"From Quilt to Coat" - Teresa Coates
Have you ever seen someone wearing a quilted coat but were too afraid to tackle one yourself? Join Teresa Coates, a nationally known sewing educator, accomplished quilt maker, and pattern designer as she will teach us her "From Quilt to Coat" workshop.
Using her "Elemental Coat" pattern as the foundation, she will walk us step by step through the process of transforming textiles into garments, with plenty of tips along the way.
By the end, you’ll have the skills (and courage!) to cut into that quilt and stitch it into a wearable piece of art that’s uniquely yours.
Fear No Thread-Gayle Donahue
Do you have a stash of metallic, pearl cotton, heavy weight, thin weight and other threads in between that you are terrified to use? Fear not! Gayle from BERNINA of Naperville will help you tame your trepidation and have you making beautiful projects with it in no time. During her VQ guild presentation Gayle has tips, needle suggestions, samples and solutions for practically any thread you want to use on your one of a kind projects. You can see Gayle in action by visiting the BERNINA of Naperville YouTube Channel @berninaofnaperville to learn, laugh and find inspiration.
How I Got From Here to There: Trunk Show - Sara Hocchauser
Sara Hochhauser is an accomplished Illinois-based quilt artist, educator, and designer with over 40 years of experience, including being a featured guest on Quilting Arts TV. For more than 25 years, she has taught informative and encouraging classes that blend traditional heirloom techniques with modern creativity to inspire makers of all skill levels.
The Art of Silk Ribbon Quilting - Sara Hochhauser
Discover the timeless beauty of silk ribbon embroidery. In this hands-on class, you’ll learn essential stitches to create textured flowers and motifs with luxurious silk ribbons. Perfect for all skill levels, you will leave with a beautiful work of art and the skills to continue stitching at home.
My Kaleidoscope Journey: 14 Years of "Show and Tell" - Edrene Heiss
Join us in November as Edrene Heiss takes us through her kaleidoscope quilting journey with a vibrant trunk show. She’ll explain how she achieves such striking visual complexity using a surprisingly simple method.
This is one of those programs that becomes the talk of the guild—make sure you’re in the room for it.
No Sew Kaleidoscope Quilts with Edrene Heiss - Edrene Heiss
Spend the day with Edrene Heiss designing your own kaleidoscopes using gorgeous bilaterally symmetric fabrics—no sewing machine needed. You will play, fuse, trim, and let the creativity flow.
December - Season’s Celebration
Join fellow guild members for an evening of food, fun, and friendship—details coming soon in the newsletter!
Quilt to Coat-Teresa Coates
Teresa Coates is nationally adored for all things fabric. She teaches, she quilts, she writes. Teresa designs patterns for her own woman company, Crinkle Dreams.
Teresa’s presentation, “Coat to Quilt”, will give an overview of the history of quilted outerwear, from the 1300s to modern-day, with a deep dive into ways of personalizing your coat in ways that will let you share your love of quilting with everyone you meet. She will discuss best practices and material types. Teresa will also talk about ways to incorporate your piecing and quilting skills into coats, dresses, tops, bags, and shoes, with lots of inspiring examples.
My Passion in Pixels-Dee Bushrod
Have you ever wondered how you can take a picture and turn it into a quilt? Join Dee Bushrod as she presents a Zoom lecture titled, “My Passion in Pixels”. This presentation will describe how an image that has been “pixelated” can be transferred onto fabric. You will see how you can take any image you want and make it into a picture in quilt form.
Sashiko Works
Maday draws inspiration from cultural textile traditions to unite students of all skill levels while sharing her passion for vibrant, sustainable art. In her “Sashiko Works” workshop, inspired by hands-on study with a Japanese Sashiko master, participants will learn the stitching process using pre-printed cloth and then draft their own traditional Sashiko patterns.
Trash talk, Sustainability in Focus - Maday Delgado
Maday is a bilingual art educator and published artist devoted to sustainability and the storytelling power of textiles. Inspired by cultural traditions and her Cuban heritage, she creates vibrant, environmentally conscious work while inspiring others to make art with purpose.
“Bees and Lavender” Embroidery Class - Deb Strain
Deb Strain is a licensed artist with over 28 years of experience, living in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Inspired by nature, she creates hand-drawn and hand-painted artwork sold worldwide on a wide range of products.
Deb teaches Bees and Lavender, a beginner embroidery workshop where participants learn basic stitches and create a nature-inspired design using a provided kit.
Designing Fabric - Deb Strain
Deb Strain’s engaging lecture will share her journey as a fabric designer and walk us, as quilters, through the creative process behind her hand-drawn designs and finished quilts.
Village Quilters Annual Business Meeting
Come join us in person at our Annual Business Meeting!
We will start off with an old-fashioned ice cream social at 6:30 p.m., complete with all the toppings, provided by your Board members. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Spring 2026 Retreat
This retreat is now full. See the Retreat page to join the wait list.
The cost is $64 for three days of sewing. You can go home each night and sleep in your own bed, or reserve a hotel room. You'll have a blast if you attend a retreat.
Brown Bag Hustle
Brown Bag Hustle is a fun evening where you donate unused articles from your sewing room and/or stash and purchase more from the Hustle to take their place. What makes it adventurous is that you just might find a hidden jewel that turns into a prized possession!
Note the early start time! Drop off begins at 5:00 p.m. and the meeting begins at 6:00 p.m.
Please help us make this a huge success by bringing guests. The guest fee has been waived.
Fun with Rope - Celia Stratman
Our very own, Celia Stratman, will be teaching us how to make rope bowls.
Join this three-hour workshop that should provide you no stress or force you to make lots of decisions. Make a rope Bowl! Rope Bowls can be used to store so many things, spare change, jewelry, car keys, candy, pens, and binding clips. The list is endless!
Celia will supply you with the rope. Once you learn the techniques that Celia will teach, you will be ready to explore all the possibilities and make your bowl.
Note: Workshop fees are non refundable unless the Guild cancels the event.
Save Your Body and Do What You Love – Gail Abbey
Gail will be presenting to the Village Quilters of Lake Bluff/Lake Forest a lecture called, “Save Your Body, and Do What You Love.” Topics will include, how to set up a safe and functional workspace for quilting tasks, injury prevention techniques, and the benefits of stretching. Attendees will learn about the effects of aging on the body, the importance of posture and body mechanics, common upper extremity repetitive stress injuries, and specific pre and post quilting exercises to help prevent discomfort. This will be an interactive presentation and questions are always encouraged.
Chop it Like it’s Hot! Nina Clotfelter
We asked Nina what her favorite workshop was, she replied, Chop it like it’s Hot! ’s Hot! You cannot make mistakes, it’s fun and relaxing while you learn a variety of techniques. Watch her video describing the project.
Threads – What’s the big Deal? Nina Clotfelter
Speaker Nina Clotfelter will teach us all the things we didn’t know we needed to know about thread! Nina is an educator for WonderFil Specialty Threads and is here to share her knowledge. Not only is Nina knowledgeable, but she is very enthusiastic about thread, and how different threads can enhance your project.
Learn about thread weights, ply, specialty threads and how to work with them. You will leave full of information!
January 2026 Retreat
Set your alarm for 8:00 a.m. on December 1 to sign up for our Winter 2026 Retreat.
The cost is $64 for three days of sewing. You can go home each night and sleep in your own bed, or reserve a hotel room. You'll have a blast if you attend a retreat.