Bobbie Aug
Colorado
Bobbie Aug was inspired by the quiet, dignified beauty of nineteenth-century quilts and began making quilts 30 years ago. She became a quilt dealer, quilt collector, quilt shop owner, and quilt show consultant and producer, focusing on anything related to quilts and quilt making. Bobbie lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Esterita Austin
New York
Internationally award-winning quilt maker, designer and teacher, Esterita Austin, studied for her MFA in graphics and photography at Pratt Institute. After teaching high school art for nine years Esterita left to raise a family and pursue a career in quiltmaking. As a female entrepreneur, Esterita was featured on the Sally Jesse Raphael show and written up in the Threads section of New York Newsday. She has also shown and sold work in the Aaron Faber gallery on 5th Avenue in Manhattan. The use of textural and dimensional imagery has given Esteritas stone series a unique style. She brings creative energy to her workshops, stimulating the imagination and invigorating the soul.
Debbie Bacon
Oklahoma
The wife of Ron G. Bacon and the mother of three, Debbie is a fourth generation Oklahoman. She graduated the University of Oklahoma in 1973 with an Arts & Science degree majoring in Fashion Arts. After many years in broadcasting, business, and public relations, Debbie retired to raise a family. In 1985, she took her first quilting class and has been hooked ever since. She has won many awards for her work and enjoys the creative challenge that quilting develops. Debbie has been an active member of the American Quilt Society, Oklahoma Quilters State Organization, Green County Quilt Guild in Tulsa, Central Oklahoma Quilt Guild, and her local Edmond Quilters. She is a frequent instructor and lecturer of a variety of quilting techniques. She has served as president of the Oklahoma Quilters State Organization of which she is a charter member. Currently, Debbie is designing and producing a new pattern line called, Strawberries & Cream.
J. Phil Beaver
Indiana
J. Phil Beaver is a retired public school teacher in drawing, silversmithing and other metalsmithing, weaving and 3-D fiber design. He has been quilting since 2000, and is the winner of 49 national quilt show awards including Paducah, Pacific International, PA Quilt Extravaganza. He has appeared on HGTVs Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson, and has his own fabric line available from Free Spirit Fabrics.
Kathy Bond
Alabama
Quilting is a 15 year passion that Kathy came to after years as a dressmaker and home dec sewer. She has been a quiliting teacher in her home state of Alabama for her quilt guild, childrens groups, community college classes, dealership classes and private lessons for the past seven years. Variety is the spice of life for Kathys work as she tries to incorporate all the gems of learning she has picked up from her many diversions into the world of needle arts. Her home life is full with a husband, four kids, two dogs, and a few other critters that add spice to every day!
Broken Dishes Repertory Theater
Ann Anastasio and Lani Longshore
California
Since 1994, Ann and Lani have been entertaining quilt guilds as Broken Dishes Repertory Theater. Ann is a quilting teacher who specializes in elegant quilts from simple designs. Lani waits for the fabric to speak to her before she begins a quilt. Together, their quirky personalities led them to believe that they could sing and dance about quilts in public. Each of their plots consists of a story, music and 30 quilts.
Jean Brown
Oregon
Learning from both grandmothers, Jean has continued a family tradition of making quilts and painting scenes. After starting seven quilt guilds over the years, she keeps busy teaching many the hand quilting technique she developed. She has displayed her quilts and paintings on many occasions, and has showed and sold many quilts and paintings at the Sister, Oregon outdoor show.
Nancy Lee Chong
Washington
Nancy Lee Chong saw her first Hawaiian quilt in 1977, in Honolulu, and it changed her life. She completed her first quilt (a queen-sized Hawaiian quilt) in 1980, and began teaching hand appliqué and Hawaiian quiltmaking in 1982, when she moved from Oahu to Seattle with her husband and daughter. Nancys degree in education, her experience with all types of appliqué, and her understanding of what a beginner goes through have made her one of the premier appliqué teachers in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. In 1990 Nancy and her sister, Janice Baehr, formed Pacific Rim Quilt Company to promote their line of original Hawaiian quilt patterns. That same year, they curated a show of Hawaiian quilts at the Pacific Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle. In 2003 they released a 2-1/2 instructional video, Hawaiian Quilting with Nancy Lee Chong.
June Colburn
Florida
Want a teacher whos been around the block a few times? How about around the world a few times? After two years in South America, five years in Europe, several trips to Africa, and twelve-plus years in Japan, June knows not only the motifs, but also the culture, the history, and the people who developed them. She visited craftsmen, country markets, antique shops, museums, galleries, and gomi corners to find interesting bits of exotic lore to share with Americas sewers and quilters.The storeis are endless...ask only if you really want to listen!
