Learn more about our fantastic teachers! They take time out of their very busy schedules to bring you an assortment of classes. Please note that some instructors may not have submitted a photo or bio.
Check out the catalog to see a detailed description of each class – COMING SOON!
2026 Expo Teachers
Please note that some instructors may not have submitted a photo or bio.
| Image | Teacher | Company | Bio | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Darrelle Anderson | SVP Worldwide Global Sewing Brands | Darrelle’s first love of sewing was in garment construction, she jumped into the quilting world and then embraced machine embroidery. She loves to incorporate a mixture of techniques and embellishments to create unique pieces. Being a recovering self-proclaimed “Perfectionist”, Darrelle distills her own expertise and ability into simplified techniques consumers can learn to inspire them to create their own fun projects, whetting their appetites for more. Darrelle looks at the sewing machine specialty feet as shoes…”a girl can’t have too many”. Whether it’s sewing or creating in embroidery software Darrelle encourages people to express their own style. Let’s keep the fun going in sewing. | |
![]() | Janet Anderson | Janet Buhler | Janet Buhler is a designer and educator with expertise in hand embellishment, couture techniques, and tailoring. Her training in London, Milan, and Paris gave her a foundation in both classic and cutting-edge fashion design. With years of experience teaching college-level courses in design, fitting, tailoring, and couture embellishment, Janet brings both technical mastery and a passion for craftsmanship to her students. She believes there’s nothing more rewarding than creating clothing that is both high quality and beautifully fitted—and she loves helping others do the same. | Website |
![]() | Starlit Bear | Starlit Quilts | Starlit Bear is an award winning quilter who is also now a Laura Heine certified instructor, she'd like to teach and walk a class through the full start to finish design of a Laura Heine project, Each attendee will leave with their fully designed project completed. | Website |
![]() | Liz Behnke | Behnke Design | Continuing the traditions she learned from her grandmothers and mother, Liz Behnke has been doing various fiber arts for over 30 years from designing, sewing, and altering clothing and costumes to quilts to hand embroidery and other needlework styles. As a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, she focused on the Tudor era and enjoyed recreating clothing of the period including blackwork. Liz continues to share her love of craft, having previously tutored individuals and taught workshops on sewing for beginners and an introduction to blackwork. | |
![]() | Genevieve Belmaker | Belmaker Blankets | Genevieve Belmaker is the founder and owner of Belmaker Blankets, a small business in Olympia, Washington that she runs with her two young children. Her blankets celebrate the use of cotton and other natural materials, and incorporate sewing techniques handed down through generations of seamstresses in her family. | Website |
![]() | Debbie Bone-Harris | Deb's Threads | Debbie Bone-Harris, Designer and Textile Artist, is known for her unequaled and exquisite craftsmanship, utilizing vintage and modern techniques to create unique wearable art. She applies these principles to produce avant-garde designs – whether in wearable art, vintage ribbonwork, or other creations using the finest materials throughout. Embellishment, her strength, is the essential element in all her wok and sets it apart from others. Her lifelong love of sewing and textiles stems from her passion for juxtaposing embroidery with quilting and encrusted surfaces. The sewing machine is her tool of choice, while ribbons, fabrics, glorious threads and fibers create the palette she works with. | Website |
![]() | Amanda Carita | Amanda's Bundles | Amanda Carita is the owner and founder of Amanda's Bundles. She has a passion for sewing and sharing her love and knowledge of fabric. She founded her business on the dream of making beautiful, affordable fabric available to everyone. | WebsiteFacebook |
![]() | Kathy Caudill | More Me Know | Kathy, designer of K.dill Handmade patterns, has been sewing since she was in high school. Her sewing journey started with clothing and then transitioned into quilting and paper piecing before entering the world of bag making. She loves the creativity of bag making as well as the satisfaction that comes from being able to make something exactly how she wants it. She designs sewing patterns for bags and accessories that are not only functional, but are fun to make. Her patterns include video tutorials for the visual learner and she leads an active community of makers who inspire and help others on their bag making journeys. | WebsiteFacebook |
