TAKE CLASSES WITH ME!

 Here is a quick look at where I will be teaching through the end of this year.

June 27, 2026--Lecture "A QUILTER'S LAST WILL AND TESTMENT--AKA YOUR KIDS DON'T WANT YOUR STUFF" Things we should be doing now to help our family when the inevitable happens

Colorado Quilting Council General Meeting, 10 am, St Phillip Lutheran Church, Littleton, CO

June 28, 2026--Workshop OH MY STARS! 9-4, Above and Beyond Sewing and Vacuum, Littleton CO 

See the guild website here: Colorado Quilting Council

OH MY STARS

September 29-October 4, 2026--FALL RETREATERS, Hilton Garden Inn, Livermore, CA

Early sew days are September 29-30, Classes October 1-2. 

I am teaching OH MY STARS October 1 and THE VILLAGE October 2. During the two Early Sew days I will be working on the 2027 Block of the Month FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE--see some of the amazing things you will learn in 2027. 

The Village

Alex Anderson will be a special attendee!

Contact Debbie Stephens by phone or email NOW to register:

October 20-21, 2026--Loose Threads Quilters, Spring City, PA. Tuesday October 20 is a full day workshop, still waiting to see which great class they pick. 

Wednesday October 21, Lecture "TIME MANAGEMENT FOR QUILTERS", 9:30 am.  First United Church of Christ, 145 Chestnut Street, Spring City, PA 19475

See the guild website here: Loose Threads Quilters

November 11-14, 2026  International Quilt Festival Houston. 

Wednesday November 11: Class OH MY STARS, 9-5:

Enrollment will open in mid-July: Quilt Festival Houston

LECTURES: 

Thursday November 12: HOW TO MAKE A WINNING QUILT, 11:30 am

 Friday November 13: TIME MANAGEMENT FOR QUILTERS, 4:30 pm

You can pay at the door for Lectures, no pre-enrollment required.

In 2027 there will be big changes: I am cutting back on travel. The plan is to teach at special events like EMPTY SPOOLS SEMINARS. Registration opened June 20, 2026 for the 2027 Sessions.

My class FULL CIRCLE filled quickly a few years ago when I taught it there. Don't miss what is likely to be your last opportunity to join me for this class.

FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 5, 2027:

Shows like HOUSTON, PADUCAH, and others like that are where I hope to concentrate my teaching time. And another few CRUISES are in the works. 

In 2027 I will be teaching/assisting Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson with the 2027 BOM: FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE. I am learning things as I make this quilt and you will too. It starts in January 2027; look for TIPS and HOW TO GET READY in November. THE QUILT SHOW with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims

The BIG NEWS is my JOYFUL JOURNEY RETREAT, #7, is back. MARCH 31-APRIL 4, 2027,  Red Rooster Retreat Center,  Crane Hill, AL. Not just a free sew retreat, this EVENT aims to build friendships, offer TEACHABLE MOMENTS, and make it worth your time to participate. Contact me directly for more information--or to be added to the waitlist--we are almost full. bbquiltmaker AT gmail--you know the rest. 

Locally, I hope to offer more classes here so I can sleep in my own bed and have more time to make my BUCKET LIST quilts.

I love teaching and hope to continue to share my knowledge with you.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

WE THE PEOPLE

Some months back I thought "I want to make a semiquincentennial quilt." That date celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city of my birth. Every Philadelphia school kid goes to Independence Hall at least once--we used to be able to touch the Liberty Bell--not any more, it's in a big glass case so many can see it at once and no one can touch it.

I needed a design and the time to make whatever I came up with. In March I was at a quilt shop in Shiner Texas: The Square Quilt Shop. Read about that trip here: Texas Tour 2026. I found a great panel and a pattern that used it--not too big, very graphic, the perfect project that I was sure I could finish by July 4, 2026.

The pattern is called "Stars Around 1776". I named this "We the People". YES, I know those are the words to the Preamble to the Constitution, written in 1787. They are still words that mean a lot to many of us: 

We the People, about 48" x 55" 

This week I finished it and hung it in the living room. It will be the Summer quilt for this spot. 

My grandkids saw it the other day and loved it. Sam, 7, said "How long did it take you to make that eagle?" Stella, 11, said "Make me one of those!" 

The stars I made are different from those in the pattern. The Borders are slightly different too. It was easy to assemble the top and I got to play with machine quilting designs. Quilting panels is a good way to practice, not much piecing, not a lot of time invested in making the top, and you can often "follow the lines" on the printed panel for much of the quilting. Fast and Fun.