Sharyn Craig
California
Sharyn has been quilting since 1978 and teaching quilting since 1980. What began quietly in the adult education system in San Diego has spread out of home territory, throughout the United States and abroad. In addition to teaching, Sharyn is also an author. Shes probably the best known for her encouragement of students to be creative in their own quilts. With that focus in mind, she contributes to the Design Challenge columns in Traditional Quiltworks magazine. She has authored a number of books including Designing New Traditions in Quilts, Twist n Turn, and LeMoyne Stars Made Easy. In 1985 the Professional Quilter magazine named her the Quilt Teacher of the Year in an international competition. Sharyn lives in El Cajon, CA with her husband, George and her cat, Cricket. She has two grown children, Amy and Tom. She feels incredibly blessed that she not only has this wonderful family, but that she gets to share her passion for quilts and quilting with so many wonderful people.
Cara Gulati
California
Cara Gulati makes very large art quilts and is currently working on a series called 3-D Explosion. Her newest quilt in the series, 3-D Party Explosion won Viewers Choice at the Houston International Quilt Festival in 2003. Doodle Press is Cara's publishing company, and Cara's book, "3-D Explosion: Simply FABULOUS Art Quilt Illusions" will be released at Quilt Market in October. Her patterns can be found in quilt stores around the country and on her web site at www.doodlepress.com. When she isnt lecturing, teaching, publishing or creating art quilts; Cara can be found walking her dogs in the forest, where she lives with her husband in Marin County, California.
Margrit Hall
California
Margrit Hall is a professional quilter, designer and teacher. Margrit has worked with leading fabric manufacturers in the development of original quilts and patterns to showcase new fabric designs. Margrit, formerly the curator of the Hoffman Challenge, is now the Quilting Events and Special Projects Director for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. Margrits first-hand knowledge of the fabric industry, from manufacture to use, brings a unique knowledge to her lectures and workshops. Margrit and well-known mystery author Earlene Fowler have written a book, Benni Harpers Quilt Album. The book of short stories and quilt patterns is published by C&T.
Judy Hooworth
Australia
Judy is well known in Australia as a teacher, writer, lecturer, judge and curator. She has exhibited in major national and international shows and has received many awards and prizes for her work. She is represented in public and private collections in Australia, Switzerland, France, UK and USA. Judy also works to commission.
Robin Kingsley
California
Robin Kingsley from Bird Brain Designs has been designing and stitching needlework for nearly 40 years as a shop owner, teacher and in the kit industry in Pennsylvania. Her career began with colorful embroidery creating small dolls and embroidered clothing featured in Sunset Magazines needlework books. When counted cross-stitch became so popular, she was asked to design for other books and magazines. After designing a pair of Penny Rug appliqué stockings at the request of Better Homes and Gardens, I discovered how wonderful this folk art technique is and began designing lots of other projects, Robin says. Those two stockings were the first of many more penny rug designs as well as an entire new company Bird Brain Designs! Robin, her sister Tina, plus a couple of adorable Wire Fox Terriers work in a studio overlooking a beautiful lake in Northern California and love every minute of it.
Lyn Mann
California
Lyn has been a quilting teacher for 19 years and during that time, has designed over 50 original mysteries. Her SlickTrick articles for Quilters Newsletter Magazine is one of their most popular biannual columns. Her quilts have appeared in numerous magazines and books and she has appeared on HGTVs Simply Quilts. In July, her first book Hit the Pavement will be featured at the shops during the Southern California Quilters Run.
Judy Mathieson
California
Judy Mathieson became interested in quiltmaking in 1973 while completing a BS degree in Home Economics (Textiles and Clothing) at California State University, Northridge. She lectures and conducts workshops throughout the United States, and has worked in Canada, Japan, Australia, Scotland, and England. Her work has won numerous prizes at Houston Quilt Festival, Pacific International Quilt Festival, Quilt National, Visions, NQA, and many other shows.
Judy and her husband Jack lived for 30 years in the Los Angeles Area, but moved in 1996 to Sebastopol, 50 miles north of San Francisco. They have two grown sons, a grandson and two very important border collie dogs. Mariners compass quilt designs and their many variations are Judys specialties. She uses various methods of piecing including freezer paper foundations that eliminate stitching through the paper. She also makes quilts for her own pleasure featuring dogs, since her husband enjoys training his dogs for sheep herding and agility competitions.
