Carolina is an architect who discovered the textiles arts and quilting in 2010 in Switzerland. As in her old job, she works with original designs inspired by her artistic background, and also by her travels around the world. As an awarded professional Quilt Artist and Teacher (and BERNINA Ambassador), Carolina has had the honor to see her work in several exhibitions all over the country, as well as internationally.

Since her US relocation to Connecticut in 2016, she began teaching quilting classes and workshops nationally. Her goal with the students is to make them able to recognize the strong elements about their own creative work, and highlight tools and techniques to make them improve and grow with confidence in their sewing and quilting journey. Learn more at carolinasmussen.com.

Ruth Ann Berry owned and operated a small-town pharmacy for many years before converting her store into a quilt shop, The Quilter’s Clinic. She enjoys writing quilt books and designing “Fabric Therapy” patterns representing a variety of styles and techniques. A renowned “Bargello master,” Ruth Ann loves to experiment with color and geometry to create exquisite quilts.

Ruth Ann’s focus is on composing quilt patterns designed to create the impression of motion and depth, especially Bargello and other 3D or geometric styles. She enjoys traveling to teach and exhibit at quilting events throughout the country. Learn more at quiltersclinic.com.

Carol Butzke is a certified AQS textile appraiser, one of three instructors for the AQS Appraisal Certification program, and a member of the certification board. She is a member of the Professional Association of Appraisers - Quilted Textiles (PAAQT). She is also a certified NQA/NACQJ quilt judge, teacher, lecturer, writer, researcher, exhibit curator, quiltmaker, and quilt collector. She was co-author of The AQS Guide to Quilt Care, and also serves as a consultant and board member for the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

Carol’s quilts have appeared in various publications including American Quilter, Quilters Newsletter, and the Quilt Art Engagement Calendar. You can even find Carol’s work on the cover of a college history textbook!

Susan currently teaches quilting nationally and internationally. She developed her own technique of fabric collage quilting which she has explained in depth in two books, Free-Style Quilts and Serendipity Quilts. Susan usually teach at retreats, quilting guilds, or fabric shops, but also runs retreats in her hometown.

Susan been creating art with fabric since 1983 while attending the Maryland Institute College of Art. There, she used any excuse she could to use fabric as an art medium for her illustration assignments. She painted on fabric, inked, dyed, drew with thread, and did traditional piecing, appliqué, and reverse appliqué. Her influence was her mom, who trained as a dressmaker and seamstress. From her, Susan inherited her love of fabric.

As Susan continued to experiment with fabric for a few years after college, she yearned for something more immediate, more like painting and less like construction. In 1990 she drew on her collage skills, this time with fabric and not paper, though still using glue. Since then, she has approached quilting from an art direction rather than a traditional one. A true quilter was not supposed to glue. But that's what she did, and she has never looked back. And there are even raw edges! Learn more at susancarlson.com.

Known for her enthusiasm and clever solutions to quilting's challenges, Susan is thrilled to share more techniques than ever! She’s designed and created five AQS Paducah award-winning quilts, invented tools, authored and published several books, has been published in many quilting magazines, and has appeared on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims twice, in addition to other internet and television shows. Students enjoy seeing real quilts and learning from live demos. In the classroom, Susan uses a video camera and projector to show live, detailed demos throughout class. She enjoys teaching all the tricks to perfect Piping Hot Binding, marvelous miters, bold stitching with heavy threads, embellishment with prairie points, and quilting with panache. You’ll see her quilts at piecesbewithyou.com.

Carol Elmore is an AQS Certified Appraiser of Quilted Textiles and an Appraisal Committee member with thirty years of quilting experience. Carol’s quilt history lectures include one her husband named "The Life and Quilts of Ida Stover Eisenhower." In addition to appraising, Carol enjoys collecting textiles – dog textiles are her favorite! She also lectures on the history of aprons and leads workshops on quilt dating, hand piecing, and Scottie block quilts.

