky notes for identifying cut pieces
Your favorite sewing-machine accessories or presser feet
Personal magnification or additional lighting, if you normally use it
before you arrive
Your preparation begins well before retreat week. Starting January 4, 2027, participants will have access to the private retreat Facebook group, where Lisa will share the available star and chain choices.
Before arriving, you’ll want to:
Choose your star and chain combination.
Receive Lisa’s yardage requirements for your selected design.
Select and purchase your fabrics.
Make sure your sewing machine is clean, serviced if needed, and sewing properly.
Wind several bobbins and install a fresh needle before packing.
an Important Note about your fabric
Don’t starch your fabric before you arrive!
Fabric preparation is part of the workshop experience. Lisa will provide the starching supplies and setup and walk you through her process on the first evening. This gives everyone the opportunity to learn the technique together before cutting begins.
Helpful tip:
Bring extra fabric when possible, especially of your primary colors and background fabric. Precision piecing involves plenty of cutting, and having a little insurance can be very helpful if something is miscut or you decide you'd like to remake a unit.
Most importantly, come ready to learn and try Lisa’s methods. You may already know how to make Flying Geese, half-square triangles, or other familiar units—but part of the fun of this workshop is discovering a different way to do something you’ve been doing for years.
Preparation Instructions
Choose Your Star & Chain
Beginning January 4, 2027, you’ll receive access to the private retreat Facebook group where Lisa will share the available star and chain combinations.
Choose the combination that speaks to you, then decide on your color direction—patriotic, Christmas, or another three-color palette of your choice. Once your selection is made, Lisa will provide the specific yardage requirements for your quilt.
Gather Your Fabric & Supplies
Once you receive your yardage requirements, purchase and organize the fabrics for your chosen design. Gather your sewing machine, neutral thread, extra bobbins and needles, rotary cutter, and your usual sewing essentials.
Do not starch or begin cutting your fabric before the retreat. Lisa will teach her fabric-preparation and starching method when you arrive, and all starching supplies will be provided.
Prepare Your Machine & Come Ready to Learn.
Give your sewing machine a little attention before retreat week. Make sure it is clean, in good working order, and ready for several wonderful days of sewing. Install a fresh needle, wind several bobbins, and pack your machine manual and cleaning brush.
There’s no need to master Lisa’s techniques ahead of time—that’s what you’re coming to learn! Bring your fabric uncut, your machine ready to sew, and yourself ready to try some new ways of doing things.
Dates: July 21 - 25, 2027
Time: Arrive anytime after 3:00 PM on your retreat start date (July 21, 2027 - Wednesday). Orientation will begin after dinner at approximately 6 PM.
Instruction will begin upon arrival (July 21, 2027 - Wednesday)
Check-out is anytime in the morning on the last day of your retreat (July 25, 2027 - Sunday)
Location: 50 Acre Woods, 3419 Jarman Hollow Road, Palmyra, TN 37142
Cost: Approx. $649 per person. This includes lodging, 3 meals/day, sewing amenities, taxes, and all the fun you can bring!
Deposit ($250 non-refundable) due upon registration.
Installment ($187.00) due January 4, 2027
Final payment (remainder of balance - $187.00) due June 1, 2027
Refund Policy for This Event
This refund policy supersedes all other published policies.
The deposit is non-refundable. All other payments are:
100% refundable up to 120 days prior to the event
No refunds are available within 120 days of the event.
Skill Level: Beginner
Class Details
Testimonials
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Lisa has a wonderful way of explaining techniques so they just click. I especially appreciated learning different ways to make familiar units—I came away feeling more confident and excited to use what I learned in my next quilt.”
— Debbie M., Clarksville, TN
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I “I love a class where I can make the project my own. Choosing the star, chain, and colors gives you that creative freedom, while still having Lisa there to guide you through the techniques. That’s my kind of quilting!”
— Melissa T., Columbia, TN
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“There’s nothing better than having uninterrupted time to sew, learn something new, and spend a few days with women who love quilting as much as you do. The combination of instruction and retreat time makes the whole experience special.”
— Carol B., Murfreesboro, TN
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