THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS!
QUICK E-P TECHNIQUE
WITH JUDY BALLANCE
BEAUTIFUL ENGLISH PAPER PIECING—WITHOUT THE HOURS OF HAND STITCHING!
Discover a faster, easier way to create stunning English Paper Pieced quilts! Join Judy Ballance, creator of the innovative Quick E-P technique, as she shares her secrets for achieving intricate, beautiful designs using your sewing machine instead of traditional hand stitching. You'll explore her time-saving methods as you create the colorful Lucky Stars quilt, with plenty of opportunities to make each block uniquely yours.
Whether you're an experienced quilter or trying English Paper Piecing for the first time, you'll discover just how fun and rewarding this technique can be. No previous EPP experience required!
📍 August 18-22, 2027
Meet the Instructor
Judy Ballance
From engineering for NASA to creating award-winning quilts, Judy Ballance brings a remarkable combination of precision, creativity, and innovation to the quilting world.
A retired NASA engineer who spent 34 years working on space flight projects, Judy has been passionate about quilting for more than 20 years. Her beautiful work has earned several ribbons at national American Quilter's Society (AQS) shows, as well as recognition at the Houston International Quilt Festival.
While Judy enjoys all styles of quilting, English Paper Piecing (EPP) holds a special place in her heart. Frustrated by the time required for traditional hand stitching, she put her engineering mind to work and developed Quick E-P, an innovative technique that makes intricate EPP designs faster and more enjoyable to create using a sewing machine.
Judy holds a patent on an electro-dynamic space tether and has applied for a patent on her Quick E-P technique.
Above all, Judy loves sharing her knowledge with fellow quilters. Her enthusiasm for teaching, creative problem-solving, and helping students succeed makes her classes both inspiring and rewarding.
Join Judy at 50 Acre Woods and discover how a little ingenuity can transform your quilting experience!
About the Class
Join in the fun and . . .
Thank Your Lucky Stars!
Join instructor Judy Ballance for an exciting quilting experience that brings the beauty of English Paper Piecing (EPP) together with the speed and convenience of machine sewing! In this hands-on retreat, you'll discover Judy's innovative Quick E-P technique while creating the stunning Lucky Stars Quilt—a colorful, intricate design that looks beautifully complex but is surprisingly achievable.
Drawing on her background as a NASA engineer and more than 20 years of quilting experience, Judy developed Quick E-P to eliminate the countless hours of traditional hand stitching. In fact, she completed her own Lucky Stars sample quilt in just two weeks! Through step-by-step instruction, she'll share her time-saving techniques, helpful tips, and creative approaches to fabric selection, fussy cutting, and assembling beautiful star blocks.
You'll have the freedom to make your Lucky Stars quilt uniquely yours! Choose a coordinated color palette, create a holiday-themed masterpiece, or embrace a wonderfully scrappy look with different fabrics in every block. Judy will guide you through the process of creating a 48" × 60" quilt, helping you develop the skills and confidence to apply Quick E-P to future projects.
✨ BONUS! Judy is including her Quick E-P book, Lucky Stars pattern, acrylic templates, and preprinted fusible appliqué paper as part of the class! Everything you need to learn her innovative technique is included, so you can jump right into the fun.
More than just a quilt project, this retreat introduces you to an entirely new way of approaching English Paper Piecing—opening the door to beautiful, intricate designs without months of hand sewing!
Level: All levels welcome! No previous Quick E-P experience required. Basic sewing machine skills recommended.
What You’ll Learn & Accomplish
Discover how to create the intricate beauty of English Paper Piecing—without the countless hours of hand stitching! With Judy’s innovative Quick E-P technique and expert guidance, you’ll:
Learn the Quick E-P technique — Judy’s innovative method for creating traditional English Paper Pieced designs using your sewing machine instead of hand stitching.
Create your own Lucky Stars quilt — Work toward a beautiful 48" × 60" quilt featuring colorful, intricate star blocks that showcase your creativity.
Master essential techniques — Learn how to prepare your fabric pieces, use fusible appliqué paper and acrylic templates, and assemble precise, beautiful designs.
Explore creative fabric choices — Discover how fussy cutting, color combinations, and fabric placement can make every star uniquely yours.
Learn Judy’s tips and tricks — Gain valuable insights into making the Quick E-P process faster, easier, and more successful.
Expand your quilting possibilities — Build the skills and confidence to apply Quick E-P to other English Paper Piecing patterns long after the retreat.
Take home valuable resources — Your class includes Judy’s Quick E-P book, the Lucky Stars pattern, acrylic templates, and preprinted appliqué paper to support your learning.
Enjoy five days of creativity, new friendships, and quilting inspiration at 50 Acre Woods—where beautiful quilts come together one star at a time!
Skills You’ll Learn
Throughout this retreat, you’ll gain hands-on experience with Judy Ballance’s innovative Quick E-P technique, learning how to create the intricate beauty of English Paper Piecing with the speed and convenience of your sewing machine. Judy’s step-by-step instruction will help you develop valuable skills, including:
Quick E-P fundamentals — learn Judy’s unique approach to traditional English Paper Piecing, replacing time-consuming hand stitching with efficient machine techniques.
Pattern and template preparation — how to work with acrylic templates and preprinted fusible appliqué paper to prepare accurate, consistent pieces.
Fabric selection and fussy cutting — discover how to choose coordinating fabrics, showcase special prints, and create striking visual effects within your star blocks.
Precision piecing and assembly — techniques for positioning, aligning, and assembling intricate shapes to create beautifully balanced star designs.
Machine appliqué techniques — learn to use your sewing machine’s blind hem or appliqué stitch with invisible thread to achieve neat, nearly invisible stitching.
