Upcoming Workshops
Learn something new.
Workshops provide the continuous education that is encouraged as part of the FCQ Guild mission statement. Non-MEMBERS: Workshop registration is available 90 days prior to Workshop Date. Workshops are filled on a first come, first served basis.
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If a registered person is unable to attend a workshop, contact Rosemary Sullivan (fcqsite@gmail.com) for a potential replacement from the waiting list should one exist. No refunds are issued unless a workshop is cancelled.
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Faith United Methodist Church
59th Street and Fairview Avenue,
Downers Grove, IL 60515
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NON-MEMBER
Full Day WKSHOP: $60
Half Day WKSHOP: $40
MEMBER:
Full Day WKSHOP: $50
Half Day WKSHOP: $30
MEMBERS: The guild password is required.
For any workshop listed on this page, register online using one of the buttons here, or contact Rosemary Sullivan.
Walking Foot Quilting - Beyond the Ditch
Catherine Redford
April 25, 2026 9:00 AM - 4: 00 PM
Class Level: All
Learn how to finish your quilts on a domestic machine while enjoying all the control of your walking foot. We will start with a brief discussion of preparing your tops for quilting including marking and basting. Then we will make stitched samples of different styles including modern grids, matchstick quilting and spirals. Finish with a look at Catherine’s work to inspire you to go home & turn your tops into quilts. As seen on QATV series 1400/ QA International Quilt Festival Scene 2014/ DVD Modern Machine Quilting.
A maker since childhood, Catherine Redford is an award-winning quilter and a popular teacher at the local and national level. Catherine is a frequent magazine contributor and has enjoyed being a guest on Quilting Arts TV, Love of Quilting and theQuiltShow.com. She is enjoying the resurgence of interest in handwork, teaching classes for all skill levels and writing the embroidery book Butterfly Stitches (C & T 2020). A BERNINA Ambassador, Catherine delights in finishing her own quilts on a domestic machine! The second edition of her book, Modern Machine Quilting was published by C&T in December 2025.
2 HALF-DAY WORKSHOPS with Jennifer Wagner!
Mastering Curved Piecing with the Many Moons & Broken Moons Quilt Patterns
May 28, 2026 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Class Level: All
Adding curves to a quilt has never been easier. We will cover cutting curves and three different ways to piece curves so that you can try them all and find your favorite way. The smaller size option has the same number of blocks. I recommend making the larger version as it is easier. Bonus: We'll explore how color, contrast, and fabrics change the look of these quilts.
2. Mastering Curved Piecing: Reverse Appliqué with Mini Moons
May 28, 2026 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Class Level: All
Learn a unique technique that makes perfectly smooth small circles with hidden stitching. Bonus: An amazing presentation on how the use of contrast and block layout completely change the look of this miniature quilt.
Register online for this class or contact Rosemary Sullivan.
Hi! I’m Jen Wagner, a quilt pattern designer and instructor from Las Vegas, NV, with a background as a women’s health nurse practitioner and certified nurse midwife. After decades of helping women make informed health decisions, I now have the joy of helping quilters create quilts they love. My patterns blend modern and traditional techniques while embracing bold design and vibrant color. Teaching quilters the techniques I use in my patterns—curved piecing, reverse appliqué, and foundation paper piecing—has been incredibly rewarding. I love seeing the moment when everything clicks and they fall in love with the process. At Snapdragon Quilting, I design quilt patterns, curate gorgeous quilt kits, and stock my favorite notions to make the quilting process smoother and more enjoyable. I’m honored to work with beautiful fabrics, tools, and threads as a BenartExpert with Benartex Fabrics, an Oliso Ambassador, and a Threaducator for WonderFil, sharing inspiration, techniques, and tips with quilters everywhere.
For any workshop listed on this page, register online using one of the buttons here, or contact Rosemary Sullivan.
LOGistics - Pillow or Table Mat - STITCHING WITH ECLECTIC TEXTILES
Lynn Schmidtt July 23 9:00AM - 4:00 PM
Class Level: All
Learn to sew using alternative textures with Lynn Schmitt, author of The Art of Mixing Textiles In Quilts. Our LOGistics pattern can be made as either a large pillow or table mat. The project features mixed textiles; wool, silk dupioni, silk matka, wovens, batiks, traditional and contemporary cottons. Learn to mix different types of fabric with traditional cotton; learn the inherent properties of alternative textiles, what to do and what NOT to do. Oh the possibilities when you begin to add what were once considered forbidden textures into your quilting and sewing projects.
Lynn Schmidt is the founder, owner and designer of A Different Box of Crayons in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She has been designing projects for over 15 years. She is known for her amazing eye for color and the use of various textiles in her work. We occupied our new/old farmhouse In Glen Ellyn, IL in mid-October 2017. Surprisingly, 5 years later, we are still evolving as we continue to settle into our new home, pursue new venues and opportunities and expand our resources. We remain excited to be part of a vital textile community. We are located in Glen Ellyn, IL in our newly renovated 1890's farmhouse affectionately referred to in the neighborhood as "the red house". I was excited to see my first book published in 2017 with C&T Publishing and our horizons expand as I take on new teaching and vending venues reaching across the US and even into Europe!
