Alex’s love affair with quilt making began in 1978 when she completed her Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt as part of her work toward a degree in art at San Francisco State University. Her study of graphic design in fiber inspired in her a deep respect and admiration for Amish quilts, and they became the springboard for Alex’s quilt making. Her work has been displayed in one-woman shows and has won prizes in group shows. She currently hosts Home and Garden Television’s quilt show Simply Quilts. Alex is the author of eleven books, has a line of fabric with P & B and is currently the spokesperson for Bernina of America.

Joen began quilt making in 1974 after she left her career in the educational field to become a homemaker. Her interest in color, design, and technical exploration surfaced in the early 1980s. She is noted for being the innovator of several techniques, including strip-pieced landscapes, pictorial log cabin quilts, and organic curved designs (overall curved designs). She was the innovator of the free-form freezer paper technique, which is often used in curved and straight-line piecing. Her work is included in collections throughout the world. Joen has taught and lectured both nationally and internationally since 1984. She is the author of six books: Landscapes & Illusions; The Magical Effects of Color; The Visual Dance; Patchwork Persuasion-Fascinating Quilts from Traditional Designs; Make Any Block Any Size and Color Play. In 2002 she developed the 3-in-1 Color Tool, an innovative tool for selecting colors and fabrics. Joen has created over 200 block designs during the past three decades. She has begun publishing a selection of these patterns under her company name Joen Wolfrom Designs.

For several decades now, Elly Sienkiewicz has been designing, stitching, writing and teaching on quilts. Author of 19 appliqué books, Elly received the Quilt Industry’s 2003 Silver Star Award for significant influence on the contemporary quiltworld. Ellly’s Appliqué 12 Easy Ways! won the Quilt Industry Classics Award for Best Book on appliqué. C&T Publishing sponsored two major Baltimore Album Revival Exhibitions to celebrate her books impact on the decades-long Baltimore Album and Appliqué Revival. Before becoming so deeply involved with group-made Albums, Elly’s individual work hung at shows across the country and at Museums and Galleries in and around Washington, DC, her home town. Inspiring as both a teacher and speaker, she has lectured for the Smithsonian Institution, across the country, and on five continents. Her work is widely published in quilt magazines in the US, Europe, and Japan, and in The Magazine Antiques, Folk Art Magazine, Victoria and Threads.

Award-winning quiltmaker and teacher Darra Williamson holds a B.A. in liberal arts and education from Immaculata (PA) College. Darra has traveled extensively throughout the US and aboard, lecturing and conducting workshops for quilt groups and at major symposia. She also judges on the regional, national, and international levels. Darra has been the subject of numerous print and television interviews, including a segment of the popular Simply Quilts (HGTV). In 1989, she gained national recognition when The Professional Quilter magazine named her “Quilt Teacher of the Year”. She is the author of Sensational Scrap Quilts and is the former Editor-in-Chief for C&T Publishing, and still provides consulting services for many of the major quilt book publishers, including her former employer, C&T Publishing..

Cindy is an inspiring and innovative author, teacher, lecturer, TV personality, fabric designer and promoter of quilt making. You’ll recognize her as the co-hostess of the PBS TV show Quilt Central which airs to sixty-six million homes a week. She is best known as the author of the PRIMEDIA award winning book, Snippet Sensations. She has also written Fine Hand Quilting, Attic Windows, More Snippet Sensations, Snippet Flower Bouquets, Snippet Christmas Celebrations, Basic Appliqué with 1930 Patterns, and The Basic Guide to Dyeing and Painting Fabrics.
Visit her website at: www.cindywalter.com.

Mary began quilting in the 1970’s. Part of the quilting “boom” spawned by the Bicentennial, she found quilt making to be a logical creative extension of her career as a textile professional working in the U.S. garment industry. Specializing in traditional fine hand appliqué done from original patterns, Mary’s distinctive design style is characterized by elegant, formal lines, complex layering of small pieces, and an emphasis on using a myriad of fabrics to create visual texture and excitement. Her flawless appliqué technique, and humorous, hands-on approach to teaching have motivated students to return to handwork with enthusiasm. Mary designs and markets a full line of appliqué patterns sold in quilt shops across the country. Visit Mary’s website at: www.MaryAppliques.com

Mary is known for her stress free approach to designing, quilting and teaching. She has been painting and sewing for as long as she can remember. She begin Hawaiian quilting in 1981 and teaching in 1987. Mary has developed tricks and techniques to make Hawaiian quilting easier and more accurate. She has also applied some of her clothing experience to quilting and enjoys combining new products and techniques with traditional ones. Mary is the owner and designer of Mary’s Treasures, a Hawaiian quilt pattern company, and she currently teaches quilting internationally, curates exhibits and leads an annual quilting tour to Japan.
Mary’s website is: www.marystreasures.com