Cathy Wiggins is a self-taught quilter who truly loves sharing her passion with others. In 2002, her neighbor introduced her to quilting and took Cathy to her first quilt guild meeting. By Christmas of that year, Cathy had made five quilts, which were all very traditional. After attending her first quilt show in Williamsburg, Virginia, she knew that she had finally found the artistic outlet she had been looking for, but felt she had never quite achieved in the watercolor world. She saw that anything was possible using fabric as her palette! Since the beginning of her quilting career, she has won praise and recognition both nationally and internationally, for her unique and whimsical designs. Cathy has now turned her focus to leather and is pioneering the art of quilting on leather.

Cathy’s lecture, Evolution of an Artist – Fifteen Years of Quilting, will be presented at 4:30 pm on Thursday, February 25. Cathy began her quilting journey just like many of us, piecing traditional quilt tops, but that didn’t last long. Soon she was venturing out! She’s worked with fusibles, fabrics, embroidery, beading, painting and now leathers to create her award-winning quilts. It has been a journey, taken one stitch at a time, with courage, determination and the ability to push the quilting world envelope by introducing cutting edge techniques into competition quilting. Come join Cathy as she shows us how it’s possible to evolve as an artist while, simultaneously, introducing change in an industry.  Pictured: example of Cathy’s quilting on leather.

Just for Fun – Quilts for the Kid in All of Us is Cathy’s special exhibit at M-AQF. Come enjoy the whimsical creations of Cathy Wiggins’ ‘Just for Fun’ quilt series. You’ll relive your youth while viewing many of your favorite childhood puzzles and games brought to life in quilts. Everything from hidden picture and find the difference puzzles to mazes and matching games will delight kids of all ages. These international award-winning quilts have traveled around the world and been featured in magazines. Now see all 14, including Christmas Eve ABC’s pictured below, in one exhibition.

Founding Sponsor BERNINA/Nancy’s Calico Patch; Major Annual Sponsor Brother/Tidewater Sew-Vac; Major Sponsors Baby Lock/All Brands, Janome/Sew E-Z, and Husqvarna Viking/Bella Fabrics; and Silver Sponsors ABM International / Innova and Handi Quilter generously sponsor the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.

The Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, Virginia, February 25-28, 2016, features an    impressive instructor line-up offering a variety of workshops and lectures. This year’s Quilt Festival features nationally and internationally well-known instructors including the very talented and informative Gyleen Fitzgerald!

Gyleen makes quilts that blend color, pattern and texture to provide a contemporary essence in traditional quilting. She loves to share her enthusiasm for quilting and will do so through her full-day workshops at M-AQF:

WS #012 So Square
Thursday, February 25

WS #013 Play Modern
Friday, February 26

WS #014 Trash to Treasure Pineapple Quilts
Saturday, February 27

Gyleen’s philosophy of quilting – “Done is better than perfect, break the rules, do what works for you, have your quilts out and use them or your family will yard sale them when you are gone.” We have to agree …

The 27th annual Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival at the Hampton Roads Convention Center February 25-28, 2016, will feature an amazing collection of ‘hometown’ fiber art. Guilds from Virginia are taking part in M-AQF in the best way they know how – by creating quilts & fiber art! The Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival is proud to include these special exhibitions & demonstrations … that’s a lot of beauty, talent and fabric in one room!

•  Alphabet Soup – Colonial Piecemakers Quilt Guild
• Bringing Hexy Back – Richmond Modern Quilters Guild
• Express Yourself – Virginia Beach Modern Quilt Guild
• Fabric Fanatics
• The Fabric Poets
• The Windchimes – Fiber Artists @ Loose Ends
• First Thursday Night Bee
• For the birds – Cabin Branch & Stonehouse Quilters
• Honoring 19^th Century Quilters – The Churn Dashers of Tidewater Virginia
• A Modern Quilting Journey – Peninsula Modern Quilt Guild
• Music to My Ears – Richmond Quilters Guild
• On the Road Again – River Country Quilters
• Naturescapes & Illusions/Quilt Me a Song – Tidewater Quilters’ Guild
• 30 x 30 x 30 – Peninsular Piecemakers
• Golden Thimble Needlework Guild
• Traditional Rug Hooking – James River & Shockoe Slip Rug Hookers

Founding Sponsor BERNINA/Nancy’s Calico Patch; Major Annual Sponsor Brother/Tidewater Sew-Vac; Major Sponsors Baby Lock/All Brands, Janome/Sew E-Z, and Husqvarna Viking/Bella Fabrics; and Silver Sponsors ABM International / Innova and Handi Quilter generously sponsor the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.

One of the highlights of