Here are some detail shots of the quilting:

The back

The back

For the back I used the colored version of the text print. It includes lots of words from the Declaration of Independence, the lyrics to The Star Spangled Banner, and other United States of America patriotic phrases. The black and white version I used on the front. I only had 1 yard of the colored version--the store clerk mixed up my order as I kept shopping and I didn't notice. So I added enough of the Black and White text version to the 1 yard of the Colored version to do the job for the back:

The pattern is from Pine Tree Country Quilts. The panel is part of the 1776 Collection from QT Fabrics. 1776 Fabrics from QT Fabrics That eagle panel may be hard to find this close to July 4. 

I am so glad I went to Shiner Texas and found this panel and pattern. It will be my Summer quilt on the living room wall from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year in the future:

And as a fun little aside: Today is FLAG DAY in the USA. We proudly fly our flag on this day and think of Betsy Ross. 

Let's quilt.

Barbara

A FEW FRIENDS YOU SHOULD MEET

 Here are a few quilter friends you might not know. In Alphabetical Order:

1. NINA CLOTFETER:

Nina lives in Mobile, Alabama. She is peppy, funny, smart and an excellent quilt teacher. Machine quilting classes are her specialty but she teaches other things too. Find her website here: Ninaquilts 

You can also follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Last year Nina came to Huntsville to take MY class Oh My Stars! She did so well and it is always helpful to have a sounding board when teaching a new class that might be challenging for some students:

Nina recently was the Guest Artist on The Quilt Show--the show was great! If you are a Star Member be sure to watch it: Show 3808

Nina and I teaching at Houston 2025

2. BEN DARBY: 

Ben is a member of my guild, the Heritage Quilters of Huntsville. He has won Best of Show twice at our very good local show. He has been a ribbon winner in a few AQS shows and has had several quilts juried into the International Quilt Festival in Houston.

Ben is an engineer by trade and his quilts are always complex, interesting and amazing. He does all the work and quilts on a domestic sewing machine. His quilting just keeps getting better, if that is even possible: 

His Blog is always fun to read: Huntspatch Quilts. I encourage you to take a look. And follow him on Instagram: huntspatchquilts

Most of Ben's quilts are original designs and he often creates acrylic templates to make them when that is helpful. On his blog he gives a lot of information on his process. 

MIAMI MEETS MANHATTAN by Ben Darby

3. TARA MILLER: 

Tara lives in the Atlanta area. She is a quilt historian, pattern designer, speaker and teacher. She is the ONE teacher I am trying to get my local guild to hire--she is the ONE teacher I am eager to take a class from. She is the master at MIXING LARGE PRINTS, something I have not done. 

Her Lectures are full of great information and entertainment. Her knowledge of quilt history is boundless. 

Currently she is the Curator of a major exhibit at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California: The American Quilt: Cloth and Commerce. Learn more about it here:  BOWERS MUSEUM EXHIBIT

Tara has a YouTube channel and you can find her website here: quiltdistrict.com  I also encourage you to follow her on Facebook and Instagram:  quiltdistrict    

I hope to see Tara Miller here in Huntsville in the near future--she is "one to watch".

4. PATTY MURPHY: 

Patty lives in the Atlanta area. She is a designer, quilter, teacher, author. We worked together at the Virginia Consortium of Quilters a few years back. The quilt she was teaching spoke to me: Aether. I bought her pattern and ultimately made this quilt:

Her books offer a lot of great information:

Her latest book shows how to use those wonderful fabrics for more than one project:

Her first book is great for new to intermediate quilters who can't quite get things as perfect as they would like. Patty shows how to make small changes that make ALL the difference:

Find her website here: Patty Murphy Handmade and follow her on Instagram: pattymurphyhandmade

5. Elaine Wick Poplin:

Elaine lives in Huntsville and I have known her almost 40 years. She is currently the guild President and has been a member for that long too. 

She is a retired high school math teacher and that shows in a lot of her work.  Her website is: messygoat.com but she shares more information on Instagram: messygoat_elaine

Elaine is a Cherrywood Fabrics Ambassador and often uses those fabrics for her innovative designs. 

Elaine now travels some to teach and lecture and does ZOOM classses/lectures as well as local classes. 

She has won Best of Show at our guild show and been juried into AQS shows and International Quilt Festival Houston. You may know her quilts even if you don't know her:

A local TV channel did an interview with Elaine about her quilt: "THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS":

WHNT NEWS

In August 2026 Elaine will be part of a RETREAT put on by Cherrywood Fabrics called COLOR CAMP IN COLORADO: COLOR CAMP   It looks like fun!

So there you have an introduction to some terrific people in my QUILT WORLD who you may not know. I encourage you to visit their websites and social media feeds for more inspiration.

Let's quilt.

Barbara