Shine – 2026, 60"W x 70"H

This is the first quilt of 2026! I am feeling good about that. Since I rebooted my studies with Nancy Crow in 2021, I have been exploring a lot of the shapes you see in this quilt composition. I am thinking it is a new series which I have been tentatively calling The Quilter’s Arcade.  

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

Seneca 

I love a good best of. Don’t you? I gobble up top ten lists and other forms of documenting the year.  So, as a final goodbye to 2025 AND MY 50s, I thought it might be fun to do a photo essay.

January is my birthday month, and that means two weeks in Tucson. During Covid (when I thought I might never ever again leave Alaska), my friend Heather Pregger and I impulsively signed up to study with Nancy Crow at the Tanque Verde Ranch in Tuscon, Arizona. This is a Madeline Island School of the Arts workshop, and I look forward to it every year.

February = QuiltCon which is always a great time with friends and QUILTS! Every year, Elizabeth and I host a Student Meet Up. This year’s meet up will be Thursday, February 19, 2026 from 5PM—7PM at the Rye Bar at the Marriott City Center. Please stop by and say hello! We have FUN! 

March was Empty Spools in Pacific Grove, California. I taught Under the Influence which was a bit like Independent Study. CRAZY. Stitching and unstitching, learning and laughter—ALL GOOD!

April was my first time teaching at Art Nest Retreats. My girlfriend Tina Jackson owns this retreat center, and she has thought of all the nice touches. Elizabeth Berger and I are offering our first ever LIVE and In-Person retreat there in 2026. Elizabeth will be chef and chief quilter’s confident, and I will be teaching Around the Bend. You can sign up here. 

In May, I spent a mind-expanding week at an Arrowmont School of the Arts residency. I was part of a dynamic and dedicated cohort of textile artists. 

June was spent in Anchorage. I managed to get some hiking, sewing, and family time. Son Number 2’s band plays several concerts every summer. Parents are invited as long as they behave. We try. Son #2 also does the artwork for the posters. You can check those out here. 

July was a too short visit to McCarthy, Alaska. This month involved a lot of dogs, friends, and hiking, and a bit of quilting on side.

August was spent in Kansas City. My mom turned 80 ,and we had a great family party with all of her favorite people and things.

September was in Morocco! That one word evokes so much joy for me. I highly recommend signing up for an Amazigh Cultural Tour with Rita and Abdu. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience.

November’s fall colors were spectacular. While I am in Kansas City, I miss my family, but I don’t miss winter.

December was just WTF cold. Yep. That is what I will remember about the final month of 2025. As you can see, cold can be beautiful, but it is never warm.

If you like images and words, I am doing it weekly on Instagram. Seven photos and seven captions—one for each day of the week. Maybe you want to join me in this experiment? #weeklyimagejournal  

NEWS & EVENTS
Circle & Curve Sampler 
Saturday & Sunday February 7 & 8
1PM-5PM East Coast Time

This is a fast paced chockablock full of information workshop! Everything you might want to know about how I work with curves and circles is in this workshop. Don’t miss it! This is the ONLY time I am teaching this workshop virtually in 2026. Each session is RECORDED and will be available for students viewing for approximately six months.  

QUILTCON Student MEET UP!
Thursday, February 19, 2026
5PM-7PM

Join us at the Rye Bar in the Marriott City Center Hotel for drinks and conversation. Meet all your virtual friends! This is so fun. I hope to see you there. 

Round & Round (JUST ADDED TO THE SCHEDULE!)
6PM-9PM Eastern Time
Mondays, March 2, 9, 16, & 30

This workshop is all about playing with concepts of radial symmetry within the classic medallion quilt structure. Students will learn about medallions and how many cultures use this structure in their societies, how to piece improv units so that they are approximately the same size and will fit together to form a border, how to do intuitive math, and how to create asymmetrical symmetry, while stitching a super satisfying medallion masterpiece. 

ART NEST – Around the Bend Quilt Retreat 
Agency, MO
Tuesday, 5PM April 7 – Sunday, 12 NOON April 12, 2026

Please join Elizabeth and I for our first ever LIVE and In-Person retreat! When you sign up, you also get the virtual workshop Circle & Curve Sampler for FREE. It is going to be amazing!

Round & Round (JUST ADDED TO THE SCHEDULE!)
6PM-9PM Eastern Time
Mondays, March 2, 9, 16, & 30

This workshop is all about playing with concepts of radial symmetry within the classic medallion quilt structure. Students will learn about medallions and how many cultures use this structure in their societies, how to piece improv units so that they are approximately the same size and will fit together to form a border, how to do intuitive math, and how to create asymmetrical symmetry, while stitching a super satisfying medallion masterpiece.

ART NEST – Around the Bend Quilt Retreat 
Agency, MO
Tuesday, 5PM April 7 – Sunday, 12 NOON April 12, 2026

Please join Elizabeth and I for our first ever LIVE and In-Person retreat! When you sign up, you also get the virtual workshop Circle &  Curve Sampler for FREE. It is going to be amazing!

FLASHBACK PHOTO
Ten years ago, I was throwing down some thread on the quilt Tic-Tac-OH! This is an old time favorite that many students have riffed on. It includes several curved units that I teach in Circle & Curve Sampler—Braided Curves, Log Cabin Circles, Curvy borders, and Squaring the Circle. Intrigued? Sign up for Circle & Curve Sampler! You can do that here. 

STUDIO SNAPSHOT
I have the most unrealistic goal of finishing all of these quilts. 

May your 2026 be filled with peace, a diversity of people and experiences, and all the QUILTING you desire.

Maria