Quilters Calendar & Guild Network

resources for quilt guild volunteers

in-person

Beth Helfter

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Home: Pepperell, Massachusetts and live online streaming for guilds.

Author, pattern designer, and national quilting instructor Beth Helfter has one rule about quilting – it’s supposed to be fun. Along with her company motto of “Inspired Designs, Relaxed Attitude,” Beth brings visionary designs and techniques to her patterns and exuberance and encouragement to the classroom.

Beth prefers to dig into her stash to create designs and patterns that appeal to her senses of color and value, using as many different fabrics as possible. Keeping to just a few color families in each quilt palette is one of her best tricks to keeping scrappy quilts from getting out of hand but allowing them to sing with tone and movement. Her popular lecture “Consistency in the Chaos” showcases several ways of looking at categories of scraps as it seeks to inspire quilters to think about scrap quilts and pull fabrics to make them shine without overwhelming the eye. Beth has decided she will never solve the mystery of why even scrap quilters can never use up their fabrics, and no longer even tries.

Her penchant for scraps and her need to use as many fabrics as possible in her quilts led her in 2017 to develop the Accordion Sewn HSTs™ method of creating half square triangles that don’t have a match and yet waste no fabric. Delving into the method further, she discovered “ordering” the accordions could lead to the creation of whole blocks and quilts from a single accordion.

Her first book on the method “Oompah! Jazz Up Your Scrap Quilts With Accordion Sewn HSTs™” was published in 2018, and “Another Round of Oompah” was published in 2020. It’s been called “life-changing,” “magical,” “addictive,” and, her favorite, “witchcraft,” and is the basis for her “Oompah! Accordion Sewn HSTs™ lecture and many of her most popular workshops. She’s currently at work on new variations of the basic Accordion Sewn HSTs™ for patterns and workshops.

As a traveling quilt teacher, she’s taught for guilds coast to coast, and never tires of the ah-ha moments and banter of a classroom full of quilters.

Visit Beth’s website: EvaPaige Quilts

Visit Beth’s YouTube Channel: EvaPaige Quilt Designs

Email Beth: evapaigequilts @ charter.net (remove spaces)

Here’s Beth’s portion of an interview among national quilt teachers done in May 2020:


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

Darlene Price

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Home: Chesapeake, Virginia

Darlene Price has been around a needle, thread and sewing machine all her life. After retiring from life as a Commercial Real Estate Paralegal her goal was to figure out quilting. Art Quilts is where she landed. Come take a look at her work, her lectures and classes. 

Visit Darlene’s website at Quiltscapesbydarlene.com. 

Be sure to tell Darlene that you found her on The Quilters Calendar!

Amy Friend

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Home: West Newbury, Massachusetts

Amy Friend is a former museum curator turned designer.  She designs modern quilts and specializes in foundation paper pieced designs.  She authored the books Intentional Piecing, Improv Paper Piecing: A Modern Approach to Quilt Design, and Petal + Stem. 

Amy runs community block swaps several times a year as well as block of the month and quilt along programs.  She is an award winning quilter and her quilts have been exhibited at a number of quilt shows as well as museums.  Amy is a national quilt teacher and lecturer, both on Zoom and in person.

Amy enjoys speaking to guilds about the modern quilting aesthetic and design principles like alternate gridwork and negative space.

She also teaches her own foundation paper piecing technique that considers directional fabric, the grain of the fabric, and minimizes waste. 

Her most popular workshops include Improv Paper Piecing where she teaches her unique approach to modern quilt design where participants each design their own improvisational block and repeat it through paper piecing. 

Another is Large Scale Intentional Piecing where fabrics are kept directional in order to harness the power of stripes or other motifs while foundation paper piecing on larger foundations.

While most of Amy’s classes are more appropriate for the intermediate to advanced quilter, she also teaches beginner paper piecing and welcomes beginners into any of her classes, spending extra time with them so they can succeed. Amy is interested in teaching virtually and limited (driving distance) travel.

Visit Amy’s website: During Quiet Time

Amy’s YouTube Channel: During Quiet Time

Please contact Amy at [amybfriend] @ gmail.com (remove brackets and spaces)

Please let Amy know that you found her on The Quilters Calendar!

Michelle Umlauf

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Home: Sabillasville, Maryland.

Michelle Umlauf began her sewing career as a freelance National Educator for Sulky of America, Clover, and formerly Baby Lock.  She teaches at popular expos nationwide, in her local community and online.  Quilt guilds hold a special place in her heart because of the personal connections that are made during an event.

I have a quirky wit and coined my program brochure as “Spools & Tools”.  After all, that has been my area of expertise for nearly 15 years.  

Lately, the most popular program is “Spools & Tools for Quilters.”   Guilds members love notions.  I demonstrate how to use them and set up an area for you to handle them.  Plus, I bring eye candy for you to enjoy.  Members haven’t heard of some of the notions, can’t find them or have something, but don’t know how to use it!  As a lecture, you will enjoy learning all about the amazing notions that make the quilt making process easier, faster and more accurate without disrupting the enjoyment it gives you.  In a hands-on workshop, I bring my “School Box” filled with almost everything you need to make a couple small projects just for the fun of it.  I love watching you test driving the “spools and tools”,  and discovering what works for you and help you when it doesn’t.  Clover has a lot of wonderful sewing notions, and I’m prepared to tell you about many of them.  You will find that I tend to over-deliver because I am very passionate and enthusiastic about you, and giving you the best of me.

