OUR CURRENT EDUCATORS

On February 8, 2003, Joan Ford took her first quilting class and was hooked! Since then, Joan has completed countless quilts – hundreds and hundreds. But who’s counting?!

In 2006, Joan established her company, Hummingbird Highway. She has taught workshops, featuring the popular ScrapTherapy book and pattern series which helps quilters relieve the guilt of a growing scrap fabric stash.

A thorough overview of the process is detailed in the book ScrapTherapy®, Cut the Scraps! published by The Taunton Press. Her second and third book in the Scrap Therapy series ScrapTherapy®, Scraps Plus One! patterns and ScrapTherapy, The Verstaile Nine Patch, were released by The Taunton Press in 2013 and 2017.

As an avid bird lover, Joan developed a monthly pieced pattern series called The FLOCK. A new patchwork bird kit is shipped to member quilters each month. She is currently developing new techniques and online classes to combine quilting and charted stitchery.

As owner of Hummingbird Highway, LLC, Joan designs in her home studio and office. Joan, her husband, Dave, and their three pet birds live in Syracuse, New York.

Gudrun Erla, the designer and owner of GE Designs was born and raised in Iceland. She started quilting at the age of 23. After owning and running quilt shops in her home country and designing patterns along the way, quilting brought her to Minnesota in 2003. Since then Gudrun has been designing full time, publishing patterns and books as well as designing groundbreaking tools for quilting for years, including the best selling Stripology rulers. Gudrun loves to take traditional ideas and put a little bit of a modern spin on them. All her patterns and books are geared toward today’s quilt makers, easy and innovative with a modern touch.

Peggy is returning for her 3rd cruise with Quilting Adventures.  She’s a patient, caring and very informative educator.  We can’t wait to cruise with her again.

Peggy has been quilting and helping others learn the joy of quilt making for over 40 years. As a quilt teacher, sharing the art of quilt making is her passion. She has taught quilt making across the United States and in Canada teaching at large guild classes, quilting retreats and small private groups in her home. Her teaching style won her a nomination for Quilt Teacher of the Year sponsored by the Professional Quilter.

Peggy loves making traditional quilt patterns look new again with modern fabrics and techniques. She enjoys trying and learning different techniques in the quilt making process, always looking for an easier way to conquer those seemingly intricate patterns.

Originally from Oregon, Peggy spent 22 years in Ketchikan, Alaska with her husband, Ron, raising their three children. With the children grown she and her husband have come back home to Oregon.

To see more of Peggy’s work, visit her website:  https://yellowhousequilter.com/

 Veronica was taught to sew by her grandma at the age of 4. Her first project was to sew a button and from there, her projects grew. She learned to machine sew by accidentally sewing over her finger and has since learned the right way to use a sewing machine. Growing up she made most of her own clothes, and enjoyed making clothes for her children when they were growing up. In 1990 she was introduced to quilting by her mother-in-law and was hooked. Since then, she has taught many classes and workshops.

She is the owner of Bear Thread Designs, Inc. which is the manufacturer of The Applique Pressing Sheet ™, Grip-n-Press™, Grip-n-Grip, The Angelina Sheet, Stick-n-Press and Sew Clean. Our products were first featured in Miniature Quilts Magazine and have also been seen in mediums such as, Sewing & Embroidery Professionals, Round Bobbin’s Newsletter, Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting and Quiltmaker. Veronica has appeared on American Quilts Creatively on 8 different shows as well as being featured on QNN. The Appliqué Pressing Sheet has also been featured on many HGTV programs and has been used and endorsed by many quilting personalities such as, Sue Hausmann of America Sews and America Quilts Creatively, Debbie Mumm of Mumm’s the Word, McKenna Ryan of Pine Needle Designs and Linda Simmons of Sulky. In the winter of 2001,

Lynn Wheatley’s passion is quilting! Quilting for over 40 years, she especially enjoys the satisfaction of teaching and sharing her experiences with the creative process, quilt design, piecing techniques, and utilization of tools for quilt construction.  As a retired Engineer with 30+ years’ experience in process and design, Lynn applies many of these same techniques in quilt making.   Lynn loves working through every step of the process to help students learn new skills and techniques, from beginner to accomplished quilter.  Lynn brings her personal touch of patience, organization, and encouraging style to the classroom.