![]() | Kandi Christian | Sew Timeless | Kandi L. Christian, MBA is a well-known instructor of classes both in the US and England. She is an author of 17 books on sewing and the business of sewing and teaching. She frequently writes articles for major sewing and embroidery magazines. She had been a featured speaker at many sewing events throughout the US. She was also tapped by the BBC to be their expert seamstress for their TV show “While You Were Out.” In addition to owning Sew Timeless, she is a licensed Martha Pullen instructor. | WebsiteFacebookX (Twitter)LinkedIn |
![]() | Teresa Coates | Crinkle Dreams | Based in Kansas City, Teresa Coates is an avid maker and educator, dedicated to sharing projects that allow even the most novice sewist to feel confident in their sewing journey. As the designer and author behind the Crinkle Dreams patterns, as well as her role as the host of “Sew Together Tuesday” for Shannon Fabrics, Teresa is no stranger to tackling intimidating projects and sharing her knowledge. Her sewing and quilting projects have been featured and published in quilting magazines and podcasts such as Quiltfolk, Sew and So, A Quilter’s Life and more. When Teresa is not in her KC studio, she can be found teaching and sharing her passion for sewing at quilt shops and guilds across the United States. | Website |
![]() | Brittan Cummings | By Hand Studio LLC | Brittan is a skilled seamstress and sewing educator, with over 30 years of sewing experience. She loves to share her knowledge of fabric, patterns, fitting, sewing, serging, machine embroidery, alterations, and the art of Canadian Smocking. Britt came to the US from Ontario, Canada in 2011 and started By Hand Studio located in Riverton, Utah in 2019 to teach others the skill of sewing and to find pleasure in wearing clothing that fits their perfectly unique bodies. | WebsiteFacebook |
![]() | Kimberly Dodson | Quality Sewing & Vacuum | Kimberly Dodson grew up sewing with her 4H leader mom. Kimberly ran her own embroidery business in the Pacific Northwest and became the local expert on embroidering difficult projects and mastered digitizing logos for many businesses in her community. | Website |
![]() | Pat Dooley | Self Employed | With over 50 years of sewing experience, Pat Dooley brings a deep love of creativity, cosplay, and upcycling to the classroom. She has volunteered for more than a decade with her local high school theater department, helping students and parents learn to sew costumes. Her award-winning cosplay has been featured at conventions across the Pacific Northwest, and her upcycled designs have appeared in the Goodwill Glitter Gala and Elegoo’s global *With Her* program. This is her first time teaching group classes, and she brings a warm, encouraging approach to help sewists of all levels build confidence and explore new techniques | InstagramFacebook |
| Lisa Dravis | Abella lavita | Lisa Dravis studied sewing in high school, participated in local competitions. Made her own clothes and altered for all of her friends and family | Website | |
![]() | Tzerial Leah Feinroth | The Sew Pro | Born into a family of dressmakers, Tzirel Leah has been sewing since she was 12. Turning a lifelong passion into a mission, she’s spent years mastering garment construction, alterations, and patternmaking — always finding ways to make sewing simpler, faster, and more professional. Since opening her first class in 2013, Tzirel Leah has taught over 3,000 students, helping them turn even the most complex projects into achievable, polished results. Her secret? Breaking down every step so sewing feels easy, fun, and totally doable. | Website |
![]() | Emily Dunlap | Quality Sewing & Vacuum | Emily Dunlap is an expert in pressing and ironing technology and enjoys sharing her knowledge with sewists around the world. Visit with Emily at the Quality Sewing & Vacuum booth! | Website |
![]() | Reva Flood | Quality Sewing & Vacuum | Reva started sewing at a young age and pursued her love of sewing and design through college where she earned a BA in Apparel Design. Since then, she has been immersed in the sewing industry as an educator, event manager with Quality Sewing & Vacuum, and entrepreneur. | Website |
![]() | Thomas Foster | Strapworks LLC | Tom has been making "straps" since 1975. In 2000, he started Strapworks.com. Soon after, he started MoosePetGear.com specializing in pet products like leashes, collars and harnesses. Tom is considered an expert in strap fabrication and his business occupies 58,000 square feet of factory space with 50 employees in Eugene, Oregon. | Website 1Website 2 |
