Meet the Teachers

 

We take the time to search out the best in the industry, introducing you to exceptional designers, best-selling authors, creative thinkers and visionaries. Taking classes at Original Sewing & Quilt Expo adds to a memorable and satisfying experience.

 

Deb Atchison

Prosper, TX

debatchison.com/quilting.html

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Deb Atchison is an experienced educator, international technology consultant, and quilter that enjoys leading students of all ages through the process of creating beautiful works of art with fabric! Teaching is her lifelong career and quilting is her passion. Combining them both...her dream job! Deb has many years of training students of all ages including adult learners. As a technology education expert, Deb has taught numerous workshops virtually as well as face-to-face! She is certified in Scrappy Applique, and is a Legit Kits Ambassador and Educator and enjoys teaching quilters of all experience levels how to make beautiful works of art with Legit Kits! Deb enjoys sharing her love of applique using embroidery machines as well. 

 

Ellen Ault

Tampa, FL

MK Quilts

mkquilts.com

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Ellen Ault is a professional longarm quilter and the Creative Chief Officer for MK Quilts. Ellen leads the longarm studio and manages the full service quilt shop. She teaches piecing classes locally and shares her love of free motion quilting and rulers on MK Quilts University. She has been longarm quilting for 10+ years.

 

Eric Drexler
Port Charlotte, FL
Sulky of America
sulky.com
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Eric has been in the industry over 40 years. Free-motion artistry has been his life-long passion. He has made numerous large and small works of machine art, some of which have been featured in Sulky Books and at Trade and Consumer Shows all over the country. Through his association with Sulky of America since the beginning, he has had the pleasure and honor of being inspired by some of the world's greatest creative sewers and quilters. Eric loves life and he loves to teach and share his exuberance for creative sewing. He is passionate about inspiring students of all ages so they can discover and enjoy a lifetime of creative fun. His infectious smile and warm humor puts everyone at ease and makes them ready and eager to learn. He is widely sought after to teach and share his contagious enthusiasm at Consumer shows, Sewing and Quilting Guilds and on many PBS shows.

 

Tamara Evans

Williamsburg, VA

Sewing has been a lifelong passion for Tamara. While raising her children, she discovered the limitless creative options of machine embroidery, software, quilting and began a home-based embroidered gift business. Coming back to the corporate arena as a professional in the sewing industry, focusing on new product development, creative project design, embroidery education and quilting with an embroidery focus was full circle. Her joy is education, publishing articles, teaching at trade shows, conventions, and other events. Her goal is to simplify the tedious and frustrating aspects and inspire creativity and confidence. Now, as an impartial independent expert, she will educate and inspire students of all skill levels.

 

Jennifer Fairbanks

St. Petersburg, FL

sewpinellas.com

With a teaching legacy spanning over two decades, Jennifer's expertise was first honed at the esteemed Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Here, she played a pivotal role in shaping young talents, guiding them through the intricate world of sewing and pattern drafting. Beyond academia, Jennifer is a celebrated author with multiple titles on pattern drafting and lingerie design to her name.

Her dedication to imparting knowledge led to the establishment of a fashion design school in Redlands, California. This institution became a beacon of knowledge, collaborating with charter school programs and hosting summer camps. Over four transformative years, Jennifer kindled a love for sewing in countless students.

Jennifer's journey eventually led her to return to the welcoming community of St. Petersburg six years ago. While her mode of teaching transitioned to online platforms, her ardor for sewing remained unwavering. Through volunteering and personal endeavors, she continued to inspire, ensuring the art of sewing found its way to the next generation.

 

Stephanie Folsom
Cape Coral, FL

Beach Potato Embroidery

beachpotatoembroidery.com

Stephanie is an embroidery instructor and business owner of Beach Potato Embroidery. She has been sewing since she was nine years old and learned about machine embroidery in middle school. She has been a part of the sewing, embroidery, and longarm communities for the past ten years. While she loves making new designs, helping others is her first passion. She is a former 911 dispatcher and mother of two. Now as embroidery designer and instructor she loves sharing new techniques and making unique in the hoop projects. Stephanie and her husband Joe travel the United States teaching machine embroidery as well as vending at large expos and shows. Stephanie is excited to meet you in person for an awesome hands-on event!

 

Lynn Gerard
Nappanee, IN

The Cork Emporium

thecorkemporium.com

Lynn Gerard is the owner of The Cork Emporium. This unique store is for eco-conscious fashion enthusiasts and creative artisans alike. The Cork Emporium specializes in offering a diverse range of thread, cloth and ornate accessories crafted from an environmentally friendly and versatile material: cork fabric. Lynn loves working with and teaching cork bags. Cork fabric is such an awesome media to work with. She a great sense of humor and she brings that to her classes.