When not working in the quilt world, Carol is a veterinary medical librarian at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.

Phyllis is a Certified Instructor for Deb Tucker of Studio 180 Design. She is also a co-author of the Tucker University curriculum that is used in quilt shops to properly teach how to fully use the Studio 180 Design tools. She has been published several times in American Quilt Retailer on educational issues. Phyllis brings over 35 years of teaching experience to the classroom. You will find her classes well organized, highly educational, productive, but mostly just plain fun. Phyllis enjoys meeting and educating quilters through show and guild events. See more at pfayquilts.com.

Lori Kennedy is an incurable doodler and machine quilting fanatic who loves to help quilters add fun and personality to their quilts. She has written three books on machine quilting and writes the My Line column in American Quilter magazine. Lori is a BERNINA Ambassador and many of her whimsical quilt motif videos may be found on the We All Sew blog. Through her website, Lori offers tips, techniques and encouragement to quilters from around the world. When she's not quilting, Lori can be found hiking the trails of Minnesota with family, her Australian Shepherd and of course, her camera! See more at lorikennedyquilts.com.

Jenny uses her domestic sewing machine to create quilts and wearable art. She has sewn since age six and began to free-motion quilt in 2000. Her work has been juried into several International quilt shows, including AQS QuiltWeek in Paducah, International Quilt Festival in Houston, and the Pacific International Quilt Festival. Her work has been featured several times in Machine Quilting Unlimited, and she has written for Quilting Arts Magazine and Quilter’s Newsletter. Jenny has been teaching the art of quilting since 2006 and teaches across the country at guilds, shops, and major international shows and festivals. She brings passion and joy to the classroom and enables her students to be inspired to quilt their own quilts! Jenny lives in northern California with her long-suffering husband and a Basset Boy. Learn more at quiltskipper.com.

Fiber art was Sally Manke’s passion long before it was called fiber art. Retired from teaching home economics and art at the high school level for 25 years, she designs original art quilts and patterns with a wide variety of techniques using artistic expression and precise technical quilting skills.

As a national-award-winning quilter, Sally teaches at quilt shops, guilds, and art centers in addition to maintaining a website and blog. Although she enjoys crafting traditional quilts, Sally’s perfect day is one spent in her home studio with fabric spread far and wide, creating fiber art. These quilts have led to a line of art quilt patterns available in her online store. From her home in Arcadia, Michigan, Sally visits coastlines, trails, and farmlands during all four seasons for inspiration to create her fiber art quilts. Learn more at sallymanke.com and see her patterns at etsy.com/shop/sallymanke.

Sarah Maxwell is a fabric designer for Marcus Fabrics and an Aurifil Thread designer. More than 150 of her original designs have been published over the last twenty years. Her quilts have also been juried into QuiltCon and various AQS shows. Sarah is the author of Morse Code Quilts and Fresh Modern Quilts from Traditional Blocks.

Sarah’s focus is on helping quilters develop confidence in using color and fabrics in quilts. Her classes focus on successful and accurate piecing, including more challenging shapes like y-seams or acute angles. Her patterns often showcase both rotary cutting and hand piecing methods. Learn more at designsbysarahj.com.

RaNae Merrill found her calling as a professional quilter after previous careers as a pianist, a photographer, and a travel writer. In 1989, she finished a quilt her grandmother had been making many years before, and right then, she was hooked. Her unique spiral quilts have appeared in national shows and magazines, and her new book, “Free-Motion Mastery in a Month” has become an instant classic. Dubbed as “the scardey-cat’s guide to free-motion quilting,” RaNae’s new method of teaching free-motion has taken the quilting world by storm. RaNae teaches workshops in the U.S. and abroad in both English and Spanish, and she loves bringing her expertise to students around the globe. Learn more at ranaemerrillquilts.com.