![]() | Melissa Galbraith | MCreativeJ | Melissa Galbraith is the fiber artist behind MCreativeJ. She was born and raised in the desert of Washington state where her mother instilled a love of making things by hand at an early age. Melissa shares her love of nature through whimsical and modern hand embroidery kits, patterns, workshops, and her book, How to Embroider Texture and Pattern. Melissa was reintroduced to hand embroidery after finding her desk job monotonous and needing a creative outlet. She loves that embroidery is like coloring with a needle and thread. Melissa found that many craft enthusiasts also wanted to learn how to embroider but were daunted by where to start. Thanks to this and a love of teaching, Melissa began to share her hand embroidery knowledge. Melissa's embroidery kits, patterns, workshops, and book make it easy to learn a new craft for makers of all skill levels. She enjoys seeing makers fall in love with the needle arts, especially that magical ah-ha moment of learning something new. | WebsiteFacebook |
![]() | Tina Giuntini | Bea & Evie millinery | Tina Giuntini – Milliner, Educator, and Founder of Bea & Evie Millinery. For over 30 years, Tina Giuntini has been designing and handcrafting period-inspired hats that blend vintage charm with modern sophistication. As the founder of Bea & Evie Millinery, Tina’s work celebrates the romance of bygone eras—particularly the flapper styles and Hollywood glamour of the 1930s—while remaining effortlessly wearable today. Tina’s hats have not only graced clients around the world but have also appeared in numerous British television and film productions over the years. Her understanding of historical accuracy, combined with a flair for storytelling through design, has made her a trusted collaborator in costuming for the screen. Based in London for much of her career, but now residing in Seattle, Tina draws inspiration from vibrant cultural scenes of Europe, infusing each of her creations with a sense of movement, elegance, and individuality. Her hats are meticulously hand-blocked and finished with exquisite handmade flowers. Tina’s distinctive pieces are available online and through the Ballard Millinery Studio in Seattle, where she is also a contributing artist. In addition to her design work, Tina is an experienced and passionate teacher, offering millinery and flower-making workshops that invite students to explore traditional techniques in a warm and creative environment. Whether you're drawn to historical silhouettes or contemporary flair, Tina brings a wealth of knowledge and artistry to every class she leads. | WebsiteFacebook |
![]() | Joan Goodspeed | Break n Remake | Joan is a fashion professor, professional costumer, and YouTube host. Teaching sewing is what Joan does both in the classroom and for her YouTube show BreaknRemake. If you sew or want to learn Joan provides inclusive sewing education that removes the intimidation of learning something new and supports you on your creative journey to confidence and comfort. | WebsiteInstagram |
![]() | Marsha Hafer | Starlit Quilts | Marsha is a Sallie Tomato Certified Educator with a lifelong love for sewing. She helps makers explore the art of quality bag creation and customization. She believes sewing is a journey of discovery and empowers students to transform patterns into personal masterpieces. Through new techniques, she inspires creativity and guides individuals toward their unique goals. | WebsiteFacebook |
![]() | Molly Hamilton | Folkwear LLC | For the last 8 years Molly Hamilton has owned and run Folkwear, an indie sewing pattern company that publishes patterns for historic and folk clothing from around the world. Molly has been sewing for most of her life and enjoys working with patterns and garments from all over the world and the past decades. | WebsiteInstagram |
![]() | Tiffany Harwood | Lala & Mer | Tiffany will be joining us from North Carolina! She has been sewing and quilting for over 30 years. Tiffany has over 10 years of experience teaching quilting and bag making techniques. | |
