FORUMS

Calling all machine quilting enthusiasts! Six of the top machine quilting artists from the Quilt Festival faculty will present this focus, coordinated by Jenny K. Lyon. Each will give a digital presentation or show-and-tell of their particular expertise. Then spend 15 minutes with each machine quilting artist as they demonstrate the topics listed below.

Go home with a booklet consisting of a handout from each designer, new machine quilting skills, and lots of enthusiasm.

Nina Clotfelter—Ruler Work on Your Home Machine!
Clotfelter will show you how doing ruler work on your domestic sewing machine will open up a whole new world for you in your free-motion quilting. Ruler work actually makes free-motion quilting easier for you! www.ninaquilts.com

Sue Heinz—One and Done!
Finding the right combination of quilting designs to harmonize together on a quilt can be challenging. Discover how just one simple shape can be easily transformed into a variety of unique block, grid, triangle, linear and circular designs, and more. Simple shapes, stunning results, and easy to master! www.sueheinz.com

Jenny K. Lyon—Fun and Easy Free-Motion Quilting—Easy Projects for All
Wouldn't it be nice to discover free-motion quilting projects that build your skills and confidence in a "safe" space? Whether you are a beginner or experienced quilter, learn about playful projects that you can test new threads, battings, designs, or fabrics on without fear. Build confidence and skills on these side projects so that you're confident on those "special" quilts. www.quiltskipper.com

RaNae Merrill—Quilt Any Design with Six Basic Shapes
Six Basic Shapes make up the "alphabet" of quilting. Learn three ways to practice these shapes and embed in your muscle memory, before you go to the sewing machine. Then quilt any pattern with confidence! (For domestic and longarm machines.) www.ranaemerrillquilts.com

Sarah Ann Smith—Quilt-Coloring with Thread
Remember when you were in grade school, what a thrill it was when your mom splurged and bought you the BIG box of crayons? Well...thread is like playing with that big box of crayons, but we have even more choices of thread types and colors. Learn how to select and use a range of thread colors and types for your quilting. www.sarahannsmith.com

Carol Wilhoit—Take a "Time Out" Before Machine Quilting
A short "time out" before you start quilting can help prevent later disappointment. Consider how you will begin and end your stitching. Make a quick sample to test marking tools, thread weight and color, bobbin color, tension, and the quilting design and density. Then adjust as needed until you love the results! www.carolquilts.com

See what this exciting event is all about! Six of the top artists from the Quilt Festival faculty will present this mixed focus, coordinated by Sarah Ann Smith. Each will give a digital presentation or show-and-tell of her particular expertise. Then, spend 15 minutes with each artist as they demonstrate the topics listed below.

Go home with a booklet consisting of a handout from each presenter, new ideas, information on products and processes, and lots of enthusiasm.

Mendie Cannon—Brazilian Embroidery—Is It Really Brazilian?
In addition to the handout on the beginnings of Brazilian embroidery, the necessary tools to complete the designs will be shown and demonstrated. The usual embroidery supplies of scissors, magnifier and light, needle grabbers, threaders, and the needles will be shown along with the threads needed to call your design Brazilian. www.bestitched.biz

Susan K. Cleveland—Dynamic Dresdens—The Unexpected!
Create double-pointed Dresden arcs and rings without the need for appliquéd centers. Learn tips to make pointy points and perfectly flat rings. Design possibilities are staggering! www.piecesbewithyou.com

Nancy Goldsworthy—Ten Things You Never Knew About Hand Sewing Needles
Have you ever wondered what makes a Chenille needle different from a Tapestry needle? Or that hand needles are numbered the opposite from machine needles? Or that a Straw needle is the same as a Milliners? Get answers to these and other "sticky" needle questions. www.ninepatchquilting.com

Nancy Hinds—Improvisational Piecing
Try something new! This technique is wonderful for creating backgrounds for appliqué, doing some extreme quilting, or simply artfully constructing a unique quilt. Hinds loves to quilt words or poetry on my wall hangings made with this method. This may not be the fastest way to stitch a piece together, but you will be pleased with a quilt that is quite rewarding and unique! www.fiberartsstudio.com

Cindy Lohbeck—Rad Ombrés—Ombré Fabric the Easy Way!
Cindy Lohbeck's work smarter, not harder approach to ombré has created a whole new way to dye fabric! Her innovative new "Drip Rig" offers an easy, portable way to achieve light to dark value gradations, color to color blends, center out ombrés, striations, and much, much more! www.dyehardsstudio.com

Sarah Ann Smith—Design Inspiration for Quilting
Find inspiration for quilting designs everywhere and learn how to translate what you see into shapes you can reproduce to create your own custom quilting designs. www.sarahannsmith.com

Twenty-five Festival teachers at separate tables around the room offer continuous demonstrations of particular techniques and methods. Students circulate around the room informally. Enrollees receive a booklet consisting of a handout from each participating teacher.

Kathie Beltz—Quick and Easy Flying Geese with the Wing Clipper

Ruth Ann Berry—Piecing 60° Triangles for 3-D Effect

Mendie Cannon— Brazilian Embroidery Threads and Basic Stitches

Susan K. Cleveland—Piping Adds Pizzazz!

Vickie Clontz—Wonderful World of Wet Felting

Nina Clotfelter—Ruler Work on Your Domestic Machine—OH YES!

Martha DeLeonardis—T-Shirt Quilts Made Easy

Kathy Dunigan—Bodacious Broderie Perse-Liqué™—"This Ain't Your Mama's Way She Did It!" with Kathy Dunigan

Susan Edmonson—Flower Doodles

Katie Fowler—Needle Felted Wool Appliqué—Stitch Optional

Nancy Goldsworthy—Needles and Threads and Bobbins, Oh My!

Lois Hallock—Organized Quilt Studio in Three Easy Steps

Sue Heinz—360º Grids

Nancy Hinds—Curved Strip Piecing

Cindy Lohbeck—Mandala Madness—Ice-Dyeing from Mini to Mega

Rita Lynne—3-D Fabric Manipulation

Jenny K. Lyon—Straight-Line Ruler Work—Easy and Accurate, Every Single Time!

RaNae Merrill—Make a T-Shirt Quilt...As You Go!

Marti Michell—Great Ideas for Pre-Cuts

Nancy Roelfsema—Painting Fabric for Your Next Quilting Project

Marian Smith—Folded Christmas Ornament

Sarah Ann Smith—Fun and Fancy Threads for Machine Quilting

Cindy Walter—Heliography

Debbie Wendt—Perfect Bindings Every Time

Carol Wilhoit—Fussy Cutting