Creative block variations — explore different fabric combinations, color placement, and themed designs to give each Lucky Star its own personality.
Applying Quick E-P to future projects — build the knowledge and confidence to adapt Judy’s time-saving technique to other English Paper Piecing designs.
With Judy’s guidance, you’ll discover that even the most intricate quilt designs can become approachable, enjoyable, and wonderfully rewarding!
Photo Library
Materials & Supplies
Provided by Instructor:
Judy brings her innovative Quick E-P technique, years of quilting experience, and a passion for making intricate designs easier and more enjoyable. To help you jump right into creating your Lucky Stars quilt, each participant will receive:
Lucky Stars Quilt Pattern — the complete pattern for creating your beautiful 48" × 60" quilt.
Acrylic Templates — precision templates designed to simplify cutting and preparing your quilt pieces.
Preprinted Fusible Appliqué Paper — pattern pieces printed on HnK appliqué paper, ready for you to begin your project.
BONUS: Judy's Quick E-P Book — your own copy of her instructional book, filled with valuable information to support your learning during class and beyond.
Step-by-Step Instruction — hands-on demonstrations of Judy's innovative Quick E-P technique, from preparing fabric pieces to machine stitching and block assembly.
Personalized Guidance — individual assistance, expert tips, and troubleshooting to help you achieve beautiful results.
Shared Light Boxes — Judy will provide a couple of light boxes for participants to use during class.
With Judy's expert instruction and these valuable resources, you'll leave with new skills, a wonderful start on your Lucky Stars quilt, and the confidence to explore even more English Paper Piecing designs using her time-saving technique!
NOTES about your fabric selection:
You can make this quilted themed (Halloween, Christmas e.t.c…) or you can make it very scrappy with a focus fabric for each block. There are 15 points around the outside of each star so I used either 3 fabrics and cut 5 points each; or 5 fabrics and cut 3 points each. Alternatively you could make all points on the outside of the stars the same fabric.
What to Bring:
Come ready to discover a faster, easier way to create beautiful English Paper Pieced quilts! Judy will provide the pattern, templates, and instructional materials—just bring your favorite fabrics, sewing supplies, and creativity!
Sewing machine in good working order, equipped with a blind hem or appliqué stitch, along with your power cord, foot pedal, and appropriate presser foot.
Aurifil Invisible Thread for machine appliqué and 50-weight sewing thread for your bobbin.
Roxanne's Glue Baste — preferably the bottle with the long metal tip.
Glue sticks — the same type commonly used for traditional English Paper Piecing.
Rotary cutter, small ruler, and cutting mat for accurate fabric preparation.
Paper and fabric scissors for cutting your appliqué paper and fabrics.
Small iron and pressing mat for pressing your pieces as you work.
Fabrics for your 48" × 60" Lucky Stars quilt — choose coordinating colors, a favorite theme, or a wonderfully scrappy assortment. Refer to Judy's fabric requirements chart for yardage details.
Extra fabric if fussy cutting — Judy recommends additional fabric when selecting specific motifs or creating unique designs in every star.
Optional: Light box — Judy will have a couple available for shared use, but you're welcome to bring your own.
Already provided by Judy: The Lucky Stars pattern, acrylic templates, preprinted HnK appliqué paper, and a copy of her Quick E-P book!
Come ready to sew, experiment, and have fun! With Judy's guidance, you'll discover how quickly beautiful, intricate star blocks can come together—and leave with skills you'll enjoy using for years to come.
Preparation Instructions
Choose Your Fabrics
Select fabrics for your Lucky Stars quilt! Go bold, scrappy, coordinated, or themed. Bring extra fabric if you plan to fussy cut special designs.
Prepare Your Sewing Machine
Make sure your machine is clean, working properly, and has a blind hem or appliqué stitch. Pack your invisible thread, bobbin thread, and essential sewing tools.
Gather Your Supplies
Pack your glue baste, glue sticks, rotary cutter, scissors, ruler, and pressing supplies. Judy provides the pattern, templates, and preprinted appliqué paper!
Class Details
Dates: August 18–22, 2027
Time: Arrive anytime after 3:00 PM on Wednesday, August 18, 2027. Dinner will be served at 5:30 PM, followed by orientation at approximately 6:00 PM.
Instruction will begin after getting settled in on the day of arrival (Wednesday).
Check-out is anytime in the morning on Sunday, August 22, 2027.
Location: 50 Acre Woods, 3419 Jarman Hollow Road, Palmyra, TN 37142
Cost: $749 per person, all-inclusive! This includes four nights of lodging, three meals per day, expert instruction from Judy Ballance, the Lucky Stars pattern, acrylic templates, preprinted appliqué paper, Judy's Quick E-P book, sewing amenities, taxes, and all the fun you can bring!
Skill Level: All Levels — No previous English Paper Piecing or Quick E-P experience required. Basic sewing machine skills recommended.
Testimonials
“I’ve always loved English Paper Piecing, but the thought of months of hand stitching kept me from trying it. Judy’s Quick E-P technique completely changed that! I never imagined I could create something so intricate with my sewing machine.”
— Susan M., Huntsville, AL
“The Lucky Stars blocks are absolutely beautiful, and every one is a little different! Judy made learning her technique fun and approachable. I came home excited to finish my quilt and already dreaming about my next Quick E-P project.”
— Debbie R., Franklin, TN
“Judy has a wonderful way of making complicated techniques feel simple. Her engineering background really shines through in her teaching. I learned so much, and now I’m looking at all those EPP patterns I thought I’d never have time to make!”
— Patricia L., Decatur, AL
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