Marti Michell is often introduced as a pioneer in the current quilt revival. In fact, in 1972 when Marti and her husband Richard started Yours Truly, Inc., a patchwork kit company, there was no quilt industry. Since then, she has contributed to the industry in almost every capacity.

Whether she is participating as a teacher, quilter, author, publisher, manufacturer, designer, consultant, judge, or quilt collector, Marti’s enthusiasm for and love of quilting is always evident. Since 1995 the Michells have manufactured the From Marti Michell line of acrylic templates and specialty rulers for rotary cutting. In addition to the 2004 Silver Star, a prestigious “lifetime achievement” award given at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Marti also received the first Michael Kile Award given for commitment to creativity and excellence in the quilting industry in 1991. See more at frommarti.com.

In 1986, Stacy Michell started a business venture called Shades Textiles, featuring hand-dyed fabrics. Within her first couple of years in business, Stacy was traveling to 18 quilt shows a year! You may have met her in Paducah; she has been a vendor there since the second year of that show.

In 1998, Stacy made her first trip to Tokyo. Inspired by the Hawaiian-style quilts made by her Japanese customers, Stacy decided to reinvent the Hawaiian quilt for machine appliqué. After perfecting this technique, she created designs for die cutting the blocks. She even started dying cloth especially for this kind of design. As a quilting teacher, she will challenge your skills, expand your techniques, and entertain you with stories. She travels with a great teacher’s supply kit, so her supply list is short, maximizing the value of class time. See her shop at shadestextiles.co.

Alma is an AQS Certified Appraiser, a member of PAAQT (Professional Association of Appraisers - Quilted Textiles), and a quilt historian. She loves to share her knowledge and collection of quilts with others. Alma lives in Pensacola, FL with her husband, Grover, and three pets and she is a mother and grandmother. Her love of quilts began as a four-year-old and she has been quilting since 1969. For more information, visit almarmoates.com.

Sue has been quilting for 40 years, starting by hand and gradually focusing on machine work. Sue has been teaching machine techniques for the past 30 years, and she has taught and lectured internationally in England, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and Dubai, UAE.

Sue’s major awards include the 1998 AQS Best of Show for THE BEATLES QUILT, made by Sue and her sister, Pat Holly. Their quilt THE SPACE QUILT won the IQA Master of Machine Artistry Award and the 2004 AQS Machine Workmanship Award. Sue and Pat’s quilt TEA AT TENBY won the 2009 Best of Show at the Birmingham Festival of Quilts in England. Most recently, Sue won the AQS 2014 Best Home Machine Workmanship Award for TWO OF US, a collaborative quilt made with Pat.

Sue has many online classes with Creativebug. Sue’s most recent appearance on The Quilt Show was with her daughter, Ashley, who is a modern quilter! Sue has been honored to be a quilt judge for many quilt shows over the years, and she also enjoys teaching on cruises for Quilt Seminars at Sea once a year. Most recently, Sue and Pat held the 4th Annual Holly Girls Quilt Retreats at White Birch Lodge in Elk Rapids, Michigan, and they plan to continue this event for many years. They are following in the tradition of their good friend Gwen Marston’s Beaver Island Quilt Retreats!

Sue’s current books are Fabulous Feathers and Fillers: Design and Machine Quilting Techniques; Stitched Raw Edge Appliqué, co-authored with Pat; and Machine Quilting: A Primer of Techniques.

Sue is proud to be a Brand Ambassador for BERNINA! Her priority in the workshops she teaches is to provide a relaxed environment for students to learn machine techniques that are timesaving. She emphasizes the best quality workmanship, never compromising quality for speed! Learn more at sue-nickels.com.

Heidi Proffetty blends inspirational mosaic design and quilting to create beautiful mosaic art quilts. In 2019, her quilt IS SHE READY YET won a 1^st Place award at AQS QuiltWeek in Paducah. Heidi has been a featured guest artist on Quilting Arts TV and The Quilt Show and has contributed to various magazines, galleries, and exhibits. She enjoys meeting quiltmakers from around the globe and sharing her unique process. See more at heidiproffetty.com.