 

LuAnn Hartley

Lexington, NC

Sanluchell Designs

LuAnn Hartley has been teaching a variety of classes for over 30 years. Her background includes education consultant, sewing machine sales, and a store owner for over 25 years. She has a passion for embellishing, quilting, and creating new ways to use techniques for both sewing and serging. She has taught all over the country and at major quilting shows.

 

Jaymi Horne

Carmel, IN 

Cranky Kangaroo

crankykangaroo.com

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Jaymi Horne has been sewing professionally for over 20 years. She began quilting as a creative outlet, and fell in love with Foundation Paper Piecing. Dubbed the “FPP Queen” by her Instagram followers, she has designed over 50 Foundation Paper Pieced patterns, has been published in Make Modern Magazine and featured in local art shows.

 

Angie Lamoree
Weaverville, NC

Once upon a time (2005), Angie took her first quilting class just for the heck of it. After all, when you have five kids, you need to get out every once in a while, and just do something for yourself. She was hooked from the first lesson. It wasn’t long before her husband, DJ was trying his hand at it too, and was actually really good.

One day, Angie had the idea that if she was going to be a quilting addict, she might as well make a business of it, and get others hooked. After getting DJ and the kids on board, in April 2017, the little shop on Main Street in Weaverville, NC opened for business. Happily situated in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, the suburb of Asheville is a cultural mecca of handcrafters and artists.

Angie & DJ believe that quilting/sewing/crafting is a way to transform thoughts and emotions into beautiful, one-of-a-kind handmade items. And when helping those pieces make their way into the world, they believe in providing the highest-quality fabrics, tools, and supplies along with friendly, supportive help…and 5 Little Monkeys prides itself on making sure you have that.

 

Susan Luaces

Tampa, FL

susieluaces.com

Susie began sewing at nine, taught by her mother, and honed her skills through high school classes, sewing magazines, and books. She created her own clothes, including tailored suits. Despite college and a career in engineering limiting her sewing time, her passion never waned. After leaving engineering to focus on family, she dedicated more time to sewing. Susie has sewn clothing, Halloween costumes, wedding dresses, home décor items, quilts, toys, and nursery items, with garment sewing being her favorite. She has teaching experience from her engineering career, as a part-time fitness instructor, and as a sewing instructor at Joann Fabrics. Since 2002, Susie found the Original Sewing and Quilting Expo, to be a great source of knowledge. Discovering Lorraine Henry’s fitting classes, she resonated with the Seam Method of pattern alteration. Susie trained with Lorraine and Judith Rasband in 2024 to ensure the method's continued availability and is now ready to share her expertise.

 

Donelle McAdams
Marion, IN
Representing Sew Steady
sewsteady.com
sewbizmarion.com
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Donelle McAdams is the owner of SEW BIZ, Marion, Indiana, now an online quilt resource. Donelle is the designer of Quick Easy Mitered Binding and Border Tools for the Sewing and Quilting industry that are sold internationally and she is also a pattern designer. Previously a Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher, she has been a quilt store owner for 36 years. She has taught a variety of SchoolHouse and Take & Teach classes and Business Management Seminars at International Quilt Market, Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff Sewing Conventions, Vacuum & Sewing Machine Dealers Trade Association Convention and has participated as a Quilt Store Owner/Educator on numerous panels and advisory boards. She writes a column Profitable Promotions - for FabShop News, an industry magazine and also writes for VDTA. As a promoted Educator for Sew Steady/Westalee Design Templates, Donelle teaches classes in Ruler Work Quilting. Her love and enthusiasm for sewing and quilting is infectious. Taking a class with Donelle is guaranteed to be information-packed, inspirational and FUN!

 

Jill McCloy

Toledo, OH

Jill McCloy Designs
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Jill's sewing career started at an early age – she received her first sewing machine for Christmas just after her fourth birthday. In high school, she did custom sewing and taught at fabric and sewing machine shops using original patterns. In 1992 Jill was hired by Viking Sewing Machines, Inc. as a national educator designing projects for the Viking Club and teaching at Viking World Conventions. She then became an independent educator working with many brands of sewing machines. Jill was featured in the Threads magazine design challenge in 2000, wrote for McCall’s and Threads magazines, designed embroideries for Cactus Punch and taught at many Expo events. Her specialties are machine knowledge and creating original designs. She has over 50 patterns and recently had a truly beautiful line of fabric come out with Northcott fabrics.  

