Quilters Calendar & Guild Network

resources for quilt guild volunteers

Rita

Sandra Johnson

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img_2153Home: Orange County, CA

Sewing with my grandmother started it all. From the beginning, the process of transforming fabric into art struck me as magical. Sewing was the foundation that led me into quilting. What started as a hobby turned my passion into an artistic reality.

I love to hand stitch using the traditional Japanese Sashiko and Boro embroidery styles and incorporating them as a decorative feature into my designs. From quilts to handbags, dresses, children’s clothing, to tableware my unconscious is the undisputed Project Manager. I am only limited by my imagination. The concrete, repetitive nature of this work frees my imagination and provides many opportunities for happy accidents and grace to influence the finished product.

My core materials for quilting are thread and cloth, however, I often employ recycled denim, yarns, dyed fabrics and stamps to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.Recently, I discovered modern quilting: simple, crayoned patchworks that resonate deeply with my fiber work. Inspired and invigorated by a renewed sense of continuity, and awed by the mystery of how creation occurs, my process allows me to explore visions to enable my creative work to evolve and grow.

My work has been featured in national magazines and most recently my quilt “Blurred Lines” was featured at QuiltCon 2016, an international modern quilt show held by the Modern Quilt Guild (MQG), a non profit organization that supports the growth and development of modern quilting.

I hold a B.S. in Clothing, Textiles and Design from Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. I live in Orange County, CA, with my husband Wayborn. Please stop by my blog to learn more about me: sandrajohnsondesigns.wordpress.com

Please let Sandra know you found her on The Quilter’s Calendar!

Kathie Beltz

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Home: Greenfield, New Hampshire

I am totally addicted to quilting, and enjoy associating with other quilters who are equally addicted.  I’ve been quilting since 1995, teaching since 2004, and judging quilts since 2007.  My specialty is precision machine piecing, and I’m always trying new techniques, gadgets, and patterns.

I have been fortunate that some of my quilts have won awards at almost two dozen shows across the country, including Indiana Heritage Quilt Show, Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, MQX Quilt Festivals, National Quilting Association, Quiltweek Lancaster, Quiltweek Paducah, Road to California, Vermont Quilt Festival, and World Quilt Show – New England.  My quilts have been juried into the AQS show in Paducah in multiple years, winning ribbons in 2015 and 2017.  My FreeFall quilt was juried into the International Quilt Festival in Houston.

As an award-winning quilter, I lecture, give demonstrations, and teach workshops at guilds, quilt shops, and quilt shows nationally.  I especially enjoy teaching beginners.

In 2013, I was trained by Deb Tucker to teach her techniques, patterns, and tools from Studio 180 Design. 

In 2017, I launched Kathie Beltz Quilt Designs, my own line of quilt patterns. These patterns are for smaller projects that look complicated but are easier to make than you may think.

I also have extensive quilt judging experience.  My judging philosophy is to acknowledge excellence in quilting, and to educate and encourage quilters of all skill levels.  I like to consider my judging work as an extension of my teaching, guiding quilters to improve their skills through constructive comments.

I recently became a Member of the Board of Directors of the New England Quilt Museum.  There’s a lot going on, and it’s keeping me busy!

For more information on workshops, lectures, or judging, I can be emailed at [Kathie] @ KathieBeltz.com (remove brackets and spaces).

Visit Kathie’s website www.KathieBeltz.com.

For more information on workshops, lectures, or judging, please visit my website www.KathieBeltz.com.

Please let Kathie know you found her on The Quilter’s Calendar!

Gloria Loughman

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Home: Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria, Australia

Author of “Luminous Landscapes – Quilted Visions in Paint and Thread” and “Quilted Symphony – A fusion of Fabric, Texture and Design”

Visit Gloria’s Website

Wendy Mamattah

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Wendy-Mamattah2Home: Portland, Oregon

Wendy Mamattah is owner of Braid and Stitch, Wendy is an internationally Published and recognized award winning quilt and textile artist, she is also a journalist, art blogger and quilt pattern designer. Her works and patterns have been featured internationally in American Quilter magazine and on the Quilt show With Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims. She lives in Portland Oregon.

Wendy is from Ghana in West Africa, and has always loved working with fabrics. She recalls as a child at age five in primary school, she received prizes for needlework instead of English or Geography which made her realize that there was a part inside of her that loved to create.

Wendy’s works to date have mainly been featured in International reach magazines, E magazines, major news publications and blogs, her works have hang in galleries in the Pacific Northwest. Wendy’s works continue to evolve in both subject matter and technique, recurring throughout in strong, clear color, texture, visual impact, and meticulous detail. She loves the colors of nature, those colors that can be imposed on the real world to see it in a new way.

Wendy lectures in West African symbolism, and teaches workshops in Silhouette applique which depict a lot of Africa, African fabric, and dance, she also works and teaches in other mediums such Impressionistic art, popularly known in art quilting as the Confetti technique, the rest are painted quilted abstract, Mosaic, and her stunning under water pieces.

Website ~ www.braidandstitch.com
Pattern Website ~ www.braidandstitch.etsy.com
Blog ~ www.quiltednonsense.blogspot.com

Please let Wendy know you found her on The Quilter’s Calendar!

