Quilters Calendar & Guild Network
resources for quilt guild volunteers
Santa Rosa, California
Karen Bolan is a clear and patient teacher, thoughtful and entertaining lecturer, and clever and instructive quilt pattern designer. Her original award winning quilts and quilting philosophy integrate a love of geometry, experimentation, interconnection, depth, and texture. Karen offers virtual programs or travels to you from Santa Rosa, California.
Learn more about Karen on her website: Karen Bolan
Be sure to tell Karen that you found her on The Quilters Calendar!
Home: Gilpin County, Colorado
After too many years of dreaming about making quilts, I decided it was time to live into that dream in 2003. I began taking classes and attending quilt shows whenever possible.In 2007, I began teaching.
In 2009, I moved to Colorado where I landed a job as an editor with Quilters Newsletter magazine, and less than a year later, I was running the magazine. I also had the opportunity to do a two-year stint as editor of the SAQA Journal (Studio Art Quilt Associates) before stepping down from that position to research and write my book, Pagtinabangay: The Quilts and Quiltmakers of Caohagan Island. I spent several years on the road telling the amazing story of the more than 100 women and men on this tiny, 13-acre Philippine island.
I was honored to assist in mounting exhibitions of the island quilts at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky; the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles in San Jose, California; and Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, Colorado.
I now live at 9,200 feet in Colorado in the Rocky Mountains where I watch the wild critters from my quilt studio that faces Mount Thorodin. I enjoy designing and making quilts and teaching others to do so. And I enjoy speaking and writing about quiltmaking and quiltmakers.
I have a special passion for foundation piecing so many of my quilts and classes incorporate that technique. I’m also addicted to insetting circles and find great joy when I help others see how easy it is to do.
I’m a regular teacher at multiple quilt shops in Colorado and have taught at Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.
Most popular booking is my lecture: Pagtinabangay: The Quilts and Quiltmakers of Caohagan Island. You’ll be transported to a tiny island — just 13 acres — in the central Philippines as you enjoy images and stories of the colorful quilts and quiltmakers of Caohagan Island. You’ll see photos of more than 50 of these handmade, one-of-a-kind quilts plus be introduced to the unique techniques developed by these quiltmakers whose tools are simply fabric and scissors, needle and thread. I spent more than a month on the island, quilted with the women and men, went fabric shopping with them on nearby Cebu Island, and snorkled the reef that surrounds Caohagan. Those who view the quilts come away smiling, inspired by the creativity of these islanders. (Flexible/Under $400)
My most popular workshop is Peace Cranes Over Hiroshima. You’ll learn a lot about color value, which is key to creating this quilt’s three-dimensional look. The pattern and foundations for the quilt are included in the class fee. I designed and made “Peace Cranes Over Hiroshima” after a visit to the peace park that is at the epicenter of the World War II atomic bombing site in Hiroshima, Japan. This foundation-pieced quilt is based on an Origami folded peace-crane image from the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
Find out more about Dana on her website: https://www.danajonesquilts.com/ and be sure to tell Dana that you found her on The Quilters Calendar!
Home: Bradenton, Florida, USA and online. Carole is offering classes online via her website with live streaming to connect with students. She offers live streaming for guilds for trunk shows and lectures.
Carole is an enthusiastic modern quilter, teacher and mixed media artist. She brings a painless and fun approach to improvisational modern quilting to her lectures and workshops. She began quilting many years ago when she decided to make quilts for her family. From those beginnings, Carole decided very quickly to break from traditional patterns and start creating her own designs using inspirations from modern art and other sources. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries in the U.S., Canada and other countries. She has been published in American Quiltmaking, 1970-2000, Quilts Today: A Living Tradition, Spirits of the Cloth and many other books. Her work has been juried into both quilt and art exhibits and has won awards.
Today, her focus is on exploring the modern quilt movement. She lectures and teaches workshops on modern quilting techniques for beginning and experienced quilters, helping each quilter find her own unique approach to expanding beyond the traditional.
Carole is the co-founder of the Sarasota Modern Quilt Guild in Sarasota FL. If you’re ever in their area, please visit a guild meeting.
