Meet Our 2006 Teacher of the Year Hari Walner

Introduced to quilting in 1987 when she worked as an illustrator/designer for Quilters Newsletter Magazine and Quiltmaker, Hari Walner has had a varied career in our industry. After 20 months with QNM, she had developed a specialty in continuous-line machine quilting designs and left to form, along with her husband, Gordon Snow, Beautiful Publications, LLC, to publish and distribute her continuous-line quilting patterns. This led to demonstrating machine quilting at consumer and trade shows, and in 1992 she began to teach on a national basis at guilds, shops and conferences. Harriet then developed a method of using water soluble thread to create machine trapunto and wrote
Trapunto by Machine (C&T, 1996) to share the technique. She found that the writing and teaching were complementary and this led to publication of her second book, Exploring Machine Trapunto (C&T, 1999). She is at work on a third book. While Hari is a member of several state and national guilds, the group she is closest to is an unofficial group that she invites to her home for free classes to test out new teaching and design ideas. You can contact Hari at 7508 Paul Place, Loveland, CO 80537 or quilting@earthlink.net.

Meet Our 2006 Teacher of the Year Nominees

Esterita Austin has been teaching quilting for six years and specializes in working with color value to create depth on a two-dimensional surface, with the addition of painting to intensify the illusion. While this is the subject matter, what she strives to teach is for students to express their artistic freedom without constraint. A member of her local quilt guild, Teri also belongs to Signature Art Quilters, a group of 13 art quilters, who show at a variety of shows and galleries. In addition, she judges Quilts New England for the Brush Gallery in Lowell, Mass., and coordinates weeklong workshops in Tuscany. As an outgrowth of her teaching, Teri and a friend teamed up to market a line of representational art quilt patterns based on her quilt designs. This led to her marketing non-adhesive fusibles (Misty-White™ and Misty-Black™) that do not alter the hand of the fabric. 58 John St., Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776; www.esteritataustin.com.

