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.

 

Kailua-Kona, HI

Quilt Passions

quiltpassions.net

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Karen is the owner of Quilt Passions and calls Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi home. A former elementary school teacher, she brings clarity, patience, and encouragement to every class she teaches. Inspired by the beauty and tradition of Hawaiian quilting as well as the challenge of intricate piecing, Karen loves helping students experience those joyful “lightbulb” moments. When she’s not teaching, she organizes quilting retreats that welcome quilters from around the world—always with a spirit of aloha.

 

Sandra Chandler

Nashville, TN

sandrajohnsondesigns.com

Sandra Lee Chandler is a Nashville-based textile artist, educator, and social media storyteller with over 38 years of experience in quilting and fiber arts. Holding a B.S. in Clothing, Textiles, and Design from Arizona State University, she specializes in repurposed denim, wearable quilted garments, and sustainable design. Sandra teaches a weekly virtual quilting class through Saddleback Community College and has presented at leading events such as QuiltCon, Quilt Canada, Craft Napa, and the Festival of Quilts in England. Her work has been featured in Threads, Quiltfolk, American Quilt Magazine, and more, and she has appeared on The Quilt Show and Quilting Arts. Passionate about storytelling through textiles, Sandra fosters creativity, community, and lifelong learning in all her workshops—making her a sought-after instructor for guilds and events worldwide.

 

Denise Dacus

Murfreesboro, TN
MavaNell Studio
mavanellstudio.com
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Denise Dacus is the owner and founder of MavaNell Studio, a unique “Traveling Quilt Store” that brings quilting supplies and inspiration directly to quilt shows and retreats. With over 28 years of quilting experience, Denise is dedicated to making the craft accessible and enjoyable for novice quilters. She specializes in teaching quick and easy methods to achieve impressive results, and her quilt patterns are known for their clarity and ease of use. Denise’s quilt designs are crafted with the help of Electric Quilt 8 software. She not only uses EQ8 to create her own patterns but is also passionate about teaching others how to use the software. Encouraging her students to explore their own creativity through EQ8 is a key aspect of her teaching approach. Her love of quilting and commitment to educating others have made her a valued resource in the quilting community.

 

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.

 

 

Allyson Heidenfelder

Burnsville, NC 

Quilt-N-Code

quilt-n-code.com

Allyson Heidenfelder was taught by her mother and has been sewing since she can remember. She created her first solo apparel outfit at the age of 13. She began quilting in her 20’s and has enjoyed the art ever since. Allyson and her husband, Lanny, started Quilt-N-Code in 2018 to offer quilters and sewers in the Burnsville, NC area a place to shop and learn. They carry a variety of fabrics and notions to meet your needs, and also offer classes if you are interested in learning to sew or learning new ways to sew.

 

Jessica Kaufman

Asheville, NC

WAXON Batik & Dye Studio

waxonstudio.com

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Jessica Kaufman has her M.A. in Crafts Education, and loves nothing more than creating and leading workshops in a variety of fiber and textile arts. She teaches up and down the East Coast, online, and in her Asheville studio. Before creating WAXON Batik & Dye Studio, she taught all workshops through her NYC-based business, happygocrafty.com, which still hosts over 80 free instructional knitting videos.

 

Angie Lamoree
Weaverville, NC

Angie’s quilting journey began in 2005 when she took her very first class and was instantly hooked from the lesson. Driven by a passion to share the craft, she envisioned a business dedicated to inspiring others and fostering a community of fellow quilting enthusiasts. In April 2017, that vision came to life with the opening of 5 Little Monkeys on Main Street in Weaverville, North Carolina. Nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains just outside Asheville, the shop thrives in a vibrant community of handcrafters and artists. As an educator, Angie believes that quilting, sewing, and crafting are powerful ways to transform thoughts and emotions into beautiful, one-of-a-kind handmade items. Through her guidance, she is dedicated to helping students bring their creations into the world by providing the highest-quality fabrics, tools, and supplies, alongside friendly, supportive instruction.

 

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.

 

Jill McCloy

Euclid, 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.  

 

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.

 

Carol Mitchell

Taylorsville, NC

Barn Quilt Squares by Carol

barnquiltsquares.com

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I am a traveling Barn Quilt square painting teacher located in Taylorsville NC. I have been teaching for 12 years. Barn quilt painting is something I am very pasionate about and really enjoy teaching others how to make a 2 x 2 MDO board come alive for them. My boards are weatherproof and will last outside a very long time. We live on a farm in NC and this is part of my agriculture background but barn quilts are also for houses and garage and can also be mounted inside the house.

 

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”.

 

Amy Regal

Cedar Rapids, IA

Uniquely Crafts

uniquelycraftsllc.com

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I’ve been doing shows since 2010 all over the US. I love to design and make products to make others happy and sometimes laugh. Coming up with new ideas is always a favorite of mine.

 

Nancy Sapin

Franklin, NC
Sulky of America  

nancysapin.com

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Nancy Sapin is a Freelance National Educator representing Sulky of America.  Nancy has been working with Sulky for the past 19 years, both as a National Educator, designer, and a sample maker.  She has worked numerous consumer shows for Sulky, lecturing and teaching. Nancy also lectures and teaches workshops at various quilt and sewing guilds across the United States. You can find some of Nancy’s designs in the last 3 Sulky books and see some of her other works on her website, nancysapin.com.

 

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").

 

Chelsea Swindle

Lebanon, TN

She Sews Seams

shesewsseams.com
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Chelsea is the founder of She Sews Seams. She is a passionate and approachable sewing content creator who has been immersed in the world of sewing since the age of 15. With a mission to make sewing accessible to everyone—no matter their age, budget, or experience level - Chelsea is dedicated to simplifying the art of sewing through clear, bite-sized tutorials.

Whether you're a seasoned sewist or just starting out, her step-by-step guides are designed to build confidence and inspire creativity. Along with a published sewing journal, Chelsea also has a successful sewing merch line, offering fancy and fun items to the sewing community.

Join Chelsea on her journey to make sewing not just a craft, but an enjoyable and attainable skill for all. From beginners to experts, her classes include something for everyone!

 

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.