Carole loves being a member of the quilt and textile art community and sharing her knowledge with others. Carole is a highly experienced workshop facilitator and she creates a warm and fun atmosphere. Beginner or experienced—all levels of quilter are welcome in her classes and everyone receives support and attention. She offers classes and lectures for groups all over the country. Take a look at her workshops and contact her from her website for information.
Lectures & Trunk Shows:
WHAT IS A MODERN QUILT? THE MYTHS AND THE MAGIC!
This 40-60 minute interactive presentation introduces quilters of all backgrounds to the modern quilt movement. Intimidated by modern quilts? I dispel some of the myths so every quilter can appreciate the freedom in this new style of creative expression! I use many modern quilts to illustrate the key design trends in modern quilting.
MY JOURNEY TO MODERN QUILTING
This lecture and trunk show is the story of my love of modern quilting—starting with modern quilts that I made in the early 2000’s. There will be lots of time for questions and answers. In addition to the lecture (slides), I also show some of my quilts ‘in person’ on my design wall and table. Please note that I do not cover modern quilt design principles in depth—familiarity with modern quilting is a prerequisite. Topics include:
Modern Quilt Workshops – Live or via Zoom
I love traveling across the country meeting quilters who are interested in modern quilting. In the past year or so, I’ve had the honor of teaching my modern quilt workshops in California, Texas, Georgia, the east and west coasts of Florida, South Carolina, Virginia and I’ll be adding other states to this list!
Carole now offers a variety of classes, workshops, online over the internet for students and for guilds. She’s combining every resource, including Zoom, to connect with her students to provide a world-class learning experience. ~Marguerita
My modern quilt workshops are suitable for all levels of quilters. And, traditional quilters who take my modern quilt workshops tell me that they learn a lot about ‘what makes a quilt modern’ and have loads of fun–even though these workshops take them a little bit out of their box. I hear them say that quilting modern is freeing!
Visit Carole’s Website for more about her, her online quilt workshops and classes and to view her gorgeous quilts. Please let Carole know you found her on The Quilter’s Calendar! Watch a May 2020 interview with Carole below:
Home: Iowa
Diane is a Zoom-ready Quilter, Fiber Artist, Teacher and Lecturer with enthusiasm to spare!
Quilting for over 30 years, she gravitated to art quilts 10 years ago. Her quilts and articles are in several books and magazines. Her quilts also travel nationally/internationally in multiple special exhibits, including Houston’s International Quilt Festival and Paducah’s National Quilt Museum.
Diane completely reinvigorated her love of quilting since she started doing Challenge quilt projects. The Challenge rules encourage her to try new things, learn new techniques, make mistakes, AND keep trying! Diane shares this enthusiasm and excitement in ALL of her Lectures & Workshops! It doesn’t matter if you are a traditional quilter, modern, or art quilter – we all can learn from challenging ourselves. Diane will inspire and encourage you to do just that through any of her lectures and workshops!
She has 3 Virtual Lectures and several workshops available. Here are two:
Challenge I – Accept the Challenge Lecture – An informative and humorous perspective on my quilt challenge experiences, including a trunk and slide show. I’ll discuss what I’ve learned from the various challenges, other ways to challenge yourself and sources of inspiration. And most importantly how challenges can expand your quilting skills and inspire all your quilting! It’s Super popular – with wide audience appeal. You will laugh and hopefully be inspired.
Modified Quilt As You Go Workshop – A great technique for anyone intimidating by quilting a large quilt or for quilting in small spaces like retreats, condos, or for me, my RV. This class yields perfectly quilted blocks embellished with a variety of applique options. Quilting thru each block and batting individually makes quilting easy for both new and experienced quilters alike – no bulk or awkward struggling with a large sandwiched quilt. This technique can be used to create any size quilt that can be appliqued in endless options. So much fun!
