Some Favorite Quilt Teachers

Posted on October 18, 2026 by zippyquilts

Ever since I found out about quilt patterns and classes (What? I don’t have to draft the pattern and work everything out all by myself?), I’ve taken classes whenever I have the chance. Some have been at local shops, some at national or regional conferences, and even some at shops in other cities. Many have been wonderful, but here are 3 of the classes I’ve liked best. (If I left your class out, just know that it was difficult to pare it down to 3!)

Binding with Susan Cleveland. I’ve taken more than one class with Susan because she is such a fine teacher. Her explanations are clear and precise, and her attention to detail is impressive. I don’t always aspire to the level of perfection she teaches, but she has many, many helpful processes and ideas. I particularly appreciate her binding techniques. Her Dynamic Dresden class was great, too. Both classes I took with her were in person, and worth the travel.

Dynamic Dresdens, made in class with Susan Cleveland

Binding sample using techniques I learned with Susan.

Color and Design with Tara Faughnan. I took Tara’s online “Block Studies” class a couple of years ago. It’s a 6-month commitment with lots of content. It wasn’t all my style, but her approach to color was useful and honest–she’s the first person I’ve heard say that color sense really has to be developed through experience! I skipped most of her video instruction on how to make the blocks, but it would make the class accessible to new quilters. Making a new block with a new palette each month was the fun part for me. I appreciated that she presented all her blocks as studies, not necessarily intended to produce a finished product. Here are a few of the blocks I made in Tara’s class.

Fused Art Quilts with Laura Wasilowski. This was an in-person class I took years ago, purely for fun. It was indeed fun and, while I’m not sure I did much new, I enjoyed learning her techniques and liked the little pieces I made in her class. I have used some of her ideas recently for the quilts one of my guilds makes for Habitat for Humanity.

Leaf, made in class with Laura Wasilowski

Do you have any teachers to recommend?

A Fun Pattern

Posted on October 11, 2026 by zippyquilts

When we were in Newberry, SC, for the Jittery Wings workshop we were “forced” to go to QuiltWerx, the nice quilt shop up the street. Unfortunately they don’t have a real website yet, but if you’re near Newberry they’re worth a visit. This fabric caught my eye:

Golden Patchwork by Mankower UK

and then this pattern.

So when I got home, I combined the two with some small cuts of fabric from the stash and made a top.

I added borders so this top now measures 60″ x 72″

This goes next to the friend who quilts my donation tops, so you probably won’t see it again. However, the pattern was fun and fast. The instructions were nice and clear. I’ll probably make another, because with the border it makes a good lap size for donation.

Sunset Top Finished

Posted on October 4, 2026 by zippyquilts

The top I started at the Jittery Wings retreat is finished and has gone to the quilter!

Here’s the pattern I started with:

Mitzie’s quilt “Caper” she arranged the colors in rainbow order for this version. Photo courtesy of Jittery Wings.

And the colors I chose:

And here are the first two arrangements of the top:

This is the “first draft” of the quilt I am making from the retreat with Mitzie

Here’s the final arrangement of the blocks:

This is intended to represent sunset over the mountain that faced our house when we lived in Western North Carolina (U.S.). I told the quilter “no hurry”, so it will be a while before this one’s finished. Meanwhile, I have a big pile of quilts to bind!