Jo Morton
Nebraska
Jo Morton is a quilt artist, fabric designer, author, teacher, lecturer and a student of our ancestral quilt making. Her use of color and fine stitchery give them the feeling of being made in the 19th century. Her quilts are made with history in mind and reflect the quality workmanship that commands respect and compares favorable with old methods and antique examples. Jo presents re-creations of antique quilts, imitating colors and styles of period pieces. Using an antique quilts color and/or design as a source of inspiration, she creates an interpretation a quilt that might have existed in the 19th century. Her quilts are made in a lasting tradition, using new cotton fabrics, cotton batting and cotton quilting thread. Jos work has been published in magazines such as Early American Life, American Patchwork & Quilting, and Miniature Quilts. Her work is included in private and public collections across the country. Jo began quilting in 1980 and has been creating small quilts with the charm of the antique since 1985, in her studio, at her home in Nebraska.
Cheryl Phillips
Cheryl Phillips was featured on the Simply Quilts TV Show on the HGTV Network. She demonstrated her new fold technique for sharp points from her book Wedgeworks. She teaches nationally, is an innovative designer and challenges herself and her students to nurture and develop their own creativity.
Vikki Pignatelli
Ohio
Vikki Pignatelli is a self-taught artist with a natural talent in color and design. At the urging of her sister, Augustine, she became involved in quilting in 1991. Now a full-time professional quilt artist, teacher and lecturer, she has quickly turned her passion for intense colors and flowing designs into national award-winning quilts. She is the author of Quilting Curves (Quilt Digest Press) and is founder and chairwoman of the national biennial Sacred Threads Quilt Exhibitions. Deeply influenced by her husbands bout with cancer and his recovery in 1993, most of Vikkis quilts now focus on the themes of healing, spirituality, hope, and inspiration. Vikki lives with her husband of 35 years, Denny, in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
Donna Poster
Pennsylvania
Donna is nationally known as an author, teacher, lecturer and TV personality. She has written five books on rotary cutting quilts and designs patterns for her husbands company, Holiday Designs. These include over fifty appliqué patterns and the very popular Foldy Stuff. Donna is seen often on HGTVs Simply Quilts. She taught Home Economics for seven years and owned a quilt shop in Dallas, Texas for seventeen years. Raised under a quilt frame in Pennsylvania Dutch country, she is popular for her knowledge of quilting, her love of teaching and her outrageous sense of humor!
Nancy Prince
Florida
Nancy Prince, an award-winning quilt artist, specializes in thread painting. She has created a thread painting technique that is fun, easy, and a new way for quilters to broaden their quilting experience. Nancys technique lets quilters everywhere even the most un-artistic create beautiful designs in thread. She is the author of Simple Thread Painting, published by the American Quilters Society, has taped several episodes for Simply Quilts, has appeared in national magazines and won numerous quilting awards. She travels the country teaching and lecturing to anyone who will listen in order to share the excitement and creativity thread painting brings to her quilting world. She excels in taking the mystique out of thread painting, making it easy for anyone to master.
Jennie Rayment
England
This skinnyish, red-haired, slightly wacky Brit is totally obsessed with Nipping and Tucking - fabric manipulation and surface texture. Unique in her field, shes now internationally known for her quick, simple, innovative and original techniques with manipulated material. Jennie lectures and teaches a wide variety of classes to patchworkers, quilters and embroiderers. In addition, fashion, soft furnishing and Interior Design students will enjoy her crafty creations. Indeed, anyone interested in any form of needlework will be totally captivated by her deviously ingenious textural designs and can benefit from the wealth of creative ideas arising from her magic manipulations.
Susie Robbins
California
Susie Robbins was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. She graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, an dher design credits are from Ohio State University, the Cleveland Art Institute and Rhode Island School of Design. She minored in fabric design. Susies company, Peddlers of Danville, was formed when she started designing cloth dolls. Her quilt life began with Diana McClun at Empty Spools in Alamo, California, but it was not until 1989 that she actually designed her first commercial piece of fabric. She now has been designing fabric for P&B Textiles for almost eight years. Susie is driven by color and design and loves it. She now lives in Vallejo, California with her husband, Nelson. Susie says, It is not often you get to play all day long and call it work. We all should be so lucky!
Mary Sorensen
Michigan
Specializing in traditional fine hand appliqué done from original patterns, Marys distinctive design style is characterized by elegant, formal lines, complex layering of small pieces, and an emphasis on using a myriad of fabrics to create visual texture and excitement. Her flawless appliqué technique, and humorous, hands-on approach to teaching have motivated students to return to handwork with enthusiasm. Mary has taught and lectured at guilds and conferences throughout the United States, and designs and markets a full line of appliqué patterns sold in quilt shops across the country. In addition to exhibiting at the AQS annual show in Paducah, KY, and Quilt Expo VI in Innsbruck, Austria, Marys appliqué was recognized with a blue ribbon at the IQA annual show in Houston, TX. Her work has also appeared in the AQS Quilt Art Engagement Calendar, Traditional Quiltworks, American Patchwork and Quilting, Better Homes and Gardens Quilt-Lovers Favorites and in the Fairfield Processing Corporation ads.
