Austin, Esterita

Internationally award-winning quiltmaker, designer, and teacher, Esterita Austin is known for her portraiture and stone series as well as her organza mono printing techniques. Her quilt "The Well" was a prizewinning piece in the American Museum of Folk Art’s international competition. Her work has been published in numerous periodicals and books. One of her international venues is a yearly workshop in the hills of Tuscany, which not only features a quilt workshop, but painting and cooking as well. Esterita has been teaching virtual workshops for guilds and groups on Zoom since early 2020. For more information check out Esterita’s website,  esteritaaustin.com. Esterita brings creative energy to her workshops, stimulating the imagination, and encouraging originality.

Butzke, Carol

Carol 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, quilt maker, 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!

Doan, Jenny

In November 2008, Jenny’s kids bought her a longarm quilt machine so she could machine quilt for their Caldwell County community. The Doan family started the Missouri Star Quilt Company, selling a few quilting supplies and primarily offering machine quilting services. They soon decided to grow the business online. They started a YouTube channel with Jenny (aka "Momma Doan") as instructor, teaching quilting techniques and ideas to beginning through advanced quilters. It wasn't long before Missouri Star became the biggest quilting YouTube channel and Jenny became a quilting celebrity. In less than four years, Missouri Star grew to offer the largest selection of pre-cut fabrics in the world, and the brick and mortar shop in Hamilton, MO has become a quilting destination attracting quilters from across the globe. Find out more at missouriquiltco.com.

Eckmeier, Karen

Karen Eckmeier, aka The Quilted Lizard, is an award-winning quilter, international teacher, author, and pattern designer. With a background in drawing, but no sewing experience, Karen taught herself how to sew in order to make her first quilt. That was over 30 years ago and she’s been hooked on fabric ever since. Nature often inspires her work, and she shows the viewer what she feels in lines and colors. Her art is happy and upbeat, concentrating on the positive and whimsical side of life, as you can tell from the titles of her books: Happy Villages, Accidental Landscapes, Wiggles & Waves, and Wearable Waves. Karen’s workshops emphasize her no-stress approach to playing with fabric, whether it be raw-edge collage or her layered/topstitching technique, students always go home with an “I can do that” attitude.

Elmore, Carol

Carol is an AQS Certified Appraiser of Quilted Textiles and an Appraisal Committee member with 30 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, KS.

Erlandson, Lisa

Lisa is a compulsive quilt collector whose habit has led to several quilt-related specialties. She is an AQS Certified Quilt Appraiser, lecturer, quilt show judge, teacher, and quilt historian. She is a past president of American Quilt Study Group. She learned to sew as a child but considered it punishment (and maybe it was). She re-discovered sewing in the 1980s as a drama teacher and made her first quilt in 1991. Lisa earned a Master’s degree in Public Communication from the University of North Texas and taught junior high, high school, and college classes before focusing on the quilt world.

Glover, Cathy

Cathy is an AQS Certified Quilt Appraiser, quilt historian, and a member of several national and regional quilt and fabric study groups. As a national speaker, she provides lectures and workshops on polyester, hexagons, and crazy and inscribed quilts. Cathy is a historical re-enactor specializing in women’s studies and quilt history. She loves to teach beginning, hand piecing, appliqué, and crazy quilting. Cathy is the owner of Prairie Quiltings, LLC., providing long-arm quilting services. She also sells vintage trims/textiles, crazy quilting, and sewing supplies. As a quilt artist, she has over 38 years of quilting knowledge and experience.

Grisdela, Cindy

Cindy is an award-winning fiber artist with over 30 years' experience creating eye-catching quilts. She specializes in improvisational quilt designs using color and texture as the primary focus, and she travels extensively all over the country teaching and lecturing to guilds and groups. Cindy is the author of Artful Improv and Adventures in Improv Quilts, published by C&T Publishing.

Helfter, Beth

Author, pattern designer, and national quilting instructor Beth has one rule about quilting - it's supposed to be fun. With that in mind, 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. Looking for staid or typical? You won't find it here. As a mostly scrappy designer, 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. Her penchant for scraps and her need to use as many fabrics as possible in her quilts led her to develop the Accordion Sewn HSTs™ method of creating half square triangles that don't have a match and yet waste no fabric. She has written two books on the method, which has been called life-changing, magical, addictive, and, her favorite, witchcraft. Beth resides in Pepperell, MA, with her husband and three daughters. She's visited guilds coast to coast and taught at national and regional quilt shows, and never tires of the ah-ha moments and banter of a classroom full of quilters.

