Class Registration is Open!

Click on 'Register for Classes' at left to view and register for classes, lectures and special events at Expo in September!

Many of our classes fill up very quickly, so be sure to register soon. Here are handy day by day guides to many of our classes:

Thursday | Friday | Saturday

Our national instructors will be teaching classes before and during Expo. Be sure to check out their classes from the 'Register for Classes' link. Their classes may also be found in another handy guide.

We've got two special 'Lunch & Lectures' this year: How Did I get Here, with Brenda Henning, and How I found My Quilting Career, with Maxine Rosenthal. Plan to join us for one or both!

You can also order your 2010 Lynette Jensen Expo fabric on our site. We've also got two great coordinates: light and dark. You can finally start creating your Challenge quilt. We've got a small amount of our 2009 Expo fabric available as well, along with two coordinates: red and blue.

And finally, think about ordering your Expo tickets now, to avoid the lines in September. You can purchase a single day pass or a three-day pass. You'll be all set for September and we'll be ready for you with an incredible and inspiring show!

Expo is Coming

We're planning this year's quilting and creative arts festival at the Portland Expo Center, and it's shaping up to be a fabulous event with over $13,000 in prizes! You'll soon be able to sign up for classes with our national guest instructors Maxine Rosenthal, Brenda Henning and Ann Johnston. And of course, we'll also have our usual assortment of creative classes from inspired instructors and vendors.

The difficult task of selecting the winners will go to our judges Elizabeth Spannring and Kathie Kerler. Read all about them in our Judges section.

If you are planning to enter a quilt in the show, click here for an entry form with all the details.

Our list of vendors is coming together. Be sure to check back often, as we'll be adding new vendors and other show details as they develop.

Spring Miracle (above), the striking quilt we've chosen to represent this year's show, is by the talented Pat Busby.

Quilt for the Cure

We have once again joined with K103 in their dedication to the Susan G Komen for the Cure Oregon and SW Washington. We are donating quilts for a silent auction which will take place at Expo as well as quilts to be auctioned off by K103 in October. Last year we raised over $1600.00 thanks to your generous quilt block donations. This year we are asking for completed quilts to be used in the auctions using any pattern you like. If you'd like to download our free quilt pattern, called Life is a Dance, click here.

SAQA's Oregon: State of Diversity Exhibition

SAQA We are excited to host SAQA's Oregon: State of Diversity exhibition at Expo. Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) was founded in 1989 to serve artists working in the art quilt medium, as well as teachers, collectors, gallery owners, museum curators and corporate sponsors. SAQA has over 2,500 members internationally, and is active in publishing, publicizing, educating, networking, and producing quality exhibitions in prestigious venues. SAQA encourages professionalism in all aspects of designing, making and marketing art quilts.

SAQA has approximately 65 members in Oregon. OREGON: STATE OF DIVERSITY is the first statewide exhibition, and it is expected to travel throughout the state through 2011. It is a juried exhibition.

For further information about SAQA, visit their website at www.saqa.com, or contact either of the co-representatives for SAQA in Oregon:

Georgia French gfrench@rosenet.net
Laura Jaszkowski joyincloth@gmail.com

We've Got Challenges!

Lynette Jensen's On The Road Again fabric There are two new quilt challenges this year. Lynette Jensen has designed another great print for us, and our On the Road Again Challenge will allow you to show what you can create with it. The fabric will be available in June; you'll be able to order it here or at some of our vendors' shops. Click here for an entry form and more information. Here are links to purchase Lynette's fabrics:

On the Road Again | Light Coordinate | Dark Coordinate

The One Block Wonder Challenge is for quilts based on Maxine Rosenthal's books One Block Wonders and One Block Wonders Encore!. Click here for an entry form and more information.

Featured Guests at Expo

Boise Basin Quilters: the largest quilt guild in Idaho. Most of the members live in Boise or in neighboring towns and communities. Although there are no real boundaries, the geographical field of membership ranges from Mountain Home in the east to Weiser in the west, south into Owyhee County, and north to the McCall area. We are excited to see what they bring to share with us!

Thread Tales: is new to Expo! Thread Tales is an open, diverse group of quilters of all skill levels who also enjoy a good book. They choose a book and have three months to make a quilt inspired by the book. The quilts are kept secret (well, mostly secret) until they are revealed at the end of the third month. This is done over dinner at a restaurant that serves the same type of food found in the setting of the book.

Cover to Cover Book Club: is back for another year and will once again wow us with their creativity! Members read a book then create quilts that symbolize the book. The quilts are amazing!

Community Commitment and Community Involvement

Quilt for the Cure Northwest Quilting Expo has had a tradition of working with a charity to benefit a local organization each year. This year we will again team with the Oregon and SW Washington Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. We are pleased with the opportunity to help make a difference in the search for a cure and the prevention of breast cancer. As soon as we have more information about this year's involvement, we'll post it here.