Karen Stone
Karen began quiltmaking in 1986, teaching in 1990, and publishing patterns in 1993. Her quilts have won numerous awards, including First Prize in Professional Divisions of the Dallas Quilt Celebration, PIQF, Quilters Heritage Celebration in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the American Quilters Society Show and Contest in Paducah, Kentucky. Karens quilts appear on the covers of Quilters Newsletter Nos. 275 & 279 and her Indian Orange Peel received the Peoples Choice Award at Quilt National 95.
Trish Stuart
Texas
Trish, a native Alaskan, now residing in Texas, inherited her artistic talent from her mother, being taught from an early age about line and color, as well as how to sew. She is aware of the limited time available for quilting and has developed a number of techniques that allow for fast, accurate piecing. A watercolor artist, Trish has translated the sophisticated look of painting into quilts by developing a simple method using a combination of crayons and inks to replace time-consuming appliqué. Dont be surprised, though, when occasionally her sense of humor pops up in a whacky cat or other form of whimsy.
Linda Taylor
Texas
Linda is a highly awarded longarm machine quilter whose work has been displayed in many venues and published widely in several quilting magazines and books. Linda has been quilting for over twenty years and is known and respected as one of the innovators of the art of longarm machine quilting. She has won numerous quilting awards in shows sponsored by the International Quilting Association, American Quilter's Society and National Quilters Association. Her quilts have been in special exhibits and museums in the United States and Europe, including Free Motion Masterpieces 2004 in the New England Quilt Museum. She has appeared on more than sixty segments of television programs and now has her own PBS television show named Lindas Longarm Quilting. She has produced six how-to videos and four books on longarm techniques and over 120 continuous line patterns. Linda wrote the handbook on longarm quilting entitled, The Ultimate Guide to Longarm Machine Quilting, produced by C&T Publishing Company. She owns and operates a retreat center for longarm quilters, Lindas Electric Quilters, LLC, near Dallas, Texas, where she teaches her innovative methods to thousands of students from all over the world.
Linda Visnaw
Arizona
Linda Visnaw is a free-lance educator for Viking Sewing Machine Company. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Masters in Educational Leadership. She spent 27 years in the public education system. Since sewing has always been her favorite creative outlet and teaching her passion, when the opportunity presented itself, Linda moved on to pursue her career in sewing education. Linda feels the very best opportunity of her life is teaching others how to sew and explore their sewing machine.
Dan Walsh
California
Dan is a retired engineer who loves all kinds of machines and equipment. He has maintained the family sewing machines for the past 30 years, so when the Singer Featherweight was added to the collection, he took over the upkeep of this machine also. This expanded to his teaching classes in Featherweight care.
Virginia Walton
New Mexico
Virginia is the inventor of the Creative Curves Quilting System, which substitutes curves for half-square or half-rectangle triangles. She is a specialist in sewing machine techniques, piecing curves without pins in particular, and the use of fabric in all its variety and color to create the effect desired in a quilt. Virginias original blocks and quilts have been featured in many quilt magazines. Her quilts can currently be seen on Lap Quilting with Georgia Bonsteel and Kaye Woods Quilting with Friend.
Janet Jones Worley
Alabama
Janet Jones Worley is a professional quilter, quilt designer, author, and teacher. Many of her designs have been published by McCalls Quilting, McCalls Quick Quilts, Traditional Quilter, Quick and Easy Crafts, C&T and House of White Birches publications. She has a quilt on permanent display in the library of Peking, China. While she loves designing, Janets first love is teaching. She has taken a light-hearted approach to quilting that makes all classes fun and exciting. Janet firmly believes All Quilters Go To Heaven and that chocolate is necessary to sustain life! Many of her designs can be seen in national and international quilt trade shows featuring Kaufman Fine Fabrics, P&B Textiles, RJR Fashion Fabrics, Benartex, David Textiles, Roc- Lon, Warm & Natural Batting, and Kreinik Metallic Threads.
Pat Yamin
New York
Pat has been in the quilting business for more than 20 years. She began her business in the fall of 1981, selling all kinds of notions, books, batting and thread through her catalog. Her business detoured in 1991 into the mfg. end of the quiltmaking world. She designs and makes acrylic templates to make every quilters life easier and more accurate. She also developed the Brooklyn Revolver (a rotating cutting turntable). In 2001, her first book was introduced by ASN Publishing named, Look What I See. She is a teacher/vendor at all of the major quilt shows. She is always demonstrating quick cutting techniques in her booth Come Quilt With Me. She welcomes everyone to stop by and say hello.