Please visit my website for more details: https://www.dianeLmurtha.com
Instagram: dianeLmurtha
Contact Diane via email at dlmurtha2018 @ gmail.com [remove spaces]
I’d be honored to speak or teach to your guild or small group of friends. I hope to hear from you. Until then – Stay Safe and Happy Quilting Thanks
Please let Diane know that you found her on The Quilters Calendar!
It is my pleasure to recognize the outstanding job Diane Murtha did in presenting two of her Zoom workshops for our Guild.
Diane’s workshop “Quilt as You Go“ was our first venture into virtual interactive Zoom meetings. Due to Diane’s leadership and technical knowledge, it was an unexpectedly delightful and stress free experience.
Diane is an engaging, personable and talented instructor. Her desire to ensure all participants are successful was evident in her pre-class instructions, preparation and planning. The individual attention she gave each student made us feel she was there right with us. She also provided the resources to be sure that we had everything we needed during the class. Aside from learning new skills she made the intimidating world of virtual classes fun and by the end of the class we felt we were physically all in the same space.
Our guild has taken additional classes from Diane and look forward to more offerings from her.
Diane Murtha’s was very easy to work with: responding quickly to emails and following up on questions/concerns. Diane has set a high bar for all the instructors who follow.
She opened up an important world for us. As a small Guild in the middle of the Pacific Ocean we can now access high-quality instructors without having the expense of their traveling to Hawaii. As you can tell, we highly recommend Diane Murtha.
Mahalo. Maui Quilt Guild Dian Gruber past VP/Program Chair
Diane Murtha’s Zoom lecture on Challenge Quilts was a real delight. I will admit to laughing out loud at several points as she shared a number of her “failures.” Such an important and humbling lesson for all of us. I laughed and ooh’ed so much that my husband asked me the next morning, “Who were you talking to?” While it would have been nice to be in person to hear a loud and appreciative audience, the Zoom format worked extremely well. Diane knows what’s she’s doing with technology, with quilting, and with engaging an audience. I recommend her highly. ~Elizabeth Bell, Vice-President for Programming, Piecemakers Quilt Guild of Brandon
Home: Leesburg, Virginia
Julia Graves is a Zoom-experienced lecturer and teacher on a variety of quilting subjects, with a focus on color and design that are applicable to all your future quilts.
Her Amazing Abstracts class teaches how to use color and value to create amazing movement and drama. Her traditional piecing classes that focus on color and value include Tricks with Transparencies, Luscious Luster, Rainbow Drops and Shimmering Triangles. Other fun classes include creating your own gemstone in Gemstone Bling and Color Exploration where we play with color to see the effects we can achieve. She has lectures on Color, Design, Landscape Quilts, Personalizing and Memory Quilts, Community and Faith in Fiber and her very popular My Quilting Journey.
Julia’s two most popular bookings are:
Julia started her quilting business, Special Occasion Quilts LLC, in 2007 and teaches, lectures, designs patterns, makes commission quilts, longarms for others and sells & services APQS longarm machines. She won Best Longarm Machine Workmanship Wall Quilt Category at the 2016 Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, is a Gem Affiliate teaching the gorgeous gem patterns by MJ Kinman – Textile Artist, has had quilts published in books by Gloria Loughman, Katie Pasquini-Masopust and MJ Kinman, was an Artist in Residence at Empty Spools in 2019, and will be teaching at Empty Spools in 2021 and 2022 and Hudson River Valley Art Institute in 2022.
Julia has been sewing since she was ten and always loved fabric, needle arts and the entire creative process. She did her apprenticeship as a quilter by making a quilt for each of her nieces and nephews (and thinks she should have counted them before making this promise – there were 32!). She has since made more quilts than she can count, many for charity, and is partial to scrap quilts and working with color to achieve amazing results.
Visit her gallery on her website at http://www.soquilts.com. Contact Julia viat email –juliagraves82 @ gmail.com. Julia has videos of her on this page: http://soquilts.com/classes-and-lectures/
Be sure to tell Julia that you found her on The Quilters Calendar!
Home: Studio City, California
Tina Curran has been a quilter for over 20 years. She is known for her use of color and fun imagery in her quilts. Her work has earned multiple blue ribbons and the rank of Master Quilter at her local quilt guild.