Lynn is an Instructor for the American Quilt Society, a Certified Instructor for Studio 180 Design in precision traditional piecing, Sew Kind of Wonderful in curved piecing and Laura Heine in collage art quilting.  Lynn has also published her own quilt designs and is honored to be a Pattern Designer with Island Batik.

Website: lynnwheatley.com               Facebook: LynnWheatleyQuilter

Instagram: @lynnwheatleyquilter

Carla Alexiuk is a dedicated and experienced quilting instructor with over 30 years of quilting expertise and 25 years of teaching experience. Her passion for quilting is matched by her enthusiasm for sharing her knowledge, particularly in quilt design, piecing techniques, and the effective use of modern tools in quilt
construction and creativity.

Leveraging her background as a retired post-secondary educator, Carla applies her extensive skills in adult education to her quilting instruction. She is committed to guiding students through every step of the quilting process, helping them master new skills and techniques, whether they are beginners or seasoned quilters.  Her teaching approach is characterized by patience, organization, and a genuine enthusiasm that creates a supportive and engaging learning environment.

Carla has published 13 of her own quilt designs and is proud to serve as a Pattern Designer with Island Batik.  She is also a Certified Instructor for Studio 180 Design, specializing in precision traditional piecing, and for Sew Kind of Wonderful, focusing on curved piecing. Carla’s deep knowledge and passion for quilting make her a sought-after instructor in the quilting community.

Victoria comes from a long line of creative people. On her mother’s side, her mom, aunt, grandmother and great grandmother, were all accomplished sewists, knitters and quilters. On Victoria father’s side her dad was a welder and metal fabricator, and his father was a wood worker who built boats and homes.

With this much creativity on both her mom and dad’s side of the family, there was no doubt that Victoria would be creative as well. She started sewing at a young age, first doll clothes and simple quilts, and then some clothing.

She took her first official quilting class with a local teacher who asked her “Why are you taking a beginning sewing class? You have far surpassed this level!”  In 2012 Victoria made the official jump to paper piecing when she started her journey to becoming a Judy Niemeyer certified instructor, which she did for 10 years.

Several years later, with the encouragement of a fellow paper piecing friend Victoria pulled out the pattern and took another look. This time she was intrigued by what she saw and started making BeColourful Quilts. She got hooked on the method and bright colors and decided that she wanted to become an Authorized BeColourful certified instructor.

Victoria is looking forward to having you in one of her upcoming classes starting in 2025. Feel free to contact Victoria at foreverquiltingforyou@gmail.com or on her ETSY site ForeverQuilting4You@etsy.com.

Sherri Noel embodies a creative spirit with a passion for sewing. A published author, teacher, and pattern designer, Sherri’s work has graced the pages of several prestigious magazines and quilting books over the past decade plus.  Her quilting journey began in college, inspired by her creative and industrious grandmothers. Upon graduating college, her parents gifted her a sewing machine, sparking a love for quilting that would define her career. Sherri has been designing quilts for many years, and in 2012, she launched her website, RebeccaMaeDesigns.com, named after her daughters, to share her talents and patterns with the world.

Her website offers a treasure trove of fun tutorials and block-of-the-month quilt-a-longs, inviting quilters to join her creative adventures. Sherri loves to travel, teach, and engage with the sewing community, regularly contributing to popular sewing sites.  Sherri’s designs incorporate a diverse range of quilting techniques, including traditional piecing, English paper piecing, foundation paper piecing, partial seams, bias tape appliqué, needle turn appliqué, wool appliqué, embroidery, and pearl cotton. She also has a love of hand quilting with the big stitch technique.

Among her notable creations are the Madawaska Mittens, the Dear Daughter quilt, her Scandinavian Christmas designs, and her beloved scrappy block-of-the-month patterns.  Sherri views quilting as a profound form of creative expression. In 2016, she began adding sentiments and quirky sayings to her quilts, starting with the Dear Daughter quilt, which features tender, thoughtful messages for her daughters about living a joyful and simple life. Sherri lives in New England and can be found at rebeccamaedesigns.com.