Instructors
Mark Lipinski is a quilt designer, magazine editor, humorist, lecturer, writer and nationally known creative "bad boy of quilting", Mark describes himself as a typical quilter. He is as hooked on fabrics and gadgets and patterns as anyone. He owns several high-end sewing machines and can’t resist buying the latest juicy-looking goodie at the quilt shop. Mark feels strongly that he is a quilter first. Before he is a magazine editor, before he is a teacher, before anything - he is a quilter above all. He understands quilters in the way that only a quilting insider could. www.marklipinski.com
Rob Appell - Morro Bay, CA
Rob Appell blends his love for the ocean with his work as a textile artist and designer. A few years back, Rob landed a job in his Mother's Quilt Shop "The Cotton Ball" in Morro Bay, California. It was at The Cotton Ball where Rob found a fondness for Hawaiian shirt making. Shirt scraps make beautiful quilts, and so does Rob. He learned to quilt by trial and error, and definitely brings a masculine touch to this age old tradition. Most of his quilts evoke the feel of artists Christian Lassen and Robert Wyland. Blending his fabrics from deep in the ocean to way up in the heavens, Rob's quilts are 100%machine made and focus on appliqué work. www.robappell.com
Melody Crust - Kent, WA
Quilters love embellishments and Melody will teach you fun and fast ways to add that bit of “bling” to your next project. You will learn how beads, paint, and ribbons can change the entire look of your quilt. As a nationally celebrated fabric artist, Melody Crust is renowned for her quilting talent. Her work has been shown in juried shows and exhibitions, gathering awards, and coveted by private collectors around the world. She has traveled to every part of the country, bringing her natural teaching ability and contagious enthusiasm to quilters everywhere. www.melodycrust.com
Joanna Figueroa - San Leandro, CA
Joanna Figueroa is a textile designer, a quilt pattern designer and the owner of Fig Tree Quilts. She runs the business with the help of her right-hand man, her husband, the encouragement of her children and the busy hands of a whole team of wonderful ladies (and a gentleman). Joanna has a unique artistic eye and works with a warm inviting palette to create inviting and cherished quilts. www.figtreequilts.com
M'liss Rae Hawley - Freeland, WA
M'liss Rae Hawley is an accomplished quilter, teacher, and lecturer. The author of eight books, M'liss creates patterns for McCall's Quilting magazine and designs fabric with coordinating embroidery collections. M'liss Rae has hosted her nationally syndicated PBS show, "M'liss's World of Quilts" and is now a featured designer with Hancock Fabrics. Her current passion is inspired utilization fat quarter collections to create innovative and appealing quilts, purses, and tote bags. www.quiltclasses.com
Cindy Needham - Chico, CA
Cindy has been a quilter for over 35 years with the first 25 devoted to her first love of hand quilting and the last 10 with her second love of machine quilting. Passing on her love of quilting and design through teaching is a dream come true. Cindy recently left her full time job in the medical field to teach and speak nationally for Superior Threads. Her love of design has led to unique opportunities to design stencils for Quilting Creations, Inc. and whole-cloth designs for Golden Threads. Cindy has also had several design features in Quilters Newsletter Magazine. Her book, “Wholecloth Linen Quilts,” was released this year by AQS and features a wide variety of linen quilts as well as a large selection of her quilting designs. Cindy’s threadplay creates artistic and technically inspired works of art. www.cindyneedham.com
Sue Nickels - Ann Arbor, MI
Sue has been quilting for 28 years, starting by hand and gradually focusing on machine work. She has been teaching machine techniques for 18 years. Sue has taught and lectured nationally for shops, guilds and major conferences, including AQS, IQA and NQA and in England, Norway and Spain. Sue’s awards include 1998 AQS Best of Show for “The Beatles Quilt” made with her sister Pat Holly. Her priority in the classes she teaches is to provide a relaxed environment for students to learn timesaving machine techniques, emphasizing the best quality workmanship, never compromising quality for speed. www.sue-nickels.com
Judy Niemeyer - Kalispell, MT
Judy Niemeyer is an international instructor known for her foundation paper piecing techniques and quilt patterns. Her quilts and patterns have become well-known both nationally and internationally among quilters and quilt shop owners. The patterns include many sewing techniques commonly referred to as foundation paper piecing, traditional piecing, curved piecing, strip piecing, and appliqué. Judy incorporates instruction on selecting colors, designing unique layouts, and provides useful instruction regarding sewing and overall organization. Judy will share many of her short cuts and tips and demonstrate the use of the tools and products that she recommends for use in completing her patterns. www.quiltworx.com
Donna O'Brien - Parker, CO
Donna O'Brien has been teaching for 28 years, with 14 years teaching quilting and creative sewing in Southern California She has shared the joyful world of quilting and sewing with hundreds of students. Besides needlework, Donna teaches her students how to be problem-solvers and explore new experiences. Donna's love of traditional pattern and design form the foundation of her creative and interactive classes.