Deanne Eisenman

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Deanne-Eisenman2Home: Osage, Iowa

Snuggles Quilts Owner/Designer

I began my pattern design company, Snuggles Quilts, in May of 2003. I have since successfully marketed my patterns to shops around the country from my home based business in Osage, Iowa. I have been quilting for over 25 years and have designed over 100 individual patterns ranging from pillows and table runners to lap quilts.

I have had 27 patterns published in a variety of quilt magazines since 2008; three chosen for the cover. Recently, my patterns have appeared in Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting, McCall’s Quilting, Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks and Primitive Quilts & Projects Magazine. I have also had patterns featured in five calendars over the years.

My first book, Country-Fresh Quilts, was published by Martingale & Company in August of 2008. In February of 2011 my second book with
Martingale, Scrap Quilts Go Country, was released. My third book, Blooming Patchwork, was just published by Kansas City Star Quilts (now owned by C & T Publishing) in October of 2014. Quilts from my last two books are currently touring quilt shops around the country for trunk shows.

I have lectured and taught many classes in quilt shops and at guilds around the Mid-West. Most of my classes are based on one of my favorite techniques, needle-turn hand appliqué. I have also taught classes in wool appliqué and general beginner pattern piecing.

Working at home in my studio has been a dream come true. I love the entire process of developing a pattern. From designing to writing the pattern to constructing a sample, there is no better way to spend a day. Seeing a project emerge from the initial drawings on graph paper to a finished quilt is what keeps my days interesting! I am married to a great guy, Craig with whom I have raised two wonderful children, Alyssa and Mitchell.

They have been a great support system when it comes to my quilting “obsession”. Two other members of the family are our cats, Snuggles, the company namesake (who believes she owns every quilt sample I make) and Addie Lou who is often found snoozing on top of a stack of quilts in my studio.

My web site, www.snugglesquilts.com, showcases all of my designs.

Please let Deanne know you found her on The Quilter’s Calendar!

Allyson Allen

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Home: California

Allyson is a state recognized award winning Master African American quilt Artist and Culture Bearer. Her work often combines traditional textiles and fibers with paper, recycled materials, and sometimes found objects to create unique, dimensional mixed media pieces, quilts, dolls and handmade books. Allyson offers a variety of fun and informative lectures and trunk shows including Improvisational Design and Piecing, Slave Era Quilts, and the Quilts of Gee’s Bend.

A Special Exhibitor & faculty for Mancuso Quilt Shows, Allyson specializes in needle turn applique’, dimensional embellishing, improvisational piecing techniques, and creative hand and domestic machine quilting. She is the National Craft Industry Alliance’s 2024 Golden Scissors Award recipient, and her work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, and embassies around the world.

A member of Southern California Council of Quilt Guilds, Studio Art Quilt Associates, The Modern Quilt Guild, & Arts Council Menifee, visit Allyson’s website

Please let Allyson know you found her on The Quilter’s Calendar!

Jen Eskridge

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Bleach effect Home: Helotes, Texas

Jen started sewing in 1993 on an old burnt yellow, Harvest Gold, Singer sewing machine.  Her mother taught the basics.  Jen made her first quilt in 1993.  She didn’t use any books or templates, and that poor quilt eventually fell apart.  It was recycled, though, into a curtain, duct taped over a dorm room window.

Fast forward a bit:  Jen earned a Bachelor of Science in Apparel Design in 1998 from Louisiana State University.  By 2003, she found herself quilting and sewing for her own company, ReannaLily Designs.  During that time, Jen also taught quilting at a national crafting store.  The website and company was launched in 2007.

Jen has traveled the world gathering inspiration and ideas for designs and patterns.  From Korea, and China, Japan, to North America, England and France, she has found many cultural and historical elements to guide her interest and creativity. It was in South Korea, while shopping at fabric manufacturer’s mill markets that Jen decided to apply her Apparel Design Degree to her very own quilting and sewing pattern company, ReannaLily Designs.

Once she returned to the United States in summer 2008, Jen launched the company with the trademarked Seamingly Accurate Seam Guide and commissioned sewing jobs. The company has evolved into a pattern and design company in addition to its humble sewing beginnings.

Jen Eskridge is the author of three books: Deploy That Fabric by C&T Publishing; Learn to Sew Easy by Leisure Arts; Hexagons Made Easy by Martingale Press/That Patchwork Place. Jen’s designs have been featured in multi-author books, as well as, over 20 magazines. Jen has been featured in numerous magazines, Sew It All TV and Pat Sloan’s Radio show for her design work.

To see her lectures and workshops, please visit Jen’s Website

Please let Jen know you found her on The Quilter’s Calendar!

Michelle Hiatt

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MichelleHiatt-smHome: Huntington, Connecticut.

Michelle Renee Hiatt is passionate about quilting. She started her love affair 20+ years ago in the 1990s. Michelle Renee is the designer for her own pattern line Sew On The Go as well as Modern 180, a modern pattern division of Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design. Additionally, Michelle is a certified Studio 180 Design Instructor, as well as a certified Professional Process Expert (LSSMBB); she uses her process improvement techniques and applies them to her quilting and teaching others how to simplify their piecing while improving the quality of their quilt making.

Michelle Renee’s designs have appeared in Modern Quilting Unlimited and Fon’s & Porter’s Love of Quilting. She is known for her humor, enthusiasm and encouragement! Michelle can be reached on her website.

Please let Michelle know you found her on The Quilter’s Calendar!