Instructors Quilt Show Reno 2027

Karen Barry - Quilt Passions

Karen is the owner of Quilt Passions Quilt and Needlework Shop and calls Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi home.

A former elementary school teacher, she brings clarity, patience, and encouragement to every class she teaches. Inspired by the beauty and tradition of Hawaiian quilting as well as the challenge of intricate piecing, Karen loves helping students experience those joyful “lightbulb” moments.

When she’s not teaching, traveling to quilt shows, enjoying Hawaiian sunsets, or playing with her grandchildren, she organizes quilting retreats that welcome quilters from around the world—always with a spirit of aloha. www.quiltpassions.net

Sandra Bruce – Sandra Bruce

My love of quilts began when I was neighbors with the quilt artist Therese May in the early 1980’s when she and I began a quilt group. After moving to Grass Valley, I began in earnest taking quilt classes and learning new techniques, starting with the fundamentals. My background is in
illustration and lettering, which was my freelance career for over 25 years. This influenced my quilt work greatly and set me up for the work I went on to do.

My teaching repertoire includes Material Matrix, Color Dance, Stitching Words, and Scrap Vortex, all of which can be seen on my website. You may find me at www.sandrabruce.com.

Amanda Carita - Amanda's Bundles

Amanda has been sewing since she was a small child, and her passion for sewing lies in knit garments.

She will bring her knowledge of garment construction and fabrics to classes suitable for everyone.

www.amandasbundles.com

Ashley Coffey / Pieces of Love Quilt Shop

Ashley Coffey is the owner of Pieces of Love Quilt Shop and Pieces of Love Retreats in Oroville, California. A longarm quilter, teacher, and certified Stripology instructor, she’s been helping quilters for nearly a decade.

Ashley loves guiding beginners, cheering them on through tricky techniques, and connecting makers with the fabrics and tools that bring their projects to life. Through her shop, classes, quilting services, and new retreat center, she’s built a creative hub where community and creativity stitch together beautifully. www.piecesoflovequiltshop.com

Phyllis Cullen – Phyllis Cullen Art Studio

Phyllis Cullen is an internationally known artist, author, instructor, curator, mentor, and activist, as well as a retired physician. Her books on fabric portraiture, "It's all About the Face" and "More Than Just a Pretty Face,” complement her ongoing virtual and in-person worldwide teaching, curating, and sales.

Her lifelong dedication to mentorship, connections, and advocacy attests to her belief in the power and wonder of the art form, whether through her fabric, paper, clay, wool, or beadwork. "Art exists to enrich our lives, to tell our stories, and to open our minds.” 

www.phylliscullenartstudio.com

Sandi daRoza - Rogers Lane Studio

Sandi is a fiber artist and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the maker behind Rogers Lane Studio.

Her intuitive, freeform quilts converse with color, texture, and movement. Signature floral motifs and whimsical spirit run through her work.

 www.rogerslanestudios.com

Jim Davis – Sew So Shop

Jim started his quilting career back in 2010 when his wife pulled him from being a professional bass fisherman to help her run the Sew So Shop.

Jim and Nicky knew immediately that long arms were going to be a key factor that kept the quilt store singing. 16 years later and thousands of quilts under his belt, Jim is still stitching along. Over the 16 years, he has developed a keen understanding of the important and not-so-important features that are key when making a longarm decision.

www.sewsoshop.com

Heidi Emmett - Designs by Heidi Emmett

I started sewing at age 8. By the time I was 12, I sewed all my own clothes. Thus began a 40+ career in ALL things Fiber, including 16 years as the owner of a full-service fabric store, which I opened at age 25.

I now design creative clothing patterns, upcycled garments, and fiber accessories that are easy to sew and FUN to wear. Piece them, quilt them, bead them, felt them- the possibilities are endless!

Visit my Blog/Newsletter to learn more:  https://DesignsbyHeidi.wordpress.com

Rona Herman - Rona the Ribbiter

Rona Herman, also known as Rona the Ribbiter, is an author, teacher, pattern designer, YouTube host, and owner of Quilting.com, with a passion to experience all that life (and quilting) has to offer. Rona’s unique pattern style of pairing traditional quilt block piecing with a modern look and utilizing direction and fabric placement allows her to combine both her love of art and mathematics.

Her quilts may look difficult. But, in truth, they are as easy to assemble as any traditional quilt. Today Rona is traveling the globe sharing her tips, tricks, inspiration, and travel adventures with quilters the world over. www.ronatheribbiter.com

Marjan Kluepfel – Marjan's Fabric Art

Marjan Kluepfel was born in the Netherlands. She has lived in Florida, Hawaii, Australia, and South Carolina. After working in academia for many years, she is now a full-time studio artist in Davis, CA.

Marjan has been creating art quilts and dyeing fabric since 1990. Her work has been juried into many shows, and she teaches her fabric art both nationally and internationally. Marjan's work is for sale at several commercial galleries and artists' cooperatives in Northern California. You can view her work on her website: http://www.marjankluepfel.com

Linda McGehee – Ghee’s

Designer, Linda McGehee has a diverse sewing background with 55 years of experience from garments to handbags, piecing to heirloom, surface manipulation to combining a variety of methods into a sampler of various techniques. Linda has traveled the globe demonstrating and lecturing from her books and is much sought after at trade and machine conventions, consumer shows, guilds, shops & television.