Julia’s passion for creating with fabrics has spanned over 10 years, but buying her first longarm in 2014 transformed her life into a magical journey. Julia loves working with different textures and colors and having the freedom to design and discover different styles and techniques in longarm quilting. She considers herself as an always-learning, curious, and inquiring quilter who is hungry for new ideas, designs, and visions. Her classes are just as magical. Students love learning techniques for longarm quilting alongside Julia’s fun, friendly, and inquisitive demeanor. Learn more at juliaquiltoff.com.

Allison Rainboth was born in Southern California and lived there until 1992, when she moved with her husband to Wisconsin. She learned to sew from the friendly ladies at the local Singer store when she was 10. After spending a week with them while her brother and mom went to day camp, Allison had sewn a gym bag, a doll blanket, and a pair of drawstring pants. She was hooked. Allison is now the owner of Sisters Choice Quilting Service in Berlin, WI. An AQS Certified Appraiser, Allison is well-versed in quilt and textile history. Her lectures are fun, eye-opening, and chock full of information. See more at allisonrainboth.com.

Sue Reich became interested in the study of quilt history with the Connecticut Quilt Search Project in 1991. A quiltmaker since childhood, she lectures widely on many aspects of quilt history and is an AQS Certified Quilt Appraiser. Sue has authored several books, including Quilting News of Yesteryear: 1,000 Pieces and Counting, World War I Quilts, and World War II Quilts.

She has been guest curator at the New England Quilt Museum, The National Quilt Museum, the Huntsville Art Museum, and the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, and has lectured at premier institutions around the world, including the Quilters Hall of Fame, the Women’s Creativity Conference at Quinnipiac University, and the International Quilt Study Center. Now president of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, Sue is excited to travel to each AQS show to share the Quilts of Valor story with quilters from all over the globe. Learn more at coveringquilthistory.com.

Nancy started sewing at a very young age, making cloths for dolls and later for herself. Coming from a large family of 10 kids, the only way to get a new outfit was to make it herself. She has been teaching the art of quilt making for over 25 years. Nancy's YouTube channel, "OnPoint-TV" has 47,000 subscribers and over 250 videos.

Nancy’s teaching style is great for beginners and advanced quilters. She teaches everything from efficient and accurate rotary cutting to creating your own fabric using painting techniques, plus; traditional and improvisational, piecing, paper piecing, and machine quilting. The art of teaching quilt making brings Nancy joy. Learn more at onpoint-tv.com.

The names Pilgrim and Roy are internationally recognized in the quilting world. Paul Pilgrim and Gerald E. Roy started working with antique quilts in the early 1960s when their interior decorating business prompted them to purchase antique quilts for clients. With strong backgrounds in the fine arts, they also began collecting quilts solely for their aesthetic value. Today, the Pilgrim/Roy collection is composed of 2,500 quilts for sale, plus quilt-related objects, including fabrics and all kinds of antique sewing tools.

Paul and Gerald were among the first board members of the Quilt Appraisal Program of the American Quilter's Society. Gerald is the administrator of the program. Along with Paul, he helped establish guidelines for the certification program, the only one of its kind. The duo also designed the interior of The National Quilt Museum. Gerald Roy is an art teacher, painter, quiltmaker, and author. He serves on the acquisitions board for the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts, and on the National Advisory Board and Executive Board of Directors for The National Quilt Museum. See more at pilgrimroy.com.

Mark L. Sherman became a quilter in 2001 when he needed a Christmas tablecloth. After browsing in a big department store, Mark decided he could make his own tablecloth for less money. He went to Wal-Mart and bought a sewing machine and some fabric. The Christmas tablecloth was a great success! While looking for more fabric, Mark went to his neighborhood quilt shop, realized the creative potential in quilting, and quickly became an accomplished quilter.

