Our Instructors
Cindy Grisdela
I’m intrigued by color, line, and shape, just like any other artist. Working with fabric like a painter works with paint, I create dynamic contemporary compositions, cutting the shapes out freehand without a pattern or template and sewing them together with my sewing machine.
The color is the first step. I usually begin with a color idea—maybe bright saturated colors, or grays with black and white, or even a neutral palette.
I’m known now for my fearless approach to color, but it wasn’t always that way. In my early days as a quilter, I made traditional quilts from patterns and I was intimidated by color, so I made a lot of blue quilts! But gradually I became more comfortable with putting colors together in combinations that were pleasing to me, and I started challenging myself to use colors that I don’t normally use. Some of those turned out to be my favorites.
There’s a reason I chose to create my art in fabric and thread rather than paint, and that’s the opportunity to add texture to my compositions with the stitching lines. It’s that tactile nature of quilts that drew me to creating in this way, and keeps me excited about going into the studio every day.
I stitch all the lines with my sewing machine, some with freehand motifs and others with straight or wavy lines with my walking foot. There’s no computer program or marking ahead of time that does that part for me. As I stitch, I feel that texture coming to life under my fingers. Some of the pieces have dense motifs stitched into the various shapes of the design, while others have irregularly spaced lines. It all depends on what the composition seems to want or need.
I come from a long line of women who have expressed themselves using a needle and thread, although there were no quilters in my family. Creating with various forms of fabric and thread has been a part of my life since I was a child, and I am self taught as a fiber artist, with lots of experimentation along the way with mentors from books, like the late Gwen Marston, and in person, like my studies with Nancy Crow. My formal education includes a BA in Fine Arts from the College of William and Mary and an MBA from George Washington University.
Find Cindy on Instagram
@cindygrisdelaquilts, her website is cindygrisdela.com
You may email her at cindy@cindygrisdela.com
JO LYNN O’NEIL – Texas
This is Jo Lynn’s third cruise with World of Quilts Travel. Here classes on previous cruises have filled completely.
Jo Lynn has been quilting many years and is versitile in many styles and techniqes. She is able to adapt on the spot for beginning and advanced quilters and has taught throughout the US.
A certified Laura Heine Collage quilt instructor, Jo Lynn has mastered the Laura Heine collage technique that makes her collage designs so unique. Jo Lynn’s collage workshops are very popular and sell out quickly.
For any question on her workshops, you may reach Jo Lynn at jolynn.oneil@gmail.com
SUE SPARGO – Ohio
Sue always felt drawn to the color, energy and simplicity of traditional African designs. This, along with the stark contrasts between the many environments she has lived, combined to stir her love of “primitive” arts and crafts and grew into a focus on contemporary folk-art. Working in a bright, saturated color palette, Sue creates her pieces with layers using hand-dyed wools, cotton fabrics, linens, silks, velvets and embellishment stitchery. As an international author and teacher, Sue’s workshops range from 2 to 5 days and explore textual depth and dimension through wool layering and embroidery. Sue’s publications consist of technique and pattern books, and her extensive website is a treasure trove of products that support her designs. (https://suespargo.com)
Sue Spargo Folk-art Quilts, Inc. currently employees 10 full time staff to oversee her retail and wholesale websites, Block of the Month program, publications and dye studio. We are a family team who’s goal is to provide our customers with a unique but complete product; hand and mill dyed wools that match our Ellana wool appliqué thread, a vast range of embroidery threads including Sue’s line of Eleganza Perle cotton, an eclectic mix of cotton and textural fabrics, patterns, technique books and kits.”
SUJATA SHAH – California
In 2003, She found an instant connection between the abstract utilitarian quilts of Gee’s bend and Godharis from India. Her instinctive ability to work with colors and textures combined with education in graphic design has helped her develop a unique style as a designer.
She draws her inspirations from imperfections and irregularities of free-spirited folk art and crafts from around the world. As a calligraphy major, she believes that each handmade craft has a stamp of the maker. In 2014 she wrote the book, Cultural Fusion Quilts – A Melting Pot of Piecing Traditions. In which she introduced free-form blocks, an abstract interpretations of traditional quilt blocks to reflect her theory.
Talking about the process of finishing quilts, she says, ”I find hand stitching therapeutic and nourishing to the soul. Through my quilts I remain connected to my past, my culture and heritage. More I hand stitch, stories of my daily life get stitched into my quilts. I rarely have a plan before the start of a quilt. Designing a quilt is an evolving process. I believe as the quilt evolves, I simply become the instrument in the making of that quilt.
ILARIA PADOVANI – Italy
ILARIA PADOVANI
Ilaria Padovani grew up in Italy, where sewing, knitting and crocheting were part of her life since the age of four. Thanks to her grandmother, she learned very fast to get things right. If the work was not done the right way, it had to be undone and remade until perfect.
Since leaving Italy in 1999, Ilaria has been living in many different countries – including the US, Ireland and the UK. However, it was in 2003, while in State College, PA that she become fascinated with quilt making, owing to a guild of traditional quilters who took her under their wing. During those formative years, Ilaria developed a passion for hand sewn projects – hand appliqué, English Paper Piecing and Foundation Paper Piecing – which are still her preferred techniques.
In 2014, while living in Bristol where she still resides, it was Ilaria’s love for color and eye for perfection that led her to being recruited to work for Kaffe Fassett, making and coordinating his sample quilts for his popular Patchwork and
Quilting’ books.
As a passionate quilter, maker and traveler, Ilaria loves sharing her expertise through teaching, making her ambition to inspire creativity in others on her art, and loves to travel and meet new people.
For questions about any workshop, write Ilaria at ilapado@yahoo.it
VICKIE STIPE – Texas
Fabric has always been a part of Vickie’s life. Her mother made clothing for her and her sister, so her fondest memories are of visits to the fabric store for patterns and fabric. Her first job was in the fabric department of Kroger’s grocery store. This was in the day of the blue laws and the dry goods department was open on Sunday and closed on Saturday. She could speak enough Spanish to work the fabric department when dock workers at a local chemical plant were brought into shop. This was in the days of double knit.
In the 1980’s, she worked at So-Fro Fabrics and a coworker was going to attend a local quilt guild and Vickie went with her. Quilting took off from there.
After the grocery store, she opened her own ceramic store and after five years it closed and she went back to fabric.
Later she worked eight years at Painted Pony N Quilts in LaPorte, Texas where she cut block of the months, helped customers and set up special events.
Next came eight years at Quakertown Quilts in Friendswood, Texas. While there she worked in the wholesale division printing Susan H. Garman’s patterns and talking to quilt shops for pattern orders. She designed block of the month patterns and quilts that were printed in magazines.
After leaving the retail world, Vickie has continued to travel, teach, stitch and collect entirely too much fabric.
To contact Vickie about a class, email ssttipe@aol.com