Sylvia Pippen - Kea'au, HI
Sylvia Pippen lives in Hawaii and captures her love affair with the Islands through the art of quilt making. She loves to share her passion for quilting and offer design, sashiko and appliqué workshops, retreats, lectures and trunk shows. Many quilts use Japanese Sashiko, as a dramatic element behind appliquéd flowers when echoing foliage or used as an overall geometric design. www.sylviapippendesigns.com
Charlotte Rogers - Hanford, CA
A teacher since 2002, Charlotte finds the challenge of quilting similar to attending school from kindergarten through college in just 3 years. There is so much to learn and so little time. We all have many unfinished projects. Charlotte finds technique classes allow students to build their skill level without adding to the unfinished project list. Come and play with fun techniques that can be used to enhance your fiber art.
Lura Schwartz Smith - Coarsegold, CA
Lura Schwarz Smith, with a BA degree in Art from San Francisco State University, has been producing art quilts for 30 years. Lura has been showing quilts and receiving awards at regional, national, and international quilt shows. Several highlights of her career in the quilt world over the past decade are that one of her quilts was named one of the "100 Best American Quilts of the 20th Century," and she was included in the "30 Distinguished Quilt Artists of the World" exhibit at the first Tokyo Dome quilt show in 2002. She is a member of various art quilt groups such as Studio Art Quilt Associates and the California Fiber Artists. www.lura-art.com
Kerby Smith - Coarsegold, CA
During Kerby Smith's 35 years in journalism he worked as a free-lance journalist and photojournalist for leading newspapers and magazines in America. While assignments for National Geographic Magazine took him around the world, he is most at home in America's West. He has written, edited and produced magazines, books and television documentaries. His last 9 years in marketing have honed the communication skills he uses to create advertising campaigns that sell products. He has been married to art quilter, Lura Schwarz Smith for over 31 wonderful years. Kerby brings his photography and artistic experience to teach digital photography techniques which will give you the tools to create quilts and fabrics with your personal photographs. www.thedigitalquilt.com
Juanita Swarts - Fullerton, CA
Juanita Swarts from Fullerton, California, has been active in the Southern California Quilting Community since 1980. Two of her quilts have won the Golden Bear Award for winning Best of Show at the California State Fair, one quilt was awarded Viewers Choice at Houston and others have been featured in calendars. Juanita has taught appliqué, broderie perse and hand quilting among other techniques throughout California. Juanita instills her beginning and advanced students with techniques and creativity to produce truly beautiful handwork.
Peggy Timmons - Newport Beach, CA
With patience and an empowering sense of humor, Peggy teaches all levels of piecing and appliqué. Peggy's motto: “Enjoy the discovery process and have fun!" ensures success for every one of her students. Peggy's original creative design, exquisite appliqué, and teaching expertise have won her many admirers over the years.
Darlene Zimmerman - Fairfax, MN
Photo from website Darlene Zimmerman is a well-known designer, quilter, textile historian, national teacher/lecturer and author. She is widely known for her 1930's reproduction fabrics, known as the "Granny" lines, and has appeared in countless quilting magazines; the TV show "Sew Creative “and loves to lecture and teach. Darlene has a wealth of knowledge of historical quilts and patterns and the stories that go with them. www.feedsacklady.com
Check the website on December 8th for the full list of classes to be offered by these wonderful instructors!