Hiatt, Michelle Renee

Michelle Renee Hiatt is an award-winning quilter, designer and national instructor. Michelle has been sewing since before she can remember, and fell in love with quilting over 20 years ago. Michelle Renee is 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 quiltmaking. Michelle Renee is the designer for her own pattern line Sew On The Go and her designs have appeared in several international Quilting magazines. Additionally, she is a Certified Instructor for Studio 180 Design and many of her patterns have been published in their Modern 180 pattern line. Michelle Renee organizes fabulous online Mystery series which she runs twice a year. She is known for her humor, enthusiasm, and encouragement! Find out more at www.Sewonthego.net.

Luoma, Julie

Julie accidentally started quilting in 2010 and hasn't looked back. She has taught all across the US and brings a fun, relaxed teaching style to every venue. From publishing two books, traveling around the country, inventing new quilting toys to teaching, lecturing and running a business, she brings a wealth of life experiences along with her own style of quilting.

Mahoney, Nancy

Author, teacher, and fabric designer Nancy Mahoney has enjoyed making quilts for over 35 years. In that time, she has written 15 books which share her love for combining traditional blocks with updated techniques to create dazzling quilts. Her work has been featured in many publications, including over 250 national and international quilt magazines. Nancy is a strong believer that making a quilt should be fun, and that’s just what her classes are: fun. Nancy’s goal for her students is to have a good time, learn something new, and make a quilt that they will enjoy for many years. See her work at nancymahoney.com.

McNeil, Kathy

Kathy McNeil is an internationally award-winning quilt artist, judge, teacher, and designer. Sewing thousands of little scraps of fabric together by hand, she creates quilts that look like paintings. Kathy has won several Best of Show Awards. Her quilts are frequently featured in museums, magazines, calendars, and international shows. She teaches all over the U.S., Canada, and on international quilting cruises. Kathy is a master instructor of the Apliquick method and is a U.S distributor. You can find out more about Kathy’s art quilts at kathymcneilquilts.com

Michell, Marti

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.

Michell, Stacy

In 1986, Stacy started a business venture called “Shades Textiles”. After visiting several large quilt shows, she was inspired to explore the options of hand dyed textiles in the quilting marketplace. Within her first couple of years in business Stacy started exhibiting at as many as 18 quilt shows a year from smaller local events to some of the bigger venues like The American Quilter’s Society Quilt Show in Kentucky

Murtha, Diane

Diane began as a traditional quilter in the late 90’s, gradually modifying patterns and gravitating to art quilts, specifically participating in art quilt challenges. Her quilts are included in 5 published books and multiple special exhibits traveling the country, including Houston’s International Quilt Festival. Diane retired in 2016 after a 32-year career as a Department of Army civilian and now has time to be more creative and explore quilting on even more new levels! Diane and her husband, Tim currently live in Iowa. They are certified foster parents and enjoy RV-ing.

Nickels, Sue

Sue has been quilting for over 40 years, starting by hand and gradually focusing on machine work. Sue has been teaching machine techniques for the past 30 years. Sue has taught and lectured nationally and internationally for shops, guilds, and major conferences. Sue’s awards include 1998 AQS Best of Show for “The Beatles Quilt” she made with her sister, Pat Holly. Sue and Pat’s quilt “Two of Us” won the 2014 BERNINA Home Machine Workmanship Award at AQS. Sue’s most recent book is Fabulous Feathers and Fillers. Sue has also been a judge for many quilt shows. Sue's latest projects include ruler work and she has developed her own rulers for machine quilting! Sue’s priority in the workshops she teaches is to provide a relaxed environment for students to learn machine techniques that are timesaving. Sue emphasizes the best quality workmanship, never compromising quality for speed!

Nicole, Shereece

Shereece began her journey in 2010 out of boredom. She was living in a new, small town and was looking to meet new people. Thanks to a local program, she started to learn to crochet. Then she was reintroduced to quilting (the “correct” way). Shereece’s travels and everyday life began to inspire patterns she wanted to create. And now, she is sharing those designs with you and teaching skills she has learned along the way.

Proffetty, Heidi

Heidi is a professional quilter, teacher, designer, and recreational photographer. She is most known for her mosaic style of art quilts that uses her original technique along with a digital die cutting machine to create her quilts. Along with quilting, she has been creating and teaching her method of decorative stitch art designs using ordinary sewing machine stitches. She is also a regular contributor to the Janome Sewing Machine’s Maker/Artisan program where she frequently provides free digital cutter, sewing, and quilting related projects and most recently, will be a designer/contributor to Classic Sewing Magazine. Heidi lives in Massachusetts and when she isn’t quilting, she’s enjoys spending time with her two teenage daughters, flying with her husband, relaxing on a beach, baking, and beekeeping.

