Alaska Adventure

West Linn, OR• www.LoopyTulips.com

I’m Jaimie and I am passionate about making quilts, but it wasn’t always that way. Even though I spent a lot of time doing creative things as a child and young adult, I didn’t think of myself as someone who could be an artist. I studied math and science in college, but spent most of my study time making sure my notes were illustrated nicely. It never occurred to me that I had the wrong major. 

After graduation, my husband went to law school, giving me a lot of time alone. I decided to try quilting, so I bought a few books, taught myself how and was hooked right from the beginning. To my surprise, I found that knowledge of math and science was actually a big help in the creative arena.  I began teaching a few years later and discovered the joy of connecting with other quilters and helping them learn new skills. I love to pick apart every part of making a quilt to discover not just what works but why it works, and then passing that knowledge on. To see someone’s eyes light up when they accomplish something they never thought they could is one of the best feelings in life!

I approach my lectures the exact same way I make my quilts, only with words: I choose a subject, pick it apart and then stitch it back together with stories from my own life.  Helping people learn something new, or see something from a different perspective never gets old.

I have taught and lectured for theInternational Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, The American Quilters Society, Mancuso Quiltfest Virtual Schoolhouse and Road to California as well as guilds throughout the United States and in England. My work has been shown in national and international exhibits including the International Quilt Show in Houston, Texas, and the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, California.

My husband eventually got out of law school and we now live in Portland, Oregon with a whole bunch of quilts, a lot of great books, a silly turtle our kids left behind and a never-ending supply of Diet Coke.

Nationally award-winning fiber artist Sally Manke’s mission is to delight others with textile art that exemplifies her passion for joyful, creative expression through color and texture. Sally creates her art quilts and fiber art in her home studio in Arcadia, Michigan. Nature is a theme in her work, as the wildflower-dotted woods, Lake Michigan shoreline, snowy trails, and country roads surrounding her home often inspire her contemporary art quilts. Sally’s passion for teaching rivals her zeal for creating fiber art. After a 25-year career teaching art and life skills, she continues to share the joy of quilting and fiber art with students around the country through workshops, speaking, classes, and trunk shows. She designs her line of art quilt patterns, creates for various challenges, and writes a blog to share her techniques.

Jenny is a fiber artist, author and teacher. Her work focuses on free motion quilting on whole cloth and has juried into international quilt shows, art shows and galleries. Jenny teaches and lectures on free motion quilting wherever she is invited. She claims the title “Encourager-in-Chief” as she believes that every quilter has the skills to free motion quilt some of their own work. She lives in northern California with her husband and Australian Shepherdess. Her boys have left the nest and she now has a fine 2-room studio.

Woodinville, WA • www.flyinggoatstudio.com
Chardel Blaine is an award-winning quilter, beader and metalsmith whose work has been juried into numerous Pacific Northwest events.

Nationally, her work has been juried and displayed at the Nassau County Museum of Art Craft and Fine Arts Fair (Roslyn Harbor NY), produced by the American Concern for Art and Craftsmanship; Uncommon Threads Art-to-Wear Show, Fine Line Creative Arts Center (St. Charles, IL); and in “Multiplicities: New Directions in Fiber”, IMAGO Foundation for the Arts, IMAGO Gallery (Warren, RI).

Blessed with parents who valued creative and independent thinking, there was always some sort of creative experience around the house. Most were done at the kitchen table or in the basement workshop with supplies that Mom and Dad brought in with care and sacrifice. Chardel’s mother and grandmother taught her to sew, and her father taught her to saw a shape and pound a nail. Her favorite projects involved designing components that fit, then measuring twice and cutting once to ensure that they did. She has learned how color, texture and unique materials embrace the “what-ifs” and happy accidents that occur when one has backed into an artistic corner and must find a creative means of escape.

Chardel managed and taught at a local quilt shop and bead store for 15 years, exposing her to the latest techniques and materials and feeding the creative beast. Fiber art and jewelry, often combining the two, became Flying Goat Studio where she shares her work. And as editor of Create Whimsy, she shares the stories of renowned artists and makers who inspire creatives to get their hands busy every day. Needle and thread consistently bring her joy. She still gets a rush when she turns on a power tool – and that includes a sewing machine!