![]() | Lorraine Henry | Lorraine Henry for Conselle and Two Easy Tape Co. | Lorraine is a specialist in sewing, fitting and pattern alteration for Conselle Institute of Image Management. She has been an avid sewer since age 6 when she started making hand sewn doll clothes. Her friends loved to play dolls with her as she had more clothes than anyone. At age 10 experience with a real sewing machine began through the 4H program. With 8 years of clothing construction through 4H and high school Home Ec. Classes, she had a firm foundation in all aspects of clothing construction. With a B.S degree in Clothing and Textiles she has been a university instructor and has taught classes nationally and internationally at sewing related shows. Teaching newest method of pattern alteration and fit is her favorite thing to do. She is the creator of the Two Easy Measuring tape set with an instruction booklet which has been an aid for achieving a good fit for fashion sewers throughout the world. She has also written articles on pattern alteration for Sew News Magazine. With 40+ years of experience as a custom dressmaker/tailor and teacher, she has a wealth of knowledge to share with you about sewing and fit. | Website |
![]() | Becky Isaacs | Quality Sewing & Vacuum | Reva started sewing at a young age and pursued her love of sewing and design through college where she earned a BA in Apparel Design. Since then, she has been immersed in the sewing industry as an educator, event manager with Quality Sewing & Vacuum, and entrepreneur. | Website |
![]() | Diana Karna | Stitching Style | Diana loves to sew garments & quilts. She combines both in her quilted coat specialty. She also loves buttons of all shapes and sizes, wool appliqué embroidery, and fusible web appliqué. | WebsiteInstagram |
![]() | Tracy Krauter | Splash Fabric | As a life long fabric junkie, Tracy has been sewing for decades. When she created her own laminated cotton fabric company, she knew she had to teach her techniques to spread the word about sewing with this truly MAGIC FABRIC! Come learn how easy it is to sew with. Her class will teach you to make 2 | Website |
![]() | Cheryl Kuczek | Paradiso Designs | Cheryl is the founder and creative director of indie sewing pattern line Paradiso Designs. Paradiso is a collection of eclectic bohemian style patterns that focus on unique sizing and construction techniques for handbags, clothing, and home accessories. Cheryl LOVES to create, garden, paint murals on her walls, & beach walks with her pup Jackx. | Website |
![]() | Zena LaRosa | BZee Bee Adventures in Sewing | I starting sewing my own clothing while in grade school, following my mother’s example. My projects included doll clothes, purses and school outfits. After marriage I made more complicated mens tailored suits, underwear, wedding dresses and children’s clothing. With all this sewing came boxes of remnants! Natural progression is to make quilts, so I dove into quilting in 1998. I love using color and fun prints as well as making unique designs. Sharing my knowledge is the next step. | |
![]() | Susan Lazear | Cochenille Design Studio | Susan Lazear is an Emeritus Professor of Fashion at San Diego Mesa College. She is a recognized author and wearable artist, and she excels in design and pattern making. Susan owns Cochenille Design Studio which develops software and design aids for knitters, sewers, and textile artists. | WebsiteInstagramPinterest Facebook |
![]() | Christine Lewis | Sew Sew Stitchy LLC | Christine has been bag making for over 20 years and loves to help people learn new techniques and tricks. She is a founding member of the Tacoma Modern Quilt Guild and is an active instructor within the local quilting community. | |
![]() | Christine Lindebak | Sewing and the City | Hi, I'm Christine! I started sewing when I was just 6 years old and turned the skill into a 15 year career in luxury fashion. Today, sewing is my creative outlet and a way to make clothes I love in a stylish and sustainable way. I love sharing my love of sewing and inspiring others to learn and advance their own skills while making stylish clothes you're proud to wear. | WebsiteFacebookPinterestInstagram |
![]() | Amy Loh Kupser | Amy's Applique | Amy lives in the beautiful Teton Valley in Southeast Idaho surrounded by amazing natural beauty with her husband Andy and their three furry kids. She has been an artist all her life. From colouring on the underside of the coffee table at age three, to trying her hand at any art form from drawing, beading, sewing, sculpting and more. Travelling around the country for over 20 years, she shares her joy and enthusiasm for creating through her teaching. Taking classes with her will expand your creative horizons. Join Amy for a fun creative adventure! | WebsiteFacebook |
