Under $400

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: Kintnersville, Pennsylvania

Joyce Hughes is an award-winning self-taught quilter, fiber artist, and author. Her first quilt was a tee-shirt quilt, which she enjoyed making, but felt limited in the ability to express her artistic capabilities. Within several months, she began to design pictorial landscape quilts using raw edge applique, thread painting, and a variety of embellishments. Never knowing the “rules” she broke a lot of them, but with exciting results!

Amazingly, her first art quilt, “Mother’s Day”, was entered into a national show and won a blue ribbon. This has led to numerous awards, recognitions, and opportunities in the quilting world. Several proud accomplishments for Joyce are: “McCall’s Quilt Designer 2012 – Professional Category” for McCall’s Quilting Magazine; also an endorser and sample maker for Northcott and Timeless Treasures fabrics, and Ambassador for Mettler Threads and Brother Sewing.

Currently, Joyce has a second book, Thread Paint A Garden Quilt (released October 2020) focusing on raw edge applique and thread painting to add shading, highlighting, and definition. Joyce’s first book, Creating Art Quilts with Panels is about working with Fabric Panels to create dimension and texture with threads and embellishments, creating a style of her own! Joyce loves to teach and share her tips. One of her greatest accomplishments is when a student creates their own artwork following Joyce’s technique of Dimensional Thread Painting!

Lecture Description:

“My Journey into Quilting”… It is a very open and inspiring talk about how Joyce started in quilting, leading into Art Quilts with Thread Painting, finishing with ideas to use with Panels as Art Quilts.

Join the many people who leave very excited to try something new with their quilting . Joyce’s main subject matter will be working with fabric panels. Showing many “Before and after” Art Quilts. Exploring how panels will be able to be used on your personal projects. Many panels are looked at and passed over. Joyce often here’s, “What do you do with this”, it’s so big, the colors are dull, etc., etc. With a little embellishing and/or thread painting on the fabric, it soon becomes a piece of art.

Learn about the preparation of the Panel for a project, the freedom of using thread painting and showing that layering thread lets you achieve different effects on the quilts. Then, add embellishments of ribbon, markers, paint, crystals, etc., The Panel is now unique and one of a kind!

Class Description:

Want to learn Dimensional Thread Painting but you think it is too hard. I often hear, “I am not creative and can my Machine do this? etc., etc., Yes, You are Creative and Yes, you can do this on your Domestic Sewing Machine!!!

In this class you will start with a Beautiful Panel to Create a piece of Art! You will learn the proper steps of Dimensional Thread Painting and find it to be a fun and creative technique. Explore the various thread selection, setting up your machine for stitching techniques with free motion quilting of zig zag and straight stitching, bobbin work and embellishing with netting and crystals. See the fabric come to life as you sew and layer the threads on top of your design. You will use Thread as Paint –sew with different types of threads and color combinations. Learn how to create interesting texture and dimension to your quilting project. You will leave with a full knowledge of Dimensional Thread Painting and create a One of Kind piece of Art!

Learn more about Joyce on her website www.JoyceHughesOriginals.com and contact her at joyhughes1 @ verizon.net [remove spaces]

Please tell Joyce that you found her on The Quilters Calendar!