Amazing artists often inspire Mark’s original designs. Louis Comfort Tiffany inspired his quilt, Wisteria, now a part of The Permanent Founder’s Collection of The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. Mark learned to dye his own fabric as he focused on selecting just the right colors for his art quilts. He has developed many innovative techniques that he teaches to the quilting community. Mark draws his inspiration from nature, color, and antique stained glass. He enjoys encouraging and serving as an inspiration for other quilters.

An international award-winning quilt artist as well as an accomplished pianist and organist with a great love for arts, history, and nature, Mark’s work has been featured in numerous books, publications, and special exhibits. See his quilts at remarkablequilts.com.

A quilter since 1986, Karen’s inspiration manifests equally of innovation and tradition. Her quilts have won numerous awards, including first prizes in international competitions, and her designs appear frequently in exhibition. Her Clam Session quilt received the Master of Innovative Artistry award at IQA in 2009, and her Indian Orange Peel Quilt was People’s Choice at Quilt National ’95. Having enjoyed success in design, publication, and teaching, she finds no greater satisfaction than in hand-finishing a newly quilted piece (with the possible exception of making someone else’s color “challenge” her business). Karen holds degrees in Piano from Baylor and Indiana Universities and has two beautiful daughters and three exemplary cats. She enjoys riding her bike from historic Deep Ellum in Dallas, TX.

Trish Stuart plays across a broad spectrum of techniques and mediums. Her passion is teaching others how to successfully create their vision with fabric, thread, paints, and found objects. She teaches nationally and internationally, writing books and patterns, and sharing her unique methods and artistic skills with others. Whether you are learning painting, appliqué, collage, thread play or piecing from Trish, your creations will come together in beautiful ways. Enhance and create whimsical, usable, beautiful fiber art with the skills you will learn. Creating is fun and laughing is encouraged in the process. The methods you learn will inspire you to continue growing in the wonderful, ever-changeable quilting and fiber art field. See more at trishstuart.com.

Pat Sturtzel’s experience as an artist began with quiltmaking in the late 1970s. She has facilitated numerous family and group quilt projects and exhibited award-winning quilts. Pat became an art therapist after training at the University of Louisville, where she received her Master’s degree in 2002.

Pat uses a multi-step process to create pattern, texture, and depth in her own silk scarves. She uses the resist techniques of folding, clamping, and soy wax batik, sometimes also adding screen-printed details. Pat uses soy wax batik to add patterns to her baby and children’s clothing.

Pat enjoys facilitating art activities and projects, and works with participants of all ages and backgrounds. She works to balance the teaching of skills with encouraging creativity at a level appropriate to the participants. Her classes are fun, inspiring, and full of information.

David Taylor’s love of fabric began when he was a child digging through his mother’s sewing trash bin, creating costumes, clothing, and “crafty things” on her 1967 Sears Kenmore sewing machine. David wondered in those early days why anyone would want to cut up beautiful fabric. Since then, artistic expression in David’s life has taken many forms, including a career as a graphic artist. With every quilt, his evolution from graphic artist to world-renowned quilter shows heart, passion, story, and the incredible ability to cut up beautiful fabrics and turn them into works of art. David’s many awards include the Fairfield Master Award for Contemporary Artistry at the International Quilt Festival (2006, 2014); the Brother Wall Machine Workmanship Award at AQS QuiltWeek in Paducah (2007); two Best of Show awards at the IQA Spring Festival in Chicago (2007, 2008); and the Best MidArm/LongArm Quilting Award at Quilt Colorado (2014). David’s art quilts hang in numerous private collections worldwide. David is an ambassador for HandiQuilter's new Capri stationary quilting machine. See his quilts at DavidTaylorQuilts.com.