Dawn Bakies has been teaching quilting for about 20 years. Though she doesn't specialize in any one area, she does more machine work than handwork. She finds that teaching kids to sew is the most fun and most rewarding. Much of her teaching is done through her local shop, which allows her to be available to her students and take advantage of guest lecturers. 28 Fox Dr., Seymour, CT 06483; Dawnpsalm103@aol.com
Sue Benner taught occasionally as a young artist but didn't begin teaching on a more regular basis until her first class at Quilt/Surface Design Symposium in 1992. She specializes in teaching alternative construction techniques for art quilts and surface design on fabric. While she does a small amount of judging and writing, Sue spends most of her time creating and design in her studio. She has been a self-employed studio artist since 1980. 8517 San Fernando Way, Dallas, TX 75218; www.suebenner.com.
Laura Cater-Woods, a second-time nominee for this award, has been teaching in the quilting field since 1996. Her areas of expertise are art and design and free motion work with decorative threads. She structures her workshops to facilitate personal expression. In addition to teaching, she serves as juror, judge and curator for quilt and mixed media shows, writes for publication and maintains an 3-newsletter that focuses on issues surrounding creative work. As an extension of her classroom work, she also does private coaching. 315 Burlington Ave., Billings, MT 59101; www.cater-woods.com.
Hollis Chatelain has been teaching quilting in the United States since 1996. Prior to that she taught quilting, drawing, painting, color and design in Africa. Her greatest contribution to the field of quilting is opening up quilters to the idea of dye painting as a means of expressing oneself. A member of the Studio Art Quilt Association, Hollice also started a national critique group that looks at quilts from an art, rather than quilt, standpoint. In addition to teaching, Hollis also juries quilt, art quilt and high-end craft shows. 909 Lawrence Rd., Hillsborough, NC 27278; www.hollisart.com
Katy Coleman has been teaching quilting for 14 years and specializes in instilling confidence in quilters to try outside-the-box ideas. She is active in her local and state guilds and, in addition to teaching, designs and participates in gallery shows. 621 N. Fifth, Seward, NE 68434; sanityquilts@hotmail.com.
Award-winning quilter Sally Collins has been teaching since 1985 and is most recognized for her precision piecing. She believes her greatest contribution to quiltmaking is teaching new and experienced quilters the methods and techniques she has learned to improve the process and achieve quality workmanship. In addition to teaching, Sally has written numerous articles, created a pattern company, completed the NQA Short Course on Judging and judged quilt shows. She is the author of three books and her fourth, Mastering Precision Piecing, will be released this fall. 1640 Fieldgate Lane, Walnut Creek, CA 94595; www.sallycollins.org.
An American living in Africa, Dena Crain has been teaching quilting since the 1990s. She first taught Kenyan woman and helped them create a business producing handmade quilts for the tourist market in Nairobi. Today she teaches quilting primarily through Quilt University and specializes in design. She co-founded the Kenya Quilt Guild in 1994 and remains active in the group. She is also a Professional Artist Member of the Studio Art Quilt Associates and sells her work through solo quilt exhibitions.  PO Box 1141, Nakuru 20100 Kenya; jahldeen@africaonline.co.ke.
Teaching quiltmaking since 1978, Harriet Hargrave specializes in hand quilting with an electric needle, i.e., heirloom machine quilting. She is also known for developing techniques that create a hand look on the machine for appliqué. Harriet's teaching style focuses on student's investigating and experimenting to learn new skills and techniques. In addition to her teaching, Harriet opened a shop in 1981, has written or co-written four books, worked with Hobbs Bonded Fibers to develop a line of batting and with P&B Textiles in reproducing antique fabric for today's quilters. 5767 Falk Ct., Arvada, CO 80002; www.harriethargrave.com.
M'Liss Rae Hawley has been teaching quiltmaking for more than 30 years. While she teaches a wide range of classes and is known for her interest in fat-quarter quilts, she recently has focused on embellishment and embroidery techniques. She is the author of eight books on quilting, is the official spokesperson for Husqvarna Viking Sewing Machine Company and Robison-Anton Textile Company and is the creator and host of M'Liss's World of Quilts on PBS. 5749 S. Double Bluff Rd., Freeland, WA 98249; www.quiltclasses.com
Dea Heller has been teaching quilting seriously for six years and most enjoys teaching block-of- the-month series and beginners. She finds BOM classes a good way to keep beginners interested and improving their techniques. Dea is active in several local quilt groups and has judged county fairs. 9158 Garden Ridge Dr., Garden Ridge, TX 78266; rheller@satx.rr.com.
Though her teaching experience began with fiber and textile art in 1990, Anna Hergert didn't begin focusing on quilting until 1998. She specializes in design for art quilters with a strong focus on embellishment. In addition to membership in several Canadian quilt organizations, Anna writes about quilting, judges and exhibits her work. She also uses quilting as a vital part of the therapy in her mentoring with a brain-injured man, and she recently developed a textile art program for a local group of low-income mothers with pre-school children. 226 Hidden Hills Place NW, Calgary AB T3A 6E2, Canada; www.annahergert.com.
After retiring as high school home economics teacher six years ago, Jan Hirth began teaching quilting through an adult education program. Jan designs quilts for each of her classes and writes a booklet of instructions to accompany each. She is active in her local guild. 24042 Hillhurst, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677; janhirth@cox.net.
Though she has been quilting for about 34 years, Helene Knott only began teaching six years ago. Her own personal style encompasses pictorial quilting and working with ethnic themes and fabric, so she tends to offer classes in those areas. In her teaching, Helene uses a variety of methods from meditation to creative visualization to help her students release their creativity, Active in both local and national guilds, Helene designs patterns that are published and marketed through Story Quilts. She is also committed to volunteering her skills a time permits and worked with the local women's correctional facility teaching. PO Box 261, Oregon City, OR 97045; www.kittystomp.com.
Arlene Lane began teaching quilting in the late 1970s and specializes in a variety of appliqué techniques. An award-wining quilter, she self-published Applique, An Effective New Approach, in the 1980s, and she found this opened many doors to a professional career. 2340 Wrenco Loop Rd., Sandpoint, ID 83864; atmacsnoopyln@aol.com
Lyn Mann has been teaching quilting for 17 years and specializes in mysteries, curved and "skewed" quilts. She is active in local and state guilds and is at work on her second book. 24611 Shadowfax Dr., Lake Forest, CA 92630; www.quiltsbylyn.com.

Ruth McDowell has been teaching design classes for quiltmakers since 1983. Her technique, template piecing, right-sides-together, by machine and then quilted, is standard, however her use of design is more complex than other piecing techniques. Ruth is the author of eight books and her art quilts have been exhibited nationally and internationally. Two of her quilts are among "The Twentieth Century's 100 Best American Quilts." 993 Main St., Winchester, MA 01890; www.ruthbmcdowell.com.

Karen McTavish has been teaching longarm machine quilting since 2000 and in 2006 began to teach on the home sewing machine as well. Her specialty is wholecoth/trapunto/heirloom quilting. Karen is active in her local machine guild and expects her third book to be published this spring with two more later in the year. 1748 Wildwood Rd., Duluth, MN 55804; www.designerquilts.com.
Elin Noble began teaching garment construction in 1977 and then dyeing and patterning cloth around 1984. Primarily she teaches how to dye cloth and thread to quilters. The author of Dyes & Paints, Elin belongs to local quilt, knitting and surface design groups. PO Box 161, East Freetown, MA 02717; www.ElinNoble.com.
Laura Nownes has probably taught more than 3,000 students since she began teaching in 1980. Her focus has always been with the beginning quilter. She has co-authored with Diana McClun five best-selling books, including Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!!  Since 1990, Laura, a previous nominee for this award, has organized and taught Teacher Training Seminars based on using her books as classroom texts. In 1998 she and Diana formed Teacher Development Seminars to foster continuing quality teaching of quiltmaking. They ran the C&T Publishing Teachers Retreat and this year are sponsoring The Artist's Way for Quilters, based on the book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. 130 Byron Ct., Pleasant Hill, CA 94523; www.dianaandlaura.com.

