This month’s podcast is all about how I combine travel with my creative crafting interests.
Podcast link: Creative Travel: Exploring Global Crafts and Cultural Traditions
Category: Quilting Experiences
Besides making quilts, I also like to take part in quilting related experiences. I like to share my travels to quilting classes or quilt shows to inspire your next quilting experience.
Tips for Seeing the Sisters Quilt Show
The sister Outdoor Quilt show is one of the most unique quilt shows you can attend. For one day only, the buildings in the Town of Sisters, Oregon act as a backdrop for 1400 quilts. This is a unique gallery showcasing amazing art and craftsmanship in a beautiful setting. I am sharing my tips on how to visit and get the most out of a Sisters Outdoor Quilt show experience.
The sun is shining. A soft breeze keeps the temperature comfortable. Not far in the distance, the snow-capped Three Sisters mountains glow in the early morning light. It is the second Saturday in July in Sisters, Oregon, and there is a festival-like atmosphere engulfing this small western town. A week of diverse quilting events and activities has been the prelude to this single day – the day of the Sisters Quilt Show.
Learning Paper Piecing with Judy Niemeyer at a Quiltworx Retreat
I learned how to do paper piecing with Judy Niemeyer at a Quiltworx retreat in Kalispell, Montana
I enjoy taking quilting classes and learning new techniques. I had the opportunity to learn paper piecing in one of the Judy Niemeyer classes at the Quiltworx retreat center on Flathead Lake, Montana, near Kalispell. It was a relaxing week with lots of instruction, lots of learning, and lots of sewing.
Continue reading “Learning Paper Piecing with Judy Niemeyer at a Quiltworx Retreat”
Making a Kaffe Fassett Quilt – Taking a Class With the Master of Glorious Color
Not long ago I had the opportunity to make a Kaffe Fassett quilt with Kaffe Fasset himself and watch him teach his glorious color magic to an enthralled audience
If the quilting world has a crown prince, it has to be Kaffe Fassett. Known for his exuberant use of colour, Kaffee has built a design empire that extends to fabric, knitting, needlepoint, mosaics, and patchwork. Whether it’s a sweater, a needlepoint pillow, or quilting fabric, his uniquely colourful style is instantly recognisable.
He has published many books, including over 20 beautifully photographed quilt pattern volumes, which make it easy to produce one of his trademark designs. But making a Kaffe Fassett quilt in a class taught by the master of “Glorious Color” brings you up close and personal to his creative genius.
Continue reading “Making a Kaffe Fassett Quilt – Taking a Class With the Master of Glorious Color”
Expanding My Quilting Creativity With Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar, California
Sharing my experiences taking an Empty Spools Seminars quilting class at the historic Asilomar Conference Center located on the scenic Pacific Ocean coast in California.
It’s important with any craft to continue to hone your skills. Whether it’s blogging, photography, or quilting, I like to try classes that offer a different perspective, but they also need to be in interesting locations. One of my favorite quilting class experiences is offered by Empty Spools Seminars at the Asilomar Conference Center located in beautiful Pacific Grove, California. In fact, I liked it so much, I’ve gone twice.
My Wish List of Unique Quilting Classes, Quilting Workshops, Quilting Retreats, and Quilting Holidays
Over the years, I have amassed a wish list of quilting classes, quilting workshops, quilting retreats and quilting holidays that combine both great instruction and inspiring destinations.
For me, attending a quilting class or workshop is as much about the location as it is about the quality of the quilting instruction – it has to have both.
Be a Quilt Volunteer – Where to Donate Quilts for Charity in 2026
Sharing my comprehensive list of 50 organizations that are happy to receive quilts, fabric and other sewing supplies, as well as ideas for local organizations where quilts can be donated
Do you love to quilt or sew but don’t know what to do with everything you make? Is your fabric stash getting unmanageably large? Do you have too many UFO’s (unfinished objects)? Do you have fabrics you are no longer thrilled with? Do you have bins full of scraps? Do you have too many quilt patterns you want to try?
If you are asking yourself, “Where can I donate quilts?”, there are a large number of organizations that are thrilled to receive finished quilts or quilting supplies. I’ve put together this comprehensive list of places to donate quilts to charity to make it easy for you.
Continue reading “Be a Quilt Volunteer – Where to Donate Quilts for Charity in 2026”
Discovering the Best Alaska Quilt Shops
If you are a quilter taking a cruise in Alaska, taking a dedicated Alaska quilting cruise, or are just exploring Alaska on your own, you will find this list of Alaska quilt shops helpful.
An Alaska cruise is at the top of many people’s wish list. Quilters can get the best of both worlds by participating in a quilting cruise that includes an Alaska itinerary.
But, you do not have to be on a dedicated quilter’s cruise to explore and enjoy the quilt shops in an Alaska destination. I look for quilt shops wherever I travel and these Alaska quilt shops are the ones I discovered while cruising and also on extended road trips throughout Alaska.
A Day of Sharing at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show – My Article in Quiltmania Magazine
Once again this year, I have an article in the Sept-Oct issue of Quiltmania. This article is all about the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show that I attended this summer in the town of Sister’s OR.
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
Quilting with Flowers – Discovering the Colorful Quilt Gardens in Elkhart, Indiana
Discover the Quilt Gardens in the heart of Amish country in Elkhart county Indiana as you follow the Heritage Trail to see gardens designed like quilt blocks.
I’ve seen quilts displayed on beds and hanging on museum walls. I’ve also seen quilt designs painted on barns and on the sides of buildings. But one of the most unusual quilt displays I’ve seen has to be the Quilt Gardens in Elkhart, Indiana. More than one million blooms make up seventeen large quilt designs that are on display each year from May 30 to Sept. 15.