![]() | Gene Looman | Looney Hues | Gene, Fiber Artist and Owner of Looney Hues, has been hand sewing since the age of 4 and machine sewing at the age of 5. He has been involved in the sewing and needle craft industry for 30+ years. He has been in the Bernina Universe since 1989 when his mother bought her first one! He bought his first one in 1998. Gene was a Bernina tech for 15 years; he retired in 2019 to pursue his fiber art and teaching career. He taught his first sewing related class in 1992. He loves to teach and help fellow makers learn new skills and improve the ones they already have! Gene’s favorite medium is thread. The more the better! | WebsiteFacebook |
![]() | Susie Luaces | Susie Luaces, LLC | Susie began sewing at nine, taught by her mother, and honed her skills through high school classes, sewing magazines, and books. She created her own clothes, including tailored suits. Despite college and a career in engineering limiting her sewing time, her passion never waned. After leaving engineering to focus on family, she dedicated more time to sewing. Susie has sewn clothing, Halloween costumes, wedding dresses, home décor items, quilts, toys, and nursery items, with garment sewing being her favorite. She has teaching experience from her engineering career, as a part-time fitness instructor, and as a sewing instructor at Joann Fabrics. Since 2002, Susie found the Original Sewing and Quilting Expo, to be a great source of knowledge. Discovering Lorraine Henry’s fitting classes, she resonated with the Seam Method of pattern alteration. Susie trained with Lorraine and Judith Rasband in 2024 to ensure the method's continued availability and is now ready to share her expertise. | Website |
![]() | Ellie Lum | Klum House | Klum House founder Ellie Lum has over twenty years of professional bag making experience. Ellie's super power is teaching makers to achieve professional-quality results on a home sewing machine - and have a hell of a lot of fun while doing it. She's passionate about empowering folks through sharing her craft. | Website |
![]() | Jennefer Marker | Compass Moon Creations | Being a homeschooling mom, Jennefer Marker loves to incorporate experiential learning, and community involvement, in all her family do. A simple excursion to a 'small little fiber fest' in NY in the early 2000s, catapulted everyone in her family into the wild ride of running a fiber business focused on supporting as many local farms as possible. Since then, Jennefer has taught fiber and textile enthusiasts from coast to coast, excited to see how artisans and crafters are using animal fiber in their creations. She is excited to be returning for her 5th year teaching and vending at the Sew Expo! | Website |
![]() | Sheila McKay | McKay Manor Musers | My love of designing started when I took a fashion design class in high school and started designing all my own clothes. I started a pattern design company with my two incredible daughters Kira and Kayla in 2010. They are definitely the wind between my creative wings. Our family home in Vancouver was affectionately called the McKay Manor – and a Muse is someone who inspires creativity in artisans – so that’s how we came up with the name for our business – McKay Manor Musers. We enjoy creating patterns, and now fabrics, that make people smile. The mission for our company is to inspire creativity in others. | WebsiteInstagramFacebookPinterest |
![]() | Laura Mendoza | Laura has been a certified 4-H volunteer for nearly 20 years. She is the Club Leader of a 4-H sewing club and is the Superintendent of the State 4-H Fashion Revue Contest. | ||
![]() | Tami Meyer | Love Notions Sewing Patterns, LLC | After 10 years of running a successful custom children’s clothing boutique, I made the leap in offering my original designs in pdf pattern format for the home sewist. My passion is to design user-friendly, digital sewing patterns that help you create the modern, comfortable clothes that will become your wardrobe staples. Whether you are a master sewist or a complete novice, my goal is for you to enjoy the entire sewing process from the time you click “download” until the wearer is twirling around in the final fitting. Above all I created the Love Notions brand to be about quality and community. | WebsiteFacebookPinterestInstagram |
![]() | Ellen Miller | Ellen W. Miller, Seamstress aka Couture Ellen | An accomplished sewist, Ellen loves to sew elegant clothing, from the simple to the ornate. She has written several articles for Threads Magazine and Notions Magazine. Ellen’s book, Creating Couture Embellishments is a 400-page, abundantly illustrated, how-to book with 3 sections: basic tools and techniques, fabric manipulation, embellishments and trimmings. Before writing Creating Couture Embellishments, Ellen taught at the School of Fashion Design in Boston for 10 years and worked in professional theatre. | InstagramWebsite |
