Guild of Quilters of Contra Costa County upcoming events

GENERAL MEETING: "Quilt Show Afterglow (IN-PERSON) (April 20, 2026)

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Join us to celebrate the completion of another successful quilt show!

Quilt show ribbon winners (1st and 2nd place) will be asked to speak about their lovely quilts. What inspired you? What was your process? What did you learn in the making of the quilt?

Hope to see you there!

GENERAL MEETING: "Stories in Stitches - The Journey Continues" with Sujata Shah (IN-PERSON) (May 18, 2026)

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Sujata Shah

Through 30 years of quilting, Sujata has realized that the art of stitching, the very thing she disliked growing up, has become her favorite way to write personal stories onto quilts.

In this presentation Sujata will share her latest quilts in a slide show and the stories behind each quilt.

More About Sujata

Sujata is a graphic designer and textile artist, originally from Mumbai, India. The mother of three grown children, she lives with her husband in the San Francisco Bay area.

She has won awards for her quilts in local and national quilt shows and designed quilt patterns under the name of Rangoli Designs. Her teaching experiences include workshops inspired by the quilts of Gee's Bend, needle-turn applique based on her original designs, and color and design workshops in the Seattle area and Philadelphia. Her quilts have been shown at AQS in Lancaster and Padukah and the Pacific Northwest Quilt-Fest.

In 2014 she wrote the book, Cultural Fusion Quilts - A Melting Pot of Piecing Traditions in which she introduced free-form blocks as abstract interpretations of traditional quilt blocks.

Check out her website at therootconnection.blogspot.com

GENERAL MEETING: "Fashion Showcase" (IN-PERSON) (June 15, 2026)

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Fashion Showcase

Join us for a fun evening of fashion and creativity featuring works by Margaret Linderman.

All members are invited to celebrate their creative craftsmanship by modeling or displaying items they have created by hand or machine, whether quilted or not.

Entries may include:

• Garments: Jackets, vests, tops, skirts,

• Wearables: Scarves, hats, wraps, and more,

• Bags & Purses: Tote bags, crossbodies, clutches, organizers,

• Accessories: Belts, jewelry, slippers, aprons.

Click here to fill out the online form to enter an item to feature in the showcase. You may enter as many items as you wish! Entries must be submitted by May 31, 2026.

GENERAL MEETING: Social and Sew-In (IN-PERSON) (July 20, 2026)

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Join us for an evening of food, friendship and sewing for a good cause. We will be working on projects for various veteran organizations and community outreach.

Come early to set up and enjoy a sampling of salads and appetizers brought by fellow stitchers. You can indicate the salad or appetizer you plan to bring to share when you register. You are not required to bring food to share to attend this event! Just bring yourself, and consider inviting friends.

Doors open at 5:00 PM for set-up

Appetizer/Salad Bar from 5:15 to 6:00 PM

Sewing from 6:00 to 9:00 PM

Kits with fabric for the projects will be provided. There are also opportunities for people to iron and do some hand sewing.

Please bring the following supplies:

•  Sewing machine (unless you plan to help with possible cutting, ironing or hand work),

•  Neutral thread,

•  Scissors,

•  Rotary cutter and mat,

•  Straight pins.

ATTENTION NON-MEMBERS!

The visitor's fee has been waived for this event. We hope you will consider helping for a good cause and meeting our members.

GENERAL MEETING: "Trunk Show" with Sandra Mollon (IN-PERSON) (August 17, 2026)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Sandra Mollon

Join us for a classic trunk show of Sandra's work. She will share her love of quilts, both the traditional hand appliqué quilts that she has made, but also raw-edge fused work and her interest in thread painting and mixed media. Nothing compares to seeing her beautiful creations in person!

More About Sandra

Sandra L. Mollon is an award winning quilt artist living in Northern California. Originally from Michigan, she graduated from Central Michigan University with a BS in Biology. She credits her interest in quilt making as starting from erroneously receiving a quilt magazine in the mail. She has been quilting for over 30 years, and teaching for 18 years.

Several of her traditional quilts were published in the book “500 Traditional Quilts” by Lark Publications. In 2021, her book "Seasons of Life" was released by C&T Publishing, which features her award-winning quilt that is now in the permanent collection of the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. Additionally, her work in art quilting has been honored with many place awards.

She enjoys teaching as well as working on her art, and loves to travel and meet new people.

Check out her website at sandramollonquilts.com

GENERAL MEETING: “Evolution of an Art Quilter” with Marjan Kluepfel (IN-PERSON) (September 21, 2026)

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Marjan Kluepfel

This is an educational slide lecture and trunk show with a big dose of humor woven in. You will learn about Marjan's untraditional approach to quilting and how she creates her hand-dyed fabrics. She explains where her ideas and inspiration come from, how her work has evolved over the years and why she does what she does. Learn from Marjan’s mistakes so you won’t make them yourself!

More About Marjan

Marjan grew up in the Netherlands. After living in Florida, Hawaii, South Carolina and Australia, she now makes her home in Northern California. Her inspiration comes from the natural wonders encountered in these places, both on land and under water.

Check out her website at marjankluepfel.com

GENERAL MEETING: "One Thing Leads to Another" with Fern Royce (IN-PERSON) (October 19, 2026)

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Fern Royce

Improvisational quilting is an intuitive way of creating quilts. Fern often starts her quilts by playing with scraps or an idea, drawing a rough sketch or wondering: What if? In this lecture Fern describes her quilting process and how each decision informs the next, keeping her engaged, focused and often unsure of what happens next.

More About Fern

Fern was born and raised in Northern California, surrounded by sewing, textiles and quilts. She took her first quilt class in 1995 and learned the basics, but never followed patterns. She studied old quilts and quilt books – focusing especially on antique, Amish, and African American quilts. She was also greatly influenced by the books and work of Gwen Marston. and quickly followed her sharp left turn onto the Liberated Quilting path. In 2012, with Gwen’s blessing and encouragement, she started teaching.

Check out her website at fernroycequilting.com

GENERAL MEETING: "The Allure of Japanese Quilt Shows" with Patricia Belyea (ZOOM) (November 16, 2026)

Tue, 17 Nov 2026 03:00:00 GMT

Patricia Belyea

Join Patricia for a flashback of the Tokyo Quilt Festival and a tour of the 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival. She will also show her own quilts, made with vintage Japanese cottons, and will talk about how these special fabrics inspired her.

More About Patricia

A creative quilt maker, speaker and teacher, Patricia co-owns Okan Arts with her daughter Victoria. The small family business imports vintage Japanese textiles, hosts online quilting workshops and in-person retreats, and leads textile tours to Japan.

Patricia also writes a blog, speaks at quilt guilds and teaches workshops around the US. She is the author of East-Meets-West Quilts: Explore Improv with Japanese-Inspired Designs , a book about making improv quilts with Japanese fabrics, released in 2017.

Check out her website at okanarts.com