My experience has afforded me the opportunity to become well-versed in everything from hand embroidery to machine machine embroidery.  Recently, I have taken an interest in mixed media, art quilts sprinkled with a bit of hand embroidery. I contributed a piece of my work in the book Photo Memory Quilts by Lesley Riley.  

You can sign up for my newsletter and get to know me and discover UFO Friday, a monthly meeting I host online.

My husband and our fur family enjoy traveling across the country and camping, so no place is off-limits.

Website:  Sewing Machine Artistry

Instagram: Sewing Machine Artistry

Sign up to be a Sewing Friend

Email:  [Michelle] @ SewingMachineArtistry. com (remove brackets and spaces)

Please let Michelle know that you found her on The Quilters Calendar!

Marci Baker

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Home: Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Recognized internationally for her expertise in quilting, Marci enjoys sharing ideas that simplify the process of quilting.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Marci has loved sewing for years, making her first quilt at age 9 and sewing her own clothes in high school and college. She began teaching quilting in 1989 for her local quilt guild. Marci has applied her love of math (she has a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in applied mathematics) to her love of quilting to develop easier ways for quilting success. Through her excellent teaching skills, her students learn new and exciting methods that simplify and improve their quilting.

Teaching quilting is Marci’s true passion and will travel to anywhere there are quilters. Across the US and Canada, from Brazil to Dubai, she has shared her expertise. Online you can see her in action on The Quilt Show, Creative Spark, and videos on her website.

Collaborating with Sara Nephew, they have written 3-D Magic, Stack and Cut Hexagon Quilts, Wonderful One Patch, and Not Your Grandmother’s Log Cabin. Solo, she has written ABC 3-D, Tumbling Blocks and More and The Quilters Binding Bible, and developed Sewing Edge and The Ultimate Value Tool in partnership with C&T Publishing. Marci’s simplifying methods can be seen at QuiltwithMarciBaker.com, where quilters enjoy their quilting even more!

Marci and her husband, Clint, live in Fort Collins, Colorado, where they enjoy the beauty of nature. Of course, she makes it back to Texas, for family and longtime quilting friends.

Her lectures always have a learning component with demonstrations and quilts. Workshops are intended to be focused on the topic/project with an overall inclusion of valuable quilting tips. Her most popular topic is 3-D designs followed closely by binding, fabric value selection, tips on all things quilting, and quilt designs (hand, machine, and long arm).

My goal for quilters:

When I teach my techniques, my mantra is ”Enjoy your quilting even more!”

Quotes from customers:

“Thank you greatly! I have never experienced such accuracy and it is incredibly easy. I don’t have to think. The fabric glides through the machine and I find my sewing relaxing.” – Joanne, shop owner and quilter for over 50 years.

“You are the best teacher we have ever had for our guild!” – Laurie, guild programs person

“Thank you so much for all your info and patience. All the hints are greatly appreciated!!” – Sheila, workshop student

“Thank you for your visit to [our guild]! We always enjoy your approach to quilting!” – Joan and Sandi, workshop students

Check out Marci’s website and video page.

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

Reeze Hanson

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Home: Ottawa, Kansas, USA

Reeze Hanson is a prolific designer, entertaining speaker, and an award-winning teacher whose company, Morning Glory Designs, features an eclectic variety of whimsical florals and bold geometrics. Reeze teaches and lectures widely on one-patch quilt techniques, offering both traditional and modern methods geared toward the busy/working quilter. Her floral applique work features machine applique shortcuts and tips to make beautiful quilts in less time, without sacrificing accuracy. Reeze also teaches all levels of EQ8, quilt design software. A sewer, quilter, and custom dressmaker for more than 50 years, and a retired college professor, Reeze has lots of experience, wisdom, and humor to share. To check on availability see Reeze’s calendar.

For guilds seeking a presenter, Reeze travels extensively, and offers:

  • Sacred Geometry in Quilting- From Fibonacci to Fiber Art.
  • It’s da BOM: Block of the Month Revolution – or how to (not) finish a quilt in a year.
  • Quilt Stories – Everybody has one!
  • Color Confidence for Quilters
  • Inspiration is in the air.
  • Runner up: From Bureau Cloth to Candle mat.  
  • One Patch Quilt Renaissance.
  • Digital Design: what is EQ8 and how digital design has transformed quilt-making.
  • Odd Blocks – Settings that Rock.

Reeze also offers workshops in machine applique, precision piecing, curved piecing without pins, project classes featuring precuts, and all levels of EQ8 quilt design software.

Visit her Website for more about her and her presentations: www.morningglorydesigns.com and her blog: www.blog.morningglorydesigns.net

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

Katie Pedersen

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Home: Seattle, Washington

The art of making something by hand sets each of us on a journey to discovering who we are as artists. This personal process can start with simply sewing two pieces of fabric together. Constant practice and study have become my best teachers. I love that quilts provide a physical utilitarian object that showcase the evolution of one’s creative confidence and developing aesthetic.

I enjoy merging improvisational techniques with modern and/or traditional quilt design. Exploring new ideas keeps my style in constant evolution and the process fresh. I wish I could sew as fast as the ideas come to me. The good news is I’ll never run out.

I love sharing stories about my quilts and the skills and techniques I’ve learned from making them. My workshops and truck show/lectures make modern improvisational quilting fun, laid back and accessible. I also host weekly Open Studios and workshops in my West Seattle studio. You can find out more about me, and see my quilts, at my website Sew Katie Did. Katie is open to a limited amount of travel.

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