![]() | Lauren Mormino | More Me Know | Lauren Mormino is a bagmaker of 12 years who has been teaching for 8 years. | WebsiteFacebookInstagram |
![]() | Laura Nash | Sew Chic Patterns | Laura Nash began sewing and designing vintage-inspired gowns for brides and Moms while in college. After venturing into the world of fashion show competition, high-end retail, and ready-to-wear, she realized her passion lay in sewing patterns. In 2007 Sew Chic Pattern Company was created featuring Laura’s unique mix of modernized vintage styles. They are classic, unique, and adaptable to your personal taste, and her approachable teaching style will help you sew with a speed, quality, and style that will be distinctly yours! With a love for all things vintage, Laura Nash creates fashion sewing patterns with a stylish mix of modern-vintage. She has a BS in Apparel Design, a research background in historic clothing, and expertise in pattern making and fit. She loves to help others and travels to teach at sewing conferences and expos throughout the USA. By student demand, she wrote her book “Pattern Alterations for a Beautiful Bust.” Working with others in her industry, she has partnered with Craftsy, Threads magazine, and Simplicity Patterns. | WebsiteFacebook |
![]() | Nicole Neales | SewGnar | Nicole is the designer and creator behind SewGnar Sewing Patterns. Her mission is to create versatile sewing patterns that showcase sustainability, durability, and simplistic beauty. Nicole designs with raw edge textiles in mind and she specializes in cork. Shop her entire line at www.sewgnar.co | WebsiteInstagramFacebook |
![]() | Brittany Nicole | The Empurrium | Brittany is the owner of The Empurrium, based out of Canton, Ohio and started in 2011. She started sewing as child and began focusing on growing her business immediately after college. Brittany specializes in bag making using materials such as woven fabrics, faux leather, clear and jelly vinyls, waterproof/resistant canvas and more. In addition to teaching in person she provides sewing tutorials online via her YouTube channel. 99% of the fabric and prints used for goods are hand drawn by small business artists including The Empurrium's exclusive donut cats - based on her cat, Donut! Her knowledge of sewing and expertise has allowed both sides of her business to grow, both teaching and vending. Brittany's classes sell out and students walk away with increased knowledge and a stronger set of sewing skills. | WebsiteInstagramFacebook |
![]() | Marlene Oddie | KISSed Quilts | Quilting for over 20 years, is a published author and pattern designer and is an award winning quilter, Marlene inspires through teaching in Grand Coulee, WA and beyond, one technique at a time. | Website |
![]() | Fabian Renteria | BERNINA of America | Fabian Renteria is a Fashion Designer and couture garment sewist. Prior to joining the BERNINA Education Team, he participated in the BERNINA Ambassador Program for 3 years. Fabian studied Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising earning two Degrees. Along with his education he has presented in various Fashion Week programs in Los Angeles, Palm Springs and New York City. Creating garments that exude his passion for designing, all while helping others to discover their own love for garment sewing are part of his mission as an Educator. | InstagramWebsite |
![]() | Erin Retelle | Sew Boise | Erin has been sewing nearly all her life. She began designing and sewing clothing for her dolls as a child, and then moved on to full-sized fashions after learning to use a sewing machine. Erin relocated to Boise in 2004, where she picked up some more advanced design and construction techniques from local instructors and fell into helping design and build costumes for the ballroom dance community she is a part of. She and partner Frank, who is also an avid sewer, launched Oversway Originals, a custom ballroom dance costume company. In 2010, Erin joined ASDP and began participating in the organization's annual educational conference where she continues to expand her sewing and design skill set, improve her teaching techniques, and share her work. Her garment was chosen as a finalist and awarded the prize for "Best Color and Shape Shift" in the 2019 Threads Challenge, put on each year for members of ASDP by Threads Magazine. After her original field was hit hard by a recession, Erin made sewing her next career, first as the director of a sewing school within a local fine fabric store, then by launching sewBoise in 2011. Now as sewBoise's owner and director, Erin and her team offer sewing classes and lessons, do a variety of custom sewing projects, and are a full-service alterations shop. Erin comes from a family of educators, and many have described her as an exceptional teacher. She thoroughly enjoys teaching, learning, and sharing sewing tricks with others. Being an engaged business owner and asset to her community is central to Erin's plans. She graduated from the Executive MBA program at BSU in 2018 and was one of the Idaho Business Review's honorees for the Accomplished Under 40 Award in 2016. | Website |