Linda is the owner of Ghee’s mail-order sewing and notions company. The most popular patterns are those designed by Linda for handbags with ready-to-wear handbag hardware. She has published several books on sewing: Texture with Textiles (winner in the sewing division of PCM’s 1992 Product of Excellence Awards); More...Texture With Textiles (finalist for the same award in 1993); a Companion Project Book; Spiraling Schemes and Chromatics (winner in the sewing book division of the 1997 Primedia Awards of Excellence); and Zip Couture. Creating Texture With Textiles; Simply Sensational Bags - How to Stitch and Embellish Handbags, Totes, and Satchels; and the Perfect Bag - 101 Stylish Looks from Simple Patterns are books authored by Linda and published by KP Publications.

Linda’s vest patterns are base patterns styled for further manipulation using any sewing, quilting, embroidery, and decorative techniques. Her tools are designed to make stitching easier, faster, and more accurate. www.Ghees.com

Velda Newman

Velda Newman is a contemporary quilt maker and fiber artist from Nevada City, California. Her large-scale designs, portraying subjects from nature, have been exhibited extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Newman uses textiles and thread the way other artists use paint and brush. Her primary source of inspiration is the natural world, and her exquisitely crafted quilts reflect the detail and design she finds there. Her work has appeared in many national and international publications and exhibitions, including as a featured artist at the first international show in Mexico, 2018. Her work is included in both public and private collections. Her quilt ZINNIA was selected by the Quilt Visions 2010 Committee to be the recipient of the Quilts Japan Prize. Velda has been awarded “Best of Show” twice at Houston, and her quilt "HYDRANGEA" was selected as one of the 100 Best Quilts of the 20th Century.

Velda lectures and teaches her techniques on an international level for many conferences and quilt guilds. Her book, VELDA NEWMAN: A Painter’s Approach To Quilt Design, was published by Fiber Studio Press. The second book, A Workshop With Velda Newman, was published by C&T Publishing. https://www.veldanewman.com/

Jeanne Pincha-Tulley - Color2Dye4

Growing up in Alabama with two aeronautical engineer parents, their concept of “crafting” involved metals, electrical wires, or one was a “artistic painter’. That’s it. I embroidered. I did point out the needle was metal. This skill lapsed for decades while I raised a family and built a great career in the wildland fire service.

To reengage with non-adrenaline junkie cultures, I learned to quilt. After testing many techniques, I settled on appliqué. I love appliqué! I can imitate Nature's designs faster than piecing. That’s important, as I spent decades running around the woods. Ok…most times the “woods” were in the process of charring. However, in my quilting world, the “woods” are alive, growing, and frequently floral!

Wool and I became buddies. It’s adaptative and easily prepared. I dye my own wool for a wider color/texture range. I mix wool and cotton fabrics to add “flare” to my designs.

It struck me one night: I could embrace my embroidery roots and combine it with my appliqué fetish. I broadened my knowledge beyond the two stitches to enhance my appliqué. Now I appliqué and give ample embroidery time to each block to create a quilt that will never grace a bed. jpinchatulley@gmail.com

Gina Perkes – The Copper Needle

Gina Perkes is an internationally award-winning quilter. In 2015, she received the Best Longarm Machine Workmanship award at the AQS Paducah show. Her quilt Nostalgia is now part of the American Quilter’s Society collection displayed at the National Quilt Museum in Kentucky. Gina has been quilting for nearly two decades and has developed many tools for machine quilters, including ruler templates and stencils for longarm and domestic machine quilting.

She has appeared on several quilting shows and is the author of: Mastering the Art of Longarm Quilting, Appliquilting, Guide to Grids, and Tips for Longarm Quilting. She operates her shop, The Copper Needle, BERNINA sewing machine, and longarm dealership in Payson, Arizona. Gina loves working with other quilters, sharing her techniques and helping them find inspiration and gain confidence.

She teaches both domestic and longarm techniques and believes that quilting is therapeutic and strives to create a stress-free, fun learning environment for her students. https://thecopperneedle.com

Giuseppe Ribaudo – Giucy Giuce

Giuseppe Ribaudo, known as Giucy Giuce, is a New York–born, Portland‑based fabric designer and modern quilter.

Taught to sew by his Sicilian grandmother, he rediscovered the craft in college and eventually moved into quilting and textile design. After working in marketing and multimedia at Andover Fabrics, he shifted fully into fabric design, releasing collections such as Quantum, Nonna, and Sleuth.

He now designs fabric and patterns, lectures, and teaches workshops. www.giucygiuce.com

Stacie Spradlin - Seams Divine LLC

Stacie Spradlin has been sewing and quilting for well over 25 years. What began mainly as a hobby while raising and homeschooling her two daughters turned into a career in quilting and machine embroidery in 2012, when she opened her Etsy shop, Seams Divine. In 2016, she purchased a long-arm and quickly became passionate about both edge-to-edge and custom quilting.

