February program canceled due to snow will be rescheduled for November 2015. Among Elaine’s work are the whimsical collages that depict Chapel Hill, and the illustrations to the children’s book “Goodnight Carolina.” Elaine says of her work, “My artistic process begins with the simple, pure memories of my childhood. I strive to conjure up the essence of those good times and capture them through whimsy and color, stitching them together with a sense of humor and delight.  My process begins by approaching each textile collage with a simple sketch. Then through snips and cuts, my scissors, like a painter’s brush, slowly reveal the image. Layer upon layer of fabric, stitched into place using a variety of colors and textures, brings the piece to life. In each piece I create, my hope is to evoke the kind of pleasure and delight of childhood, when life is simple, sweet, and full of endless possibilities.” To see more of her work visit Elaine’s website www.elaineoneil.com.

Roxane Lessa has been teaching since 2008, and loves to share the joy of art quilting. She is an award winning art quilter who has exhibited in many shows, including Houston International Quilt Festival, Tactile Architecture, In Full Bloom, and PAQA South shows. She continues to explore new ways to use the fiber medium to create art and share with her students. She also has a weekly blog that shares new work, videos, tips and techniques, and upcoming exhipits, www.blog.roxanelessa.com You can see her work at www.roxanelessa.com. She lives and works in Raleigh, has 2 daughters and a lazy studio cat.

Susan Brubaker Knapp, will present a one-hour digital slide show and trunk show based on her book, Point, Click, Quilt! This lecture focuses on tips for taking better photographs, and then turning them into art quilts. This is an inspirational and detailed look at her process: tracing the photo; enlarging the line drawing; using it to trace the fused applique pieces for the quilt; creating a positioning overlay; and then cutting, positioning and fusing the pieces before thread sketching and quilting. A trunk show of pieces from the slideshow and additional work follows, and questions are welcome. Susan started quilting as a hobby, but turned into a passion and a business. She now teaches nationally and internationally, hosts “Quilting Arts TV,” and has produced numerous patterns, two books, and four workshops on DVD. She grew up in Mt. Lebanon, Pa., a suburb of Pittsburgh, and earned her B.A. in English at Allegheny College (Meadville, Pa.) and her M.A. in journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She now lives near Charlotte, N.C., with her husband, Rob, and two daughters. Susan loves traditional hand quilting and needleturn appliqué, but has embraced innovative machine techniques. She started making art quilts in 2005. …

November Program: Susan Brubaker Knapp – Point, Click, Quilt! Read more »