Roy, Gerald

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 for quilted textiles. The duo also designed the interior of The National Quilt Museum. Gerald Roy is an art teacher, painter, quiltmaker, and author. He is an advisor and consultant to the textile and fashion department of the museum of fine arts, Boston, and assisting other museums in developing their quilt collections.

Seitz-Krug, Cindy

Cindy has been quilting for more than 25 years. She is best known for her international award-winning heirloom machine quilting accomplished on a domestic sewing machine. She is an iquilt instructor and has several online domestic machine quilting classes. She has also authored a book and several magazine articles on machine quilting. Cindy has taught domestic machine quilting classes all over the country as well as in China! She feels great pride when her students tell her that after taking her classes, they have the confidence and ability to now quilt their own quilts!

Sleboda, Cheryl

Cheryl "Muppin" Sleboda is an award-winning, international quilter, fiber artist, and educator. She has appeared over 60 times on national television programs such as Quilting Arts TV, and It's Sew Easy. Cheryl is the fabric manipulation expert, and she loves to teach her students both the history of the techniques as well as fun and modern ways they can be used in your work. Cheryl has recently relocated to Paducah, KY to grow her online business and open a retail boutique. You can find out more at www.muppin.com.

Thomas, Sarah

Sarah discovered the world of quilting by chance after becoming a military wife. Always on the move, she left her career as a corporate pilot and dove head first into creating keepsake quilts for her fellow military families. Always a fan of algebra & geometry and with a keen eye for color & design, she has expanded her talents to include pattern writing and surface pattern design with Moda Fabrics. Sarah is also a designer for Aurifil and has her own line of quilting rulers, tailor's clappers, and sewing notions. Catch up with Sarah online at sariditty.com

Tims, Ricky

Ricky 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. He’s also the 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, CO. 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.

VanDenburgh, Jessica

Jessica 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 bag making 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 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.

Whitney, Kristina

Kristina began quilting with her grandmother in the 1990s. Her love of quilting continued to grow when she shared it with others as she moved around the United States and Guatemala. She pieced and quilted on her domestic machine until being introduced to longarm quilting in 2014. Once she got her hands on a longarm machine, she was hooked. She loves to share her passion of longarm quilting with others. Kristina has taught at many levels and loves to watch her students when they have their “aha” moment. Her goal is to give her students the skills and knowledge to overcome their fears and gain the confidence they need. She enjoys all types of longarm quilting including rulers, computerized, micro, feathers, free-motion, and everything in between. In addition to teaching, she runs her own quilting business and enjoys making quilts for charities. Kristina loves to think outside of the box and to push herself to try new things. Her passion for quilting is contagious! For more information check out Kristina’s website, kristinasquilting.wordpress.com.

Willingham, Margaret

Margaret sees quilts as transcriptions of the world around us – in her work, she is inspired by the functional elegance of Victorian architecture, from iron grates to grand facades, as well as the natural beauty of creation. In her designs, she want to enable you to bring this beauty and elegance to your own home to create a sense of welcome and hospitality for the people you love. Margaret Brewster Willingham, the creative mind at work behind Eye of the Beholder Quilt Designs, is a national teacher and lecturer, pattern designer, and author. Margaret’s quilts are influenced by the dynamic elements of movement, color, and design that she has used for over 40 years as a choreographer of dance. She is most well-known for the innovative (and foolproof!) methods she’s devised for reverse applique – Trace, Baste, Snip and Stitch, which takes the mystery (and hardship) out of reverse applique. In addition to her own pattern designs, she designs patterns for commercial and Indie fabric companies, and co-authored her first book in 2018: Christmas RAPPing, Christmas Quilts featuring Reverse Appliqué & Paper-Piecing (with Nan Baker). She teaches regularly at specialist applique retreats and also at festivals

Womack, Kevin

Kevin is a textile artist living in Lynchburg, VA. In 1986, he was introduced to quilting by his maternal grandmother. Having always loved the legacy of family quilts, he decided to have her teach him the tradition. He was hooked from the first stitch and continues producing quilts and quilt art today. Kevin is passionate about hand dyeing and patterning fabrics with surface design techniques. His experiments produce a line of unique fabrics and clothing that he exhibits and sells. He was awarded Best in Show for his diptych, Equilibrium, in Quilts=Art=Quilts 2021 at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, NY. His work has also been included in Quilt National and Quilt Visions.