Stacie is a nationally award-winning quilter, quilts for BeColourful designer Jacqueline de Jonge, Quiltworx designer Judy Niemeyer, Tilda and Riley Blake designers, and has had her quilting work featured in recent publications. She has taught for the American Quilter’s Society (AQS), the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Road to California, QuiltFest in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival, and for several other quilt shows throughout the US. She also speaks at quilting workshops where she demonstrates and shares her expertise in both quilting and design.

Stacie is also an Authorized Instructor for Jacqueline de Jonge of BeColourful Quilts. Please contact her for class information on these sensational paper-pieced patterns.

Traveling and teaching is something Stacie looks forward to as she loves to help fellow longarm quilters and piecers develop their own sense of style. From foundation paper piecing to advanced binding techniques, Stacie loves to add special details that give her quilts something extra. She is always looking for ways to continue her own education so that she can help you create quilts that will be treasured for years to come. www.seamsdivine.com

Michelle Trimble - Quilting Chemistry

Michelle Trimble started quilting in 2018 and quickly pushed herself to tackle new skills in the quilting realm. Her award-winning quilts have hung in major national shows including QuiltCon, Paducah, and the Houston Quilt Festival. She leverages her 20 years of public education experience while teaching quilting workshops hosted by guilds and local fabric stores.

Michelle strongly believes that every quilter is capable of more than they think and supports quilters trying new-to-them skills with clearly written patterns, often offering companion tutorial videos to coach quilters through skills needed to complete the pattern.

Michelle’s pattern writing business, Quilting Chemistry, debuted in 2024 with her pattern, Dew Drops, which was featured in Make Modern. Her quilts embody her bold modern aesthetic and often feature her love of curves. You can see more of her work on Instagram (@quiltingchemistry) or find out more on her website: wwwquiltingchemistry.com

Jen Wagner - Snapdragon Quilting

Hi! I’m Jen Wagner, a quilt pattern designer and instructor from Las Vegas, NV, with a background as a women’s health nurse practitioner and certified nurse midwife. After decades of helping women make informed health decisions, I now have the joy of helping quilters create quilts they love. My patterns blend modern and traditional techniques while embracing bold design and vibrant color.

Teaching quilters the techniques I use in my patterns - curved piecing, reverse appliqué, and foundation paper piecing - has been incredibly rewarding. I love seeing the moment when everything clicks and they fall in love with the process.

At Snapdragon Quilting, I design quilt patterns, curate gorgeous quilt kits, and stock my favorite notions to make the quilting process smoother and more enjoyable. Our Las Vegas shop brings quilters together for classes, inspiration, and community. I’m honored to work with beautiful fabrics, tools, and threads as a BenartExpert with Benartex, an Oliso Ambassador, and a Threaducator for WonderFil, sharing inspiration, techniques, and tips with quilters everywhere. www.snapdragonquilting.com

Sandra L Wagner - Fiber and Multi-Media Artist

Sandra makes art quilts, is a hand dyer, surface designer using paints on fabric, and designs Art to Wear. Fabric has been in her life as long as she can remember, starting with doll clothes. It was a natural thing to go from sewing children's and adult clothing to making wearable art and art quilts. The hand-dyeing process is a bonus for a day of play. It has been rewarding to incorporate fabric, canvas, wood, and paint together. She is a past quilt shop owner and now teaches workshops in quilting, one-of-a-kind garments, and fabric dyeing.

Sandra is an award-winning quilter and wearable artist and has shown nationally and internationally in galleries and has pieces in private collections throughout the United States. She has designed for the Bernina Runway Fashion show, which was previewed at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX. Her garments, hand-dyed batiks and art quilts have been published in “On The Surface” by Wendy Hill, “Diamond Quilts and Beyond” by Jan Krentz, “Furoshiki Fabric Wraps” by the Pixeladies, and Bernina of America “Fashion Imagination”. Sandra has won many awards over the years. She has been juried into Studio Art Quilt Association (SAQA) National and Regional shows, Blueline Gallery, Houston International Quilt Festival, Gallery 10, plus others. Sandra curated the annual 5-month gallery show “Artistry in Cloth” at Shenandoah Vineyard, Plymouth, CA, for 9 years.

She is a member of Studio Arts Quilt Association (SAQA), STASH Art Quilt Group, Sierra Gold Quilters Guild, Mendocino Art Center, Gallery 10, Fiber Art Now, World Shibori Network, and Amador County Artists.

Living in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California, she finds inspiration in the landscape and colors around her. Sandra shares her Pine Grove home with her husband John, and daughter Hilary. www.sandralwagner.com  - slwagner2015@gmail.com

Beth Watts - Fabric-Chicks

Beth has been sewing and quilting since she was a young girl. Beth went to work for elinor peace bailey Cloth Dolls when she was 15 and has been involved in the quilting industry for the past 30 years.

Beth's greatest passion is Dimensional Fabric Art Quilting. Beth doesn't believe in rules- she believes we make quilts because we love to create and be inspired. None of us "needs" another quilt!

Beth is a Certified Sulky Instructor who specializes in Thread Painting. www.fabric-chicks.com