![]() | Shannon Roudhán & Jason Bowlsby | Shannon and Jason | Shannon & Jason are multidisciplinary textile artists, authors, and educators who specialize in scrappy wonky quilting, crochet, and Japanese techniques like sashiko and boro. They champion sustainable, accessible creativity and are known for dismantling gatekeeping in the textile arts. Their mantra—embrace the creative chaos—means imperfection isn't just okay, it's the whole point. | WebsiteFacebookPinterestInstagram |
![]() | Sanderson Hastings | Modelbuch Muse | Hastings Sanderson started sewing at age 5 thanks to her mother and great-grandmother and never stopped. She has been focused on historical sewing and embroidery for the past 30+ years. Hastings’ background mixes technical theater and a love of textiles of all types with degrees in history. She is a frequent lecturer on 16th century embroidery pattern books and shares her research and projects on her website modelbuch.com. Hastings enjoys historical patterning and embroidery techniques and frequently uses them for modern projects but also adores using modern methods for historical projects to make things fun, easy, and accessible to everyone. | WebsiteFacebookPinterest |
![]() | Deanna Springer | Nancy Zieman Productions LLC | Deanna Springer stitched her first doll quilt when she just six years old. Deanna’s love for all things sewing was nurtured by her mom and grandmothers, and later in 4-H. In 1989 Deanna started working for Nancy Zieman companies – and now celebrates 35 years in 2025! Nancy and Deanna started Nancy Zieman Productions, LLC (NZP) in 2007. Deanna worked alongside Nancy as marketing coordinator, business manager, co-director of video production, and in product development and project design. Over 12 exciting years, before Nancy’s passing in 2017, NZP launched a new BLOG, social media channels, 40+ sewing and quilting products including tools, patterns and books. Deanna is the host and producer of the NEW! Stitch it! Sisters Video Series on YouTube. Deanna and Team NZP coproduce Sewing With Nancy, The Best of Sewing With Nancy, and The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show with PBS Wisconsin. | WebsiteFacebookInstagram |
![]() | Norma Stark | Norma's Quilt Studio | Norma Stark Norma Stark has loved the art of quilting since 2001 and is a national teacher who taught for the Virtual Quilt Show in 2020 to students all over the world. Her specialty fields include running a successful Long Arm Quilting Business and Teaching Quilt Piecing Classes and Long Arm Statler® classes. As owner and operator of Norma’s Quilt Studio she keeps an active customer base along with teaching 40 piecing/technique classes per year. Norma continually records videos on piecing instructions and Long Arm training for purchase on her website. She has a Business Administration Degree and is a Certified Sew Kind of Wonderful Teacher. Teaching others about Quilting and utilizing the Creative Studio Software in a fun spontaneous environment is “her thing.” She has her own series called “Norma’s Learning Corner” where she gives free tips and suggestions to help others with sewing success (sponsored by Stitchin’ Heaven”) A Common Norma statement—“I LOVE My JOB every day and I’m excited to share with others.” She moved from Texas in February 2022 to the lovely “Evergreen” state of Washington where she currently resides. | WebsiteFacebookYouTube |
![]() | Gita Maria Sturm | Gita Maria | ||
![]() | Janet Szabo | Big Sky Knitting Designs, LLC | Janet Szabo is a knitting designer and teacher with experience teaching at Stitches and TKGA events and for yarn stores and guilds around the country. She published Twists and Turns: The Newsletter for Lovers of Cable Knitting from 2000-2010 and has authored books on finishing techniques, Aran sweaters, and cable knitting. | Website |
![]() | Alice Tarby | South Puget Sound Chapter of the American Sewing Guild | Alice Tarby is the secretary and Sew Expo Style Show organiser for the South Puget Sound Chapter of the American Guild. | WebsiteFacebook |
