MEET . . . Nicole Cowlin

The Material Girl will be hosting our third annual weekend retreat March17-18, 2011. That’s four days of instruction, sewing, eating, socializing, and just plain fun to complete biggest portion of a quilt top! Cost of $375.00 includes instruction, Dinner, Continental Breakfast, & Lunches for 4 days. Supply list, cutting instructions for several sized quilts, and fabric ideas will be available in advance so you will be ready to sew on the first class day.  In addition , we will be hosting our famous American Cancer Society Live Auction, Fat Quarter Quandry, and block drawing. The Material Girl will be at your service with lots of drawings, and discounts....including late night shopping hours with special retreat discounts.

 Just announced!  March 17-20, 2011 are the dates for the Third Annual Retreat at Bishops Ranch.  

MEET... Angie Thornton

My name is Angela Thornton I live in Ukiah on our family ranch with my husband and 3 children. I started sewing as a child in 4-H and have been sewing for about 30 years now. I began Quilting about 18 years ago when I had my first child. I enjoyed quilting so much, I started working in a quilt shop part-time then began to tach clases. My love of quilting grew even more and I opened a quilt shop of my own with two of my friends. They had a Gamill Longarm Machine, So I bought a share of it with them and began longarm quilting about 2 years ago. I became so busy doing custom quilting for people and teaching quilting classes, I sold my portion of the Quilt Shop to my partners took the Gammill home built a Studio and now I teach quilting classes, and do custom longarm quilting form my home. What a great life!

MEET... Don Linn

Don began his quilting adventure about 14 years ago as a long arm quilter. From the beginning of his career as a quilter Don has set out to be the best he could be. When everyone else was doing overall pantograph designs, he devised a way to do hand quilting designs on a long arm machine. His unique style of quilting has led to many commissions by famous quilters such as Pat Campbell, Sally Collins, Paula Nadelstern and Sharyn Craig to name a few.

Don has also been a quest on Alex Anderson’s "Simply Quilts" television show.

For the past three years Don has been a teacher at Asilomar in Pacific Grove. Later this year he is tentatively scheduled to teach machine quilting in Japan.

Don has retired from long arm machine quilting for others, but still enjoys piecing his own design and teaching at select shops on a limited basis. Don’s newest artistic venture involves working in slumped glass and forged metal.

 Meet Millie Bogdanovich...

Millie has had a long life long love of art and graduated from California State University Long Beach with a BA in art and physical education in 1968. Then she started her family.

In 1976 she and husband Jack opened MJB Antiques and china painting studio in Cypress, California. This is where she taught painting for 20 years and decided to try something new. So taking a hand quilting class at The Cottonball quilt store Morro Bay, CA started her small quilt creation patterns. It was these patternes that teacher Becky Rodgers encouraged her to develop.

While at the annual American Quilt Society Show and sale in Paduach, KY she was introduced to the felting technique. This was a demostration by Clover products. This has been a fantastic addition to the quilts and wall hangings.

Meet Debbie Valentine....

 Children’s sewing classes are great fun, the focus is on calm, creative, sewing and designing. Learning the joy of making gifts and recycling and re-purposing fabric from clothing they currently have. I have 15 years of experience working with children in Santa Rosa schools.

Debbie will be teaching five day kids classes this summer. Check our schedule and register on-line.

Meet Larissa Dahroug......

Larissa is a mixed-media maker, social activist and Reiki Teacher working out if her private studio in Santa Rosa, CA. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1979, Larissa grew up mostly in Rochester Hills, Michigan just outside Detroit. She studied metal smithing under Thomas Madden, and Susan Holt at The College for Creative Studies, in Detroit, Michigan, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Crafts with a small metals concentration in May 2001.

Larissa's aesthetic is very eclectic drawing from various mediums, inspirations, philosophies, artistic and political movements.

When asked about her philosophy on making and art, Larissa says:

I believe that creating a tangible, physical dialogue about the world that surrounds us is the responsibility of artist. I believe that [art] work should have integrity in its craftsmanship, method of fabrication, concept, presentation, and material used. I believe art has the ability to transform communities by inspiring meaningful dialog about race, class, gender, faith, socioeconomics status, governance, love, the environment, etc..., if approached and executed in a thoughtful and respectful way.

From 2006 until 2008, Larissa served on the board of the Metal Arts Guild of San Francisco as Guild letter Editor. She has taught art for the San Jose Museum of Art in San Jose, California, and for the Creative Arts Center in Sunnyvale, California. Larissa is a dedicated pacifist, maker and vegetarian.