Joyce Teng started her career as a pharmacist but she always dreamed of being an artist. Over the past 30 years, she has worked in a variety of mixed media arts, including rubber stamping and paper crafts. Since retirement, Joyce has created an outlet through which she can share her enthusiasm and passion with fellow fiber artists. Her company, TSC Designs, carries its own line of fun and sophisticated stencils and carries a wide range of innovative products that quilters can use to customize their fabrics. Joyce also distributes Tsukineko inks and has developed many easy-to-master techniques that have helped thousands of creative minds to “color their world”!

Not only does Joyce love teaching students in her hands-on workshops, she is also busy planning new products, creating instructional workbooks, and developing her DVD series. See more at teacherstamp.com.

Ricky Tims has successfully blended two diverse passions, music and quilting, into one very unique and interesting career. His skills as a pianist, composer, and producer are well-known by the thousands who have heard his music. Ricky’s quilts have won numerous international awards. He began designing and making quilts in 1991 and went on to be named one of the “Thirty Most Distinguished Quilters in the World.” The author of ten books, Ricky maintains an extensive international schedule of teaching and speaking engagements, and is co-founder and co-host of The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims, an online, subscription-based TV show for quilters. Ricky presents “Quilt Luminarium,” workshops full of insightful quilting information, in select cities throughout the United States, and holds La Veta Quilt Retreats at his art quilt studio in the tiny mountain town of La Veta, Colorado.

Ricky is delighted to share his experience and enthusiasm with quilters of every level of expertise. He is challenged by creativity in all forms and encourages individuals to cultivate self-expression, reach for the unreachable, and believe in the impossible. Find him at rickytims.com.

Jessica VanDenburgh has a love for all things handmade. Her grandmother taught her how to sew at a young age and continuously encouraged her creativity. Jessica’s background in interior design makes her a natural with color and pattern selection. She discovered quilting and bagmaking in 2005 and started making bags for friends and family in 2007. Soon, Jessica expanded her pattern company to include simple quilts and other accessories. Her company, Sew Many Creations, began as a custom bag company, but it has grown into a pattern business that specializes in beginner-friendly bags and quilts.

Jessica’s laid-back approach to teaching makes students feel at ease. You’ll find that her classes are full of fun facts, tips, tricks, and a whole lot of laughter.

Learn more at sewmanycreationsny.com.

Kris has been sewing and quilting for over 20 years. She loves sharing her passion for quilting and all things related to fabric, believing that quilting should be fun and not stressful. Kris teaches at national shows and guilds across the country, and has won numerous national awards for her machine quilting skills over the years. Most recently Kris was awarded “Best Movable” at AQS QuiltWeek in Paducah 2018, as well as at AQS Phoenix and Des Moines in 2016. She also won the PFAFF Master Award for Machine Artistry at the International Quilt Festival in Houston in 2015. Two of her quilts, TIGER, TIGER and STAR OF INDIA, are part of the permanent collection at The National Quilt Museum in Paducah. She loves traveling and leads quilt tours all over the world. Kris believes that no matter what language you speak, fabric is universal. Check out her Stress Free Quilting™ Series for tons of quilting tips and tricks. Quilterontherun.com

Debbie has combined her passions for sewing, quilting, and teaching into Wendt Quilting, a business that is truly on the go. Debbie has a degree in Home Economics Education and eight years of teaching experience in the field. This allows her to influence her classes by breaking down and explaining the many aspects of quilting. Debbie began quilting over 30 years ago and started teaching quilting internationally in 1993 while living in Cairo, Egypt. Debbie now teaches at guilds, shops, and national shows. A unique teaching opportunity even took her to villages in Cambodia! Her article, “Teaching the World to Quilt,” was published in American Quilter. Debbie develops tools, has self-published two longarm project books, and designed many unique quilt patterns. She was a guest on Quilt It! The Longarm Quilting Show, demonstrating building and binding a quilt on a longarm. She brings tradition into modern designs and fun and confidence to each student. Learn more at wendtquilting.com.