![]() | Leigh Urbaniak | Remakery | Remakery is a creative reuse nonprofit located in Tacoma. The mission is to provide the people of Tacoma access to education, tools and resources on the remaking, repair and reuse of post-consumer materials and waste; reducing waste while encouraging a circular economy. This is done through workshops on upcycling, mending, and scrappy sewing. Remakery also has a physical location where secondhand abundance can be purchased by the pound and machines are available for use. | WebsiteFacebookInstagram |
![]() | Nancy Wagner Forister | Designs by Nancy | Nancy is a fiber artist and retired public school teacher and administrator. She currently serves part-time as an adjunct professor. Nancy is from Northeast Tennessee and has lived in Fairbanks, Alaska and Inman, South Carolina. She has taught classes in local quilt shops in all three states. Nancy has sewn all of her life making clothes for herself and her daughters. She started quilting in 2012 and specializes in making Wearable Art! She creates her own jacket patterns and teaches classes on making Reversible Quilted Jackets, free motion quilting, ruler work and making Faux Metal Fabric . She has also taught many bag classes as well. A new passion for Nancy is making Faux Metal Fabric. It is a multi-step process that results in beautiful fabric that looks like metal or leather that can be used in multiple ways. Nancy has been a leader both in her career in education and in her hobby of working in fiber arts! She has served as a supervisor, director of curriculum, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent. In Fiber Arts, she has served a President, Vice President, and Membership Chair for the Old Town Quilters Guild in Jonesborough Tennessee. She is also past president of the Northeast Chapter of Tennessee Crafts. | Website |
![]() | Teresa Waldo | Teresa Waldo combines her passion for teaching with her passion for the fiber arts. She is a retired elementary and special education teacher and has taught adult crafting classes for fifteen plus years. Teresa has been knitting since age five and has fallen down other fiber related rabbit holes (spinning, weaving, crocheting) in the last 20 years. Teresa loves sharing her excitement for anything fiber related with others and has a keen ability to break a skill down into manageable steps. She makes sure all her students are successful and leave with a new skill. Teresa has taught various knitting, spinning, little loom and tapestry weaving, and crocheting classes in shops around the Pacific Northwest and at regional conferences (Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival, Black Sheep, Fiber Fusion, PNW Fiber Expo, and ANWG Conference). She resides in Auburn, Washington and is a member of NwSFA, Arachne Guild, Moonspinners’ Guild, ANWG, ANWG Tapestry Group, Yarning for Community, and Covington Knitworms. She is also a certified spinning judge | ||
![]() | Krista West | Avlea Folk Embroidery | Krista West delights in bringing ancient beauty to the modern world with embroidery designs inspired by traditional Mediterranean folk textiles. Introduced to traditional folk embroidery in Greece, she fell in love with the vibrant colors and historic motifs and began stitching textiles for her own home. She quickly realized there was still much interest in this historic craft and opened Avlea Folk Embroidery to share the beauty of folk embroidery with others. She happily spends her days in her studio in Central Oregon, designing patterns and making kits for customers and shops around the world. | WebsiteInstagramPinterest |
![]() | Vivien Wise | Vivien is a fiber artist living in the Pacific Northwest. She received an MFA in Fibers and Material Studies from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia in 2020, and a BFA in Fibers from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2014. Originally from Chicago, she is an avid quilter, bicyclist, and lover of breakfast. In her art practice, she centers materiality, community, and environment. Vivien has taught workshops at the Chicago Public Library, Vox Populi Gallery, Fabric Workshop and Museum, Icebox Project Space, Tyler School of Art, and Baltimore County Community College, among others. | Website | |
![]() | Zihui Zhao | Washington State University | Zihui Zhao is an Assistant Professor and textile artist specializing in fashion design and textile innovation at Washington State University. She brings years of experience in teaching textile product development and wearable design. Her work bridges traditional craftsmanship and emerging technology, with a passion for embroidery, sustainable design, and hands-on creativity. |





























































