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Arapahoe County Quilters

Celebrating the Art of Quiltmaking for 30+ Years

Festival of Quilts will be June 6-7 2025. Look for more information on the
Festival of Quilts home page.

ACQ Workshops

Workshops from our featured teachers provide an amazing opportunity to learn new techniques and expand your quiltmaking skills at a minimal cost. Payments are due with your registration.

See Workshop Policies below for details.

Upcoming Workshops

  • ACQ Winter Retreat

    • February 14, 2025
    • 5:00 PM
    • February 16, 2025
    • 2:00 PM
    • Zoom
    • 0
    • 48 registrants
    Join waitlist


    Set Sail (1).png

    Come and join us for our fourth annual virtual retreat!  Your admission includes events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  You are welcome to come the entire time, or pop-in and out depending on your own schedule.

    The retreat fee covers your registration, a pre-retreat quilt pattern and opportunity to participate in QUILT BINGO, supplies for a project, quilt block ideas, prize drawings, games and entry into the GRAND PRIZE give away.

    Since we are virtual, you can invite friends from all across the country (and world) to experience a quilty "cruise" to warmer weather (from the comfort of your own home).  The more the merrier!  

    REGISTRATION:

    There are two options for registration.  The first is to have your registration packet mailed - the second is for pick-up only at the ACQ guild meeting in February.  Mailed packets will go out in early February - so you will have everything in order when the retreat begins.

    OPTION:

    You will also have the option to participate in QUILT BINGO.  This is a pre-retreat activity in which you will create flying geese blocks with 6 different coordinating fabrics (or scrap fabrics in your favorite colorway) of your choice.  If you choose to participate, a pattern will be emailed to you with instructions and a layout suggestion for turning your BINGO board into a finished quilt.

    PRELIMINARY AGENDA:

    Subject to change, but we wanted to give you an idea of what to expect.

    ACQ Virtual Retreat

    Friday, February 14th   Florida

    Zoom room available 5pm to midnight, host available until 9pm

    5:00pm Zoom Room Ready – drop in and get settled

    6:30pm KICKOFF!  Introductions, agenda overview, Q&A

    7:00pm Project

    8:15pm Group Toast

    8:30pm Open Sew

    Saturday, February 15th   Jamaica

    Zoom room available 24/7, host available 8:00am – 9:00pm

    8:00am Zoom host arrives and open sew

    10:00am Project

    2:00pm Chair yoga

    4:00pm First block announcement, Show and Tell

    7:00pm Fun & Games

    8:15pm Group Toast – BYOB

    8:30pm Open Sew

    Sunday, February 16th   Bermuda

    Zoom room available until the last person leaves, host available 8:00am to 2:00pm

    8:00am Zoom host arrives and open sew

    10:00 am Second Block announcement, Show and Tell

    11:00am Coffee break with ACQ board

    1:00pm Closing ceremony and drawing for Grand Prizes 


    Show details

  • March Morning Workshop "Keep the Craft Going: Hand Quilting" with Jerry Dunbar

    • March 15, 2025
    • 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Our Father Lutheran Church 6335 S. Holly Street, Centennial, CO
    • 4
    Register

    Keep the Craft Going: Hand Quilting

      with Jerry Dunbar

       

    Hand Quilting is a special way to quilt, and it should be in everyone's bank of knowledge. This technique adds a unique look and texture to quilts both large and small. 

    Hand quilting is perfect for finishing a vintage quilt using a more traditional manner. But, it can also be used on modern quilts that want to lend a nod to tradition in the Art of Quilting.

    In this class, you will learn the best needle and thread to use for hand quilting and how to prepare your quilt for the hoop. You will learn how to hoop and mark a quilt sandwich, how to properly hold a quilting needle, and how to manage your thread.

    This workshop will be IN-PERSON only.  No refunds available.

    Get Supply List HERE           

    About Jerry Dunbar

    Jerry was born and raised in SW Louisiana, Cajun Country, where he watched his great grandmothers , grand mothers and great aunts participate in quilting bees.  This sparked an interest in quilt making back and in 1982 after inheriting his maternal grandmother’s 1951 Singer sewing machine, he pieced his first quilt.  Jerry’s Mom, Dorothy, taught him the skill of hand quilting.  Taking his first and only class in the summer of 1986, new techniques, ideas of design and colors began to work their way into his quilting projects.   

    Still hand quilting, Jerry feels he is continuing the craft and traditions of his relatives as well as the discipline and creativity learned from earning a Doctorate of Music degree in 1978 from Florida State University.  (Plus it’s very therapeutic as well!!!)  In the summer of 2023, two of Jerry’s quilts were awarded 1st place in their categories as well as Best of Show for Use of Color & Design and in Hand Quilting at the ACQ Festival of Quilts.  He has had 2 of his quilts displayed in the bi-annual National Men’s Quilt Show at Golden’s Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.


    Show details

  • March Afternoon Workshop "Kawandi Stitching" with Jennifer Strauser

    • March 15, 2025
    • 1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
    • ZOOM ONLY
    • 8
    Register

    Kawandi Stitching    with Dizzy Quilter


    Are you ready to explore making a quilt from the outside in?

    Join Jen Strauser and explore a the art of Kawandi style quilting!  Jen will lead you through everything from selecting fabrics and tools to finishing a Kawandi style quilt, both by hand and by sewing machine. We will make a placemat/mini quilt during class. 

    What is a Kawandi Quilt?

    Kawandi Quilts are a traditional craft practiced by African Diaspora peoples in Western India. Traditional Kawandi are made from recycled saris. They are constructed from the outside in with hand stitching, which makes them a unique change of pace from western quilting traditions. We will talk about the traditions, and also how to make a quilt on your sewing machine. You get to choose which construction method you will focus on. Can't decide? Sometimes Jen uses both in one project. 

    Get Class Description and Supply List here

    Kits are also available on Jen's Etsy page. Please order no later than March 1st, to give enough time for the mail service to process your order.

    Order Handwork/Machine work kit here

    This workshop will be ZOOM only.  No refunds available.

    About Jennifer Strauser

    Jen Strauser is a quilter, pattern designer, and quilting teacher. She lives with her family in Northern New Jersey and Southern Florida with her two dachshunds, Oscar and CJ. 

    The quilting bug bit her in 1999, when she started watching Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson.  Much like the TV show, she explored all kinds of techniques and styles. She loves everything about quilting; the feel of the fabric in her hands, watching the little pieces of fabric she cuts out turn into beautiful quilts, even the smell of the fabric. Creating texture through quilting makes her heart sing. 

    Creating scrappy designs and using up stash are two of her favorite parts of patchwork quilting. She is always amazed when she can pull a whole quilt worth of fabric out of the scrap bins and not make a dent in the scrap pile. 

    Her quilting has won awards at the local and national level. Several national magazines have featured her quilts, and her blog has followers from all around the world.  

    Recently Jen has fallen in love with Kawandi Style quilting and spends a lot of time hand stitching and trying new ideas. You can follow her adventures at Dizzyquilter.com.

    Learn more about Jen:

    Website        Facebook

    Instagram     Pinterest

    Blog               YouTube
    Show details

  • April Workshop "Intro to Thread Painting" with Lea McComas

    • April 12, 2025
    • 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
    • Our Father Lutheran Church 6335 S. Holly Street, Centennial, CO
    • 19
    Register

    Intro to Thread Painting    with Lea McComas

    Try this technique without committing to a major project. Participants will complete a series of small exercises to learn skills in isolation, and then combine them in more intricate compositions. We will begin with basic exercises for drawing, filling, & blending, before moving on to creating texture, contour, and depth. Skills learned in this workshop can be applied to a variety of pictorial and abstract projects. This workshop also includes information on threads, stabilizers, and needles. A $5 kit fee will be paid to the instructor at the workshop.

    This workshop will be IN-PERSON only.  No refunds available.

    Get Supply List HERE           

    Lea will be speaking at the April 10, 2025 Guild Meeting

    About Lea McComas

    With a life-long interest in fiber, Lea McComas began sewing at age 6 and quilting at 16.  She earned an M.A. in Education, and has been a public school educator for almost 40 years, including 9 years spent serving military families stationed overseas. While living abroad, Lea immersed herself in the local cultures, learning the arts and traditions of the people with whom she lived. This included studying carpet weaving in Turkey, and fabric dying in Japan. 

    She has been featured in numerous publications and online platforms such as Quilting Arts TV & Magazine, and TheQuiltShow.com. Lea shares the extensive knowledge and the techniques behind her award-winning quilts in lectures, workshops, magazine articles,  online courses at QuiltingCompany.com, and her book Thread Painted Portraits.  

    Learn more about Lea:

    Website        Facebook

    Instagram     Pinterest

    Blog               YouTube
    Show details

  • May Workshop "Tree Rings" with Diana S. Fox

    • May 10, 2025
    • 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
    • Our Father Lutheran Church 6335 S. Holly Street, Centennial, CO
    • 20
    Registration is closed

    Tree Rings with Diana S. Fox

    Get ready to combine unique fabrics into round-ish blocks using raw edge applique to represent the growth of nature's grandest marvels. 

    Embellish and add detail with thread and your imagination.  Finish by combining the blocks into unique, mounted wall art.

    This workshop is about letting your creativity flow freely.

    Artist's Statement

    "Through the exploration of cloth as my medium choice...abstraction, shape and use of color are the primary components repeated through my work.  My approach is improvisational and organic, and I am most often stimulated by spirituality, nature, and world events.  The beginning of a composition varies from a vague idea to a detailed sketch with a selected color pallet.  Rarely does a finished piece completely resemble the initial idea, as I respond to the work as the composition develops.  The creative process is the exciting part pushing me to present a unique worldview".

    This workshop will be IN-PERSON only.  No refunds available.

    Get Supply List HERE   

    See Diana's "Tree Rings" Presentation on The Quilt Show HERE       

    Diana will be speaking at the May 8th  Guild Meeting

    Learn more about Diana Fox

    An artist and creator to the core, quilting is my medium of choice. There are so many aspects to the art of quilting that I love—the richness of community, the tactile nature, learning the basics and then bending the rules.  Moving from traditional quilting, to art quilting, to a textile art focus has been a wonderful adventure.

    I was born and raised in Denver, CO within a large and close-knit family and have never lived more than 20 miles from my place of birth. I travel frequently but could never even consider calling another place home. Before fully tapping into my creative work, I graduated from Regis University and worked in local government as a Human Resources professional.

    My work has moved from flat art quilting into the sculptural realm, removing negative space and engaging the area in and around each piece. As a textile sculptress, I prefer to dye much of my own fabric for my creations. I have had numerous pieces juried into national and international shows and have mounted several successful solo exhibitions, including one currently at the National Quilt Museum. I am a Juried Artist member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) and a member of 4 Common Corners, an invitational art quilt group. I am looking forward to upcoming tapings on both The Quilt Show as well as Quilting Arts TV and I’m an avid quilting teacher.

    In addition to quilting, I am passionately committed to environmental sustainability and my creative work often tells this story. I am constantly dazzled by this amazing and beautiful place we call home – Earth. It’s my goal to be a quiet activist for our planet. Through my art, I hope to inspire us all to stop and observe a sunset, smell the flowers, and remember that we are not separate from but rather a part of nature.

    I currently live in Parker, CO with my life partner, two rescue dogs, Dolly and Lewis, and two fat cats.

    Learn more about Diana on social Media:

    Website

    Facebook

    Instagram



    Show details

  • July Workshop "Free Styling & Spiraling" with Mel Beach

    • July 12, 2025
    • 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
    • Our Father Lutheran Church 6335 S. Holly Street, Centennial, CO
    • 20
    Registration is closed

    Free Styling & Spiraling with Mel Beach


    These improv-pieced spiral designs are sure to mesmerize and energize!!  We’ll start with square spirangles and experiment with different design options and construction techniques.  Then we’ll explore new spirangle designs:  rectangles, triangles, and other fun shapes…oh my!!

    This workshop will be ON ZOOM only via the Speaker's Platform.  The Zoom link will be provided to all sign-ups prior to the Workshop date.

    No refunds available.

     Get Supply List HERE        

    Mel will be speaking at the July 10th Guild Meeting

    About Mel Beach

    Mel Beach is a San Jose, CA based quilt artist, teacher and lecturer, who breaks away from tradition by adding her own modern, beautifully textured, and colorful twists. She loves to have fun stretching her creativity through her completion of six 100-Day Projects involving dice, daily carves challenges, and participation in 100+ quilt challenges at the local and international level.

    Her quilts have been juried into national quilt shows and traveling exhibits, published in books/magazines, earned awards/ribbons, and selected as Finalists. Mel has been featured on Quilting Arts TV (series 2500 and 2600) and The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims (episode 2112 and 2808), in addition to having articles published with Quilting Arts Magazine, Curated Quilts, and The Craft Industry Alliance. From 2022-2024, Mel Beach served as President of Studio Art Quilt Associates, a global organization dedicated to promoting the art quilt.

    Learn more about Mel Beach

    Website                   Blog             Instagram           YouTube           Facebook

    Show details

WORKSHOP POLICIES​

TIME
Workshops start promptly at their stated time. For all virtual workshops please confirm you have online access info at least the day before the workshop. 

FEES
Fess vary by workshop.

WAITLIST
A waitlist will be created if a workshop sells out. 

LOCATION
Workshops will be held either online or at Our Father Lutheran Church.  Check the workshop details page to verify workshop location.

PAYMENT, CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY 
  • Any member or guest signing up to participate in a workshop sponsored by ACQ must make payment for the entire amount of the class enrollment fee at the time of registration. Registration is not complete and class placement is not reserved until payment is received in full.

  • No refunds are available for any workshops or programs.  If you are unable to attend, the participant's fee will be retained by ACQ. However, the participant may arrange for another person to take their place at the workshop but ACQ will not be a involved in the financial arrangements made between the parties. Original participant must notify ACQ of the transferred registration before the class meeting time. 

NON-MEMBERS

  • All workshops are open to ACQ members initially.

  • Non-members interested in a workshop may register after early bird registration ends when space is still available.

  • Non-members pay a slightly higher workshop fee.

  • You may wish to join ACQ in order to take advantage of early discounted workshop fees. 

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

Contact the current VP of Programs.

MONTHLY GUILD MEETINGS

Meetings held the 2nd Thursday of each month

All meetings are streamed online

In person meetings are held at:

Our Father Lutheran Church

6335 S Holly St, Centennial, CO

CALENDAR


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Quilters

MAILING ADDRESS

Arapahoe County Quilters
PO Box 5357
Englewood, CO 80155

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