Barbara Olson has been teaching quiltmaking for 15 years and specializes in art quilts. She is the author of Journey of an Art Quilter: Creative Strategies and Techniques and also judges shows. Her quilt In the Beginning was named one of  "The Twentieth Century's 100 Best American Quilts." 20 Emerald Hills Dr., Billings, MT 59101; www.barbaraolsonquiltart.com.

Doni Palmgren has been teaching quiltmaking for 25 years and specializes in hand work, both appliqué and quilting. She is still active in the guild she started about 20 years ago and loves to turn as many people as can into quilters. 204 S. Miller St., Wenatachee, WA 98801;  donipalmgren@charter.net.
Jackie Robinson began teaching quilting in 1981 and specializes in machine piecing and "slick tricks" to make it more accurate and fun. A previous quilt shop owner, Jackie today operates a small pattern company where designing and writing patterns go hand and hand with teaching. Her newest challenge was the organization of the Eureka Montana Quilt Show, an outdoor quilt show that in its first year exceeded all expectations. Through Jackie's company, Animas Quilts Publishing, she also awards a Viewer's Choice ribbon at the IQA Quilt Show in Houston. 830 Douglas Hill Rd., Eureka, MT 59917; www.animas.com.

Cindy Roth had been teaching piecing in the mid-1980s prior to establishing her longarm quilting business. In 1999 she formed Longarm University to provide students with knowledge and confidence to begin their business journey and to give them the quilting skills needed to make that business a success. In addition to teaching, Cindy has self-published several books on longarm quilting techniques, designed a series of templates and tools to create quilting designs for the longarm and designed patterns that use her templates and tools to create whole cloth quilts. She also owns and operates Innovations – A Machine Quilting Conference®, now in its fifth year. 12313 SE 198th St., Renton, WA 98058; www.LongarmUniversity.com.

Louisa Smith, previously nominated for this award, has been teaching quilting since the late 1970s. Whiles she started out teaching basic techniques, today she is interested in helping students develop their own creativity. Teaching and designing led to her first book, Stripes and Curves, and she has two books in process. Louisa also owned and operated a quilt shop for 11 years. 4821 14th St., SW, Loveland, CO 80537; www.quiltescapes.com.

Shirley Stutz has been teaching quiltmaking for 20 years and today specializes in machine quilting, machine appliqué and machine piecing. She is the author of the recently released Easy and Elegant Lone Star Quilts. The book is the result of seven years teaching that focused on the use of very large-scale designs with that pattern. 70964 Rainbow Rd., Lore City, OH 43755; shirleystutz@alltel.net.

Linda Taylor has been teaching longarm quilting for 12 years, largely as hands-on classes. An award-winning quilter, Linda often competes on the national level with her design partner Cheri Meineke-Jonson. She is the author of seven books, including The Ultimate Guide to Longarm Quilting, has produced seven DVDs, and designs, prints and markets longarm patterns. She also owns and operates two longarm learning centers, one in Texas and one in Wyoming, and is the host of Linda's Longarm Quilting, currently showing on 120 PBS stations. Linda V. Taylor, 4964 US Hwy 75 North, Melissa, TX 75454; www.lequilters.com.
Melissa Taylor has been teaching quilting for 10 years and specializes in beginning quilting and machine quilting. She also does machine quilting for clients and has had her work featured in quilt magazines, books and television shows. 3639 Chancellor Dr., Greenwood, IN 46143; melissataylor1@sbcglobal.net.
Sally Terry has taught machine quilting for more than six years. She most enjoys teaching beginners, because a solid foundation of quilting design execution skills is most important for future skills. In addition to teaching and quilting for others, which she has done since the late 1990s, Sally has made three educational videos, designed five continuous-line pattern packets, numerous pantograph patterns and produced stencil and template designs for her Terry Trio™ line of Prodigy midarm quilting machines. She is also the author of The Pathways to Better Quilting and owns and operates the Prodigy Showroom and Training Center in Paducah. 220 Jefferson St., Paducah, KY 42001; www.sallyterry.com.
Cathy Van Bruggen began teaching quilting in 2003, eight years after learning to quilt. Her specialty is botanically correct appliqué featuring flowers, birds and woodland creatures. She designs and markets her own original pattern line. An award-winning quilter, Cathy is active in her local guild. PO Box 37, Garden Grove, CA 92842; www.cathyvanbruggendesigns.com.
Larkin Van Horn began teaching in 1992 at the request of her local shop owner. She specializes in embellished art quilts, wearable art and beadwork. The majority of her classes are process- or technique-driven. In addition to teaching, Larkin wrote and self-published Beadwork for Fabric Artists, designs and creates art quilts for sale through galleries and her Web site and designs and markets wearable art and vessel patterns. Her wearables have also been seen in the Fairfield, and now Bernina, Fashion Shows. P.O. Box 1478, Freeland, WA 98249-1478; www.larkinart.com.
Jan Wildman began quilting in 1980 and started teaching in 1983. She specializes in machine quilting and precision piecing. In addition to teaching, Jan designs patterns and writes quilting articles. She has produced two DVDs on machine quilting. She finds that these activities support and enhance her teaching. An award-winning quilter, Jan is also very active in three guilds. 7434 Megan Elissa Lane, Orlando, FL 32819; www.janwildman.com.