OUR CURRENT EDUCATORS
Unsurpassed artistry.
Sherida Giddings
Sherida remembers having a serious case of ‘quilt envy’ at a very early age, when her cousin was given a traditional crazy quilt. While her own mother and grandmother passed on the skills for creating wonderful things by knitting, crochet and tatting, Sherida always dreamed of making her very own crazy quilt. While that still has not happened, it sparked her lifetime love of quilts and quilting. Sherida joined her first quilt guild over 20 years ago, and along with finding lifetime friends, it provides a constant source of quilting inspiration.
She now belongs to several guilds and loves attending meetings, and seeing all the amazing things that others have accomplished. While Sherida was working as a Canadian Acquisitions Specialist at Library and Archives Canada, she took a break from quilting to teach highly successful rubber stamping and scrapbooking classes.
Her passion for quilting kept surfacing, and when she was offered the opportunity to for early retirement, it seemed like a sign to return to quilting full time. It also encouraged her to look at become more involved by teaching and sharing her love of quilting with others. She started teaching at locally, as well as taking classes from other instructors, including Judy Niemeyer Certified Instructors. These courses sparked her interest to become a Certified Instructor herself, and she signed up to begin the creative journey and fulfill this dream.
As a Certified Instructor for Judy Niemeyer/Quiltworx, Sherida has found a way to combine her love of teaching, with the sharing of the precision of Judy’s paper piecing techniques. It is a wonderful feeling to encourage others to develop more confidence in their own skills while creating something special, and having fun at the same time. Sherida will happily travel anywhere in Canada and further abroad. She looks forward to sharing her growing collection of quilts as a Trunk Show, as well the having the opportunity to teach at shops, guilds and retreats.
Erin Grogan
MJ Kinman
MJ Kinman’s passion is creating quilts inspired by beautiful gems. The key is freezer paper and MJ is delighted to share her technique with students via in-person and virtual classes.
MJ’s work has been exhibited at the National Quilt Museum, the International Quilt Museum, the New England Quilt Museum, Quilt Festival (Houston, TX), Quilt Week (Paducah, KY), and Festival of Quilts (Birmingham, UK). Her work is included in collections as varied as Maker’s Mark Distillery, the National Quilt Museum (Paducah, KY) and the International Quilt Museum (Lincoln, NE), plus many private collections around the United States.
MJ’s popular Birthstone Series patterns feature traditional birthstone gems, and her Diamond Divas Series offer large, artistic quilts easily customizable by makers. Her first book, Gemstone Quilts, was released by C&T Publishing in 2020.
Shereece Nicole
Hello there! I’m Shereece Nicole of Sew Hooked on Treasures. My quilting journey began in 2010 out of boredom. I was living in a new, small town and I was looking to meet new people. Thanks to a local program, I started to learn to crochet. Then I was reintroduced to quilting (the “correct” way). My travels and everyday life began to inspire patterns I wanted to create. And now, I’m sharing those designs with you and teaching skills I’ve learned along the way.
Johanne Moore
Johanne is an accomplished quilter and long armer, who has been involved in all aspects of sewing since she was a teen. She has worked at local quilt shops and taught a multitude of different quilting classes, including Quiltworx paper piecing, and is involved with teaching new quilters in 4H. She has taken classes from local and international quilt teachers, including Judy Niemeyer and various Quiltworx Certified Instructors. Her piecing and long arm work has been featured in several quilting magazines and a book.
She got her sea legs in 2018 while assisting Sherida on a Quilt Retreat at Sea Cruise to Hawaii and is looking forward to sharing her passion on her next cruise to Alaska in 2023.
Corinne Sovey
I am a graphic designer, quilter, and color enthusiast. I aim to make colorful quilts that blend the graphic patterns of the design world with the time-honored tradition of patchwork. With great attention to detail, each quilt is designed with graphic purpose and balance. I try to make contemporary quilts inspired by design, but achievable by today’s quilter.
I have been quilting for almost a decade. I grew up the daughter of a quilter and have always had crafting in my blood. I’m a fan of both modern and traditional quilts, and like seeing how the two styles can work together. I often refer to my style as “Graphic Quilting” because I like bold, graphic shapes and bright colors. I am thrilled to also be part of the BERNINA 2021 class of ambassadors!With my graphic design and crafty background, I feel quilting is something I was meant to do. I can spend hours on my computer designing a million quilts, or days in my sewing room working on a project. I enjoy learning new techniques and challenging myself to do things the hard way. I also enjoy the challenge of writing patterns that people will find easy to follow, regardless of their skill level.
Belle Brunner
Belle began quilting in in her mid-40’s and quickly fell in love with the craft. After taking an intensive pattern writing course, she began designing and publishing quilt patterns. She focuses on confident beginner patterns and techniques that even advanced quilters love to make and believes that all people, of any age, can learn to quilt. Her patterns are sold by major distributors and The Fat Quarter Shop. Belle is a brand ambassador for Havels Sewing, The Daylight Company, and Oliso. She is a former 2022 Maywood Studio Maker and is a 2023 Instructor for the American Quilters Society. She and her father own an AIRBNB in a national forest where she hosts small quilting retreats.
Having spent years helping non-profits and boards of directors, Belle expanded her Seams Sew Me business to also specialize in providing leadership, governance, consulting and education for quilt guilds’ boards of directors. She believes that strong inclusive guilds contribute to strong communities. She leads and teaches with her two leading values: of compassion and understanding.
Learn more about Belle at https://www.seamssewme.com/
Rebecca Lidstrom
Rebecca Lidstrom is the founder and creative force behind Studio R Quilts. She is an enthusiastic quilter, designer, and instructor.
Rebecca made her first quilt in 2004 and immediately fell in love with all things quilting. She incorporates simple design changes to create dynamic quilts that are easy to make. Her quilts and patterns have been featured in various quilting magazines and she is a 2023 Maywood Maker.
In addition to quilt pattern design, Rebecca presents lectures and trunk shows to quilt guilds. She also teaches workshops and classes to guilds and quilt shops. She creates from her studio in Madison, WI.
You can find Rebecca online at www.studiorquilts.com. She is also on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube @studiorquilts.