 

Linda McGehee

Shreveport, LA

Ghee's

ghees.com

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Designer, Linda McGehee has a diverse sewing background with 50 years experience from garments to handbags, piecing to heirloom, surface manipulation to combining a variety of methods into a sampler of various techniques. Linda has traveled the globe demonstrating and lecturing from her books and patterns. She is much sought after at trade and machine conventions, consumer shows, guilds, shops & television. Her style is easy and fun with a flair for detail.

 

Kathy McMakin
Birmingham, AL

Kathy McMakin is one of America’s foremost authorities in machine embroidery and heirloom sewing. She teaches beginning, intermediate, and advanced sewists worldwide and inspires confidence in her students. Kathy has taught for 40+ years as the President of Martha Pullen Company and Editor-in-Chief of Classic Sewing Magazine. Today, she lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, and she follows her greatest passion, teaching at events nationwide.  Kathy has been a guest instructor for every major sewing machine manufacturer worldwide. She has authored several smocking, sewing, and serging books and has produced and appeared in numerous machine embroidery, sewing, and serging videos. Her guest appearances on sewing television shows are many.  She and her husband have two grown children and several precious grandchildren.

 

Pattie Otto
Falling Waters, WV
Great Copy Patterns and Embroidery
greatcopy.com
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Pattie Otto, the creative force behind Great Copy Patterns, brings boundless enthusiasm to the world of sewing. With expertise spanning garment design, machine embroidery, and alterations she not only creates but also imparts that knowledge and shares her inspirations through classes across the country. Beyond her professional endeavors, Pattie finds joy in spending time with her husband, Rick, and their grandsons in Ellicott City, MD. Their travels along the East Coast further enrich their experiences. In her well-stocked home studio, Pattie's passion for sewing shines through as she crafts patterns for beautiful garments and accessories. She has also been busy building her alteration business which encompasses everything from prom and pageant attire to menswear and for everyday. Pattie Otto is not just a sewing enthusiast; she's a creative powerhouse whose love for the craft knows no bounds.

 

Cynthia Peck
Saginaw, MI
SVP Worldvide
Cindy Peck is a sewing enthusiast who learned to sew as a young child using a sewing machine with a knee controller because her legs were too short to reach the foot controller on the floor. Cindy enjoys sewing garments, crafts, gift items, and quilts as well as embroidering or embellishing ready-made items. Her career as a scientist and as an educator helped her develop an interest in sewing products which reduce the use of one- time plastics and repurpose natural fibers to contribute to the maintenance of a greener earth. She has taught sewing for more than 20 years and believes learning should be fun. Her no-nonsense approach (including everyday anecdotes and examples of what can go wrong and how to recover) empowers everyone to expand their skills and take time for sewing each week “just because they deserve it”.

 

Kate Quinn

Albuquerque, NM

FabriKated Quilts
Sew Steady Education Ambassador and Westalee Design Acredited Teacher

fabrikatedquilts.com

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Kate's fascination with quilting began when she received a Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt as a wedding present in 1991. She made her first quilt to celebrate the birth of her first child and has loved quilting ever since. Kate loves all styles and types of quilts from art to modern and traditional pieced to applique, and how quilting is a connection through the ages and across generations.
Originally a native of California, Kate graduated from West Point in 1991 and served in the Army with her husband Patrick. She left the service in 1998 to be at home with the couple's five children. For the next two decades, quilting became the bridge that helped her to build relationships in each new community as she moved more than twenty times during her family's military service. 
After their last move, Kate began working and teaching at local shops and guilds on a consistent basis. In
2016, she became a professional longarm quilter, opening FabriKated Quilts. When she was first introduced to Westalee Design’s Quilting Rulers and Templates she was instantly hooked! Rulerwork tools have helped Kate advance her quilting skills more than she ever dreamt possible. The freedom and creativity generated by these tools is so satisfying, and Kate wants to give that power to quilters everywhere. She loves sharing her passion for quilting and art, passing on a centuries old tradition, and creating beautiful items of comfort.

 

Sara Robitaille and Debbie Love

Orlando, FL

Salty Sews

saltysews.com

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Debbie and Sara, the dynamic duo of the sewing world, mix a dash of sass with their sewing expertise. They've spun their love for stitching into a wild ride of teaching and inspiring. Brimming with years of know-how, they're not just about the thread and needle; expect a hearty dose of humor in every class. They're the go-to gals for a good laugh and a sewing skill or two. Known for their sharp wit as much as their sharp needles, their classes are where you stitch up something cool and maybe get roasted a little – all in good fun!