For any workshop listed on this page, register online using one of the buttons here, or contact Rosemary Sullivan.
Using Cork: The Kendra Tallboy Wallet Class
Lynn Gerard August 27 9:00AM - 4:00 PM
Class Level: All
The Kendra Tallboy Wallet is the definition of Slim, Stacked, and Stylish. In this beginner‑friendly class, students turn cork and cotton into a tall, modern wallet with vertical card slots, a clean snap closure, and a full‑length cash pocket that keeps everything organized. The project builds confidence with cork while teaching practical techniques that makers can use again and again. Everyone leaves with a finished wallet that looks boutique‑ready and feels amazing in the hand.
Lynn Gerard, owner of The Cork Emporium , has embraced cork, a sustainable material sourced from cork oak trees in Portugal, to create a variety of bags and accessories. Located in downtown Napanee, her store also offers sewing classes to teach others how to work with cork.
For any workshop listed on this page, register online using one of the buttons here, or contact Rosemary Sullivan.
Wildflowers and More
(Free-cut Applique)
Cathy Grafton October 29 9:00AM - 4:00 PM
Class Level: All
Wildflowers & More - Free-cut applique techniques to give you tools to create your own floral delights. Folk-art appeal includes tips on using gathered petals, layered flowers, pieced applique and folded stems.
Just a few things about me ---
-I am a quilter and needlework artist living in central Illinois -- on the Grand Prairie.
-I draw my inspiration from the farmland and bits of remaining prairie that surround me everyday.
-My quilts reflect the colors and patterns I see on the land.
-I work primarily by hand using traditional techniques, however, the quilts and embroidered pieces I make are not really traditional.
-I love sharing and teaching others - please see my lecture workshop page for details
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I have been making quilts since 1971, however I have been doing embroidery for much longer, since I was six. I was taught basic stitches by my Mother and Grandmother and continued to learn about embroidery all through high school. At that time crewel was popular and I remember loving all the colors of wool and choosing my favorites to work into small embroidery pieces.
My quilt style evolved through many stages as the popularity of quilting grew along with my own skills. By 1976 the quilt craze was deepening and I suddenly found myself teaching - first basic classes, then specializing in the areas of miniature quilts and finally teaching applique techniques and design. My love of handwork has stayed with me throughout the years and the traditional quilting techniques I learned have blended well with my love of embroidery.
Early on I used embroidery to add details to my quilts then in 1992 I heard about silk ribbon and was intrigued. A friend gave me some to try, and I was soon hooked. It proved to be the perfect addition to my pictorial prairie quilts and the free-cut applique style I was developing. By 1995 I had written a book on silk ribbon, geared especially toward quilters for the American Quilters Society. It is entitled "Nature, Design & Silk Ribbons" and includes some history and historic uses for silk ribbon. While doing research for this book I developed a slide lecture of all the historic sites I visited in the eastern part of the country, this lecture is called "Cathy's Silk Road". Needlework and my interest in fiber has also blended well with the historic re-enactments that I have been a part of for over 40 years now. While most of the historic festivals I participate in are set in the 18th century - I also do some from the Lewis & Clark Era, one Civil War event.
Feathered Edge Star
Joe Cunningham
November 18 9:00AM - 4:00 PM
Class Level: All
Using my system of simple freeform piecing, which can create many shapes, we will make enough varied and wonky feather edged stars to make a small quilt. Using two highly contrasting fabrics, we can create a powerful and fun graphic design, or using a bag of scraps we can create an entirely fascinating field of stars.
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Joe Cunningham has been a professional quilt artist since 1979. He has written essays on the subject for museum catalogues, books and magazines. His book, Men and the Art of Quiltmaking was the first book on its subject. In 2004 he received a $30,000 Shulte Grant from the Fort Mason Foundation. In 2009 he received a grant to study with the Gees Bend quilters in Alabama. In 2010 he was artist in residence at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, which purchased one of his quilts for its permanent collection. Joe travels throughout the country to give lectures and workshops on quiltmaking. His ten books on quiltmaking include the first biography of a living quilter, the first book on men who make quilts (Men and the Art of Quiltmaking,) and a definitive book on marking quilts for quilting called Quilting with Style, published by AQS. He has been seen on the Peabody Award-winning PBS series Craft in America, the HGTV series “Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson,” as well as “The Quilt Show” with Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson, and others. Cunningham has performed his musical quilt show, “Joe the Quilter,” for guilds and theaters nationwide. His latest book is "Man Made Quilts: Civil War to the Present," a catalogue for the show of the same name at the Shelburne Museum. His quilts are in the permanent collections of the DeYoung museum, The Shelburne Museum, The Newark Museum, The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles and many private collections. He has been invited to give lectures in museums and colleges including the DeYoung Museum, University of Michigan, the Chicago Art Institute, the Shelburne Museum, and the International Quilt Study Center and Museum, The National Quilt Museum and the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles.
Joe began making quilts in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. He eventually moved to San Francisco where he maintains a gallery/studio to make and show his quilts. He lives with his wife, Carol LeMaitre, above her Pilates studio, Sanchez Street Studios. Cunningham travels the world to show quilts and teach as well as teaching his popular online classes from his studio.
For any workshop listed on this page, register online using one of the buttons here, or contact Rosemary Sullivan.