Her quilts have hung in major shows including Road to California (Ontario, CA), the AQS show in Paducah, KY and the International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX.
Tina’s work has been featured more than 20 times in magazines (Quilters Newsletter and Quiltmaker) and in three books (including Ricky Tims’ “Kool Kaleidoscopes”).
She has been designing patterns since 2002, began giving quilt lectures in 2012 and started teaching her designs in quilt guild workshops in 2013. In 2015, she started a free monthly email newsletter to chronicle her adventures in quilting, which is read by thousands of quilters around the world. Her patterns are sold in her shop on Etsy.com (tinacurran.etsy.com) and to date have been bought by quilters in all 50 states and 23 foreign countries.
She offers two trunk shows. The first is a reimagined in-person show, now using photos. The second one features quilts no longer in her possession, so perfect for sharing using photos. Her popular design lecture demystifies the process with the hope to inspire others to design their own quilts. She also has a talk tracing her career path — from the advertising industry to the quilting industry, highlighting the joys and the challenges along the way.
All her workshops are project-based, helping students to make their own versions of her quilt designs. Her most popular is “Whimsical Garden,” where students make a floral fabric collage. With four versions of American flags quilts, her flag workshops are also popular, as is her “California Poppies” class. The details of the nine workshops that feature regular piecing and the seventeen that feature paper piecing can be found on the “Lectures and Workshops” page on her website.
Tina is an experienced presenter/teacher on Zoom. More information can be found on her website at www.tinacurran.com.
Please let Tina know that you found her on The Quilter’s Calendar.
Home: Lansing, Kansas
Barbara J. Eikmeier (Barb) has been quilting since 1984 and teaching quilting since 1990.
She is the author of four books, published by Martingale and Co, including “Back Basting Applique Step by Step”, has designed seven fabric collections for Paintbrush Studio Fabrics and is a Bluprint instructor (formerly Craftsy).
In 2016 she became the authorized distributor for the Magic Triangle Ruler. Married to a retired army officer, she has lived in several regions of the US and South Korea. Barb considers herself a traditional quilter and although appliqué is her favorite quilting technique she also offers programs on sashings, random block samplers, solids, and other traditional quilting techniques. She lives in Lansing, KS with her husband Dale and two dogs and is pleased to now offer all regular lectures as virtual programs.
Barb has announced a retirement date: November 2024. I saw Barb do a trunk show via Zoom on July 11, 2020 and she was MARVELOUS! Hire her fast before her calendar fills up! ~Marguerita
Find out more about Barb on her website and drool over her quilts at https://www.barbsfavorites.com/
Be sure to tell Barb that you found her on The Quilters Calendar!
Home: Chandler, Arizona
Heidi was born and raised in Rochester, New York, where she received a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design from Rochester Institute of Technology. In 2000, Heidi began offering her services as a product designer to a number of fabric companies. She created her own line of quilt patterns beginning in 2002 and in 2004 Heidi started designing fabric in her own bright and whimsical style. By 2005 the work load warranted expanding to a partnership and The Whimsical Workshop, LLC was born with Heidi as the chief designer.
Heidi is known for her fun and whimsical quilts which she often makes in dramatic, bright colors. She also designs quilt patterns for a variety of popular quilting magazines. In addition she has written five books; Quilted Whimsy, Bold Batiks and Dazzling Designs for Leisure Arts, Pop Up Paper Structures for C&T Publishing and Fabric Jewelry-Wrapped, Braided and Sewn for F&W Media.
Heidi has been lecturing and teaching about being a designer for the fabric industry and about the 1000’s of quilts she as designed the various fabric companies over the years since 2002. Her classes cover the majority of the popular piecing and applique techniques available today, as well as classes on tools, color and design. She is also available for trade lectures for professionals wishing to design for the craft industry as well.
Her workshops are tailored to your guild’s skill levels and techniques you desire to learn.
You can see some of the workshops offered at https://www.thewhimsicalworkshop.com/workshop.htm
Please let Heidi know that you found her on The Quilters Calendar!