 

Annie Smith

Fort Worth, TX

Award Winning Quilter, BERNINA Ambassador & Aurifil Artisan

anniesmith.net

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My life is pretty much quilting; all day, every day. It's not a stretch to say that I'm consumed with everything having to do with quilting. I love everything about quilting - the machines, the fabric, the patterns, the books (oh - I'm especially obsessed with quilting books!), the shows, the notions, the threads, the techniques, but mostly - it’s the people I meet. A life-long Californian, I now live in Texas with my family and love the “buckaroo” culture. I have ten grandchildren and a golden retriever named Posey.

 

Jerry Stube
Lakewood Ranch, FL

The Quilters Quarters

quiltersqtrs.com

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I have owned The Quilters Quarters since 1996 and been a quilt pattern designer since 1998. I have designed for 8 different fabric companies, single patterns and many blocks of the month. I host the Mysterious Sewing Society retreat twice a year in Sarasota, Florida that includes quilters in person and many online through zoom. Number 7 and 8 will be March 8, 2025 and September 6, 2025. I have been a teacher, creator, military wife of 53 years, retired hospital administration with civil service, you name it and I have tried it. Quilting is supposed to be fun and I make every effort to keep it that way. I have taught quilting in two European countries and on 6 quilt cruises. 2022 I launched a program to provide 100 quilts for the Tunnel To Towers village in Lakeland, Florida and with the help of some great quilting volunteers we reached our goal and then some. I am always ready to try the next quilt thing possible and to help you have fun with me.

 

Jim Suzio

Pittsburgh, PA
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Jim Suzio is an award winning artist, designer, digitizer and sewing instructor (including embroidery software, heirloom, fashion and serger sewing). A self taught sewer, Jim was inspired to try the craft after watching a neighbor's enthusiasm in the art. A new sales position at a machine dealer found him literally "thrown" on stage at an ASG convention where he was discovered by Sue Hausmann, host of the PBS series "America Sews with Sue Hausmann." Jim soon found himself teaching all over the US, Canada and Australia for Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff Sewing Machine Companies. His work has been featured in numerous books and magazines and several ads for Husqvarna Viking and the launch of Ty Pennington's new fabric line. he has been seen on several television programs here ("America Sews with Sue Hausmann,"and "It's Sew Easy") and in Canada ("the Big Breakfast Show").

 

Joyce Teng

Houston, TX

teacherstamp.com

Joyce Teng is a quilter, mixed-media artist, and surface-design specialist known for her vibrant colorwork and creative fabric-art techniques. As the founder of TSC Designs, Joyce is celebrated for her mastery of Tsukineko inks, using them to blend, shade, and transform fabric with painterly depth and detail.

She teaches a wide range of surface-design methods—including painting, stenciling, foiling, and stamping—helping quilters add rich texture and personality to their projects. A popular instructor at quilt shows, guilds, and online workshops nationwide, Joyce is known for her clear instruction, playful style, and ability to make artistic techniques feel approachable to all.

Her work continues to inspire makers to experiment, explore, and bring more artistry into their quilting.

 

Jess VanDenburgh

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Hi I'm Jess! I was born and raised in upstate New York where I still live with my husband & 2 dogs. My grandma taught me at a young age how to sew and encouraged my creativity. I stumbled upon bag making in 2005 due to a major obsession with bags and a large fabric stash. I started making bags for friends and family at first and then selling them. From there my company, Sew Many Creations was born. Originally the company focused solely on making custom bags but slowly developed into a pattern company after many requests. In 2012 I expanded my pattern company to also include bag hardware, cork, fabric, kits, zippers and more. In 2020 I finally started my Youtube channel where I chat live every Friday about anything and everything bag making. I also upload tutorials, free patterns and educational videos. Teaching is my absolute favorite and if you watch any of the hundreds of YouTube videos I have on my channel, I think you'll agree!

 

Joe Vecchiarelli
Glendale, CA
French European Dress Forms

frencheuropeaninc.com

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Joe Vecchiarelli, founder and president of French European Inc., has worked in the fashion industry for over 40 years. During his college years, Joe worked in the family business, sharpening scissors for the industry's top designers. He later graduated from USC's business program and began to realize that opportunities in the apparel business were unlimited. Mr. Vecchiarelli's career took another fascinating turn when he made a foray into the entertainment business working in production with shows like Dancing with the Stars and The X Factor. A few years ago he was approached by NBC to help produce the competitive design talent show, Fashion Star. Presently Mr. Vecchiarelli is ever so busy maintaining his business and helping fashion students and enthusiasts grasp their dreams and become successful within the industry.