Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association upcoming events

September Meeting (Zoom) with Kestrel Michaud - Kestrel's Creations (Mon, September 28, 2026)

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Kestrel's Creations

This presentation features a deep dive into my creative history and artistic process. My award-winning quilts are the culmination of a lifetime of artistic growth, and the first half of this presentation explains how I got to where I am today. It's a biographical look at my artistic life, from when I started drawing and won my first art show as a 9-year-old kid, through discovering fabric in High School, re-discovering fabric in art college, and finally transitioning to quilting in my late 20s. I'll share artwork I made in every phase of my life, although the focus is on the fabric.

The second half of "Kestrel's Creations" is about my process. I've used the same fundamental creative process for every fabric picture or quilt I've ever made, although my workflow underwent a major overhaul as I transitioned from analog to digital. Using behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the makings of multiple quilts, I'll take you step-by-step through the process of my design in its entirety, from initial sketch to free-motion quilting.

Learn more about Kestrel at https://kestrelmichaud.com

Kestrel Michaud, Board Member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), is a classically-trained and award-winning fine artist, graphic designer, and illustrator. She graduated with honors in 2010 from Ringling College of Art and Design with a BFA in Illustration. Her quilted illustrations are made from thousands of pieces of fabric fused and stitched into large, quilted wall hangings, often featuring scenes from an imaginary steampunk world.

Kestrel and her art quilts have been featured on The Quilt Show and Quilting Arts TV on PBS. Her quilts have exhibited in six countries and have won grand prizes at the largest quilt shows in the world. In addition to creating and competitively exhibiting her quilts, Kestrel maintains an active Patreon where she teaches aspiring artists how to design and create their own imaginative realism designs. She also gives presentations and teaches in-person workshops to quilt guilds and at shows across the United States.

October Meeting (In Person + Zoom) - Bea Byrne - English Paper Piecing Then and Now (Mon, October 26, 2026)

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Bea Byrne: English Paper Piecing Then and Now

This talk goes into the history of EPP and showcases classic patterns and designs before moving forward to the current day and looking at some of the recent innovations. Attendees will be keen to get started on their own projects when they hear about the ease and transportability of this method.

Learn more about Bea at: https://www.beabyrne.com/

Bea Byrne is an artist and maker living in Oakland, California. Originally from the UK, she lived and worked in London for more than 20 years before moving to Tokyo, Japan, and then to San Francisco in 2015. She has taught and studied quilting and crafts in all three countries, adopting the virtual event format from as early as 2013. She became President of the SF Quilters Guild in 2016, serving for two years, and later co-chaired their Show Committee. She continues to volunteer with them and the East Bay Heritage Quilters.

Following her treatment for breast cancer in 2020, she launched her own business and in 2024 she started the virtual QUILT2024 summits, with more than 15k attendees watching workshops from teachers worldwide. In 2025 she took over Global Quilt Connection, which works with teachers and Guild worldwide and provides the bi-annual All Star Sampler Platter events. As well as lecturing on and teaching quilting online and in-person she also teaches a wide variety of other crafts such as dyeing, UV resin, mending and candle making.

You can read more about her at www.beabyrne.com.

November Meeting (Zoom) - Daisy Aschehoug - Anatomy of a Curve (Mon, November 16, 2026)

Mon, 16 Nov 2026 17:30:00 GMT

Daisy Aschehoug - Anatomy of a Curve

Quilt designs with curves draw me in every single time. Whether big or small, improvised or precise, drunkard's path or quarter circle square, I love analyzing what makes a curve work in a design. And I absolutely sewing them. During our time together, you'll see how understanding the geometry in a curve will help sew curves of all kinds. The lecture is part inspiration, part demo, and the tiniest part high school geometry. By the end, you'll be ready to sit down at your sewing machine and give curves a try!

Learn more about Daisy at: warmfolk.com

December Meeting (Zoom) - Emily Lang - My Journey in Modern Quilting: Staying Creative in a Busy Life (Mon, December 14, 2026)

Tue, 15 Dec 2026 03:00:00 GMT

Emily Lang - My Journey in Modern Quilting: Staying Creative in a Busy Life

Emily Lang has been sewing for 25 years, and fell in love with quilting after her daughter was born. She loves to design quilts, and enjoys the challenges of working with intricate piecing on both small and large scale. This lecture will follow her journey toward creative practice as a daily habit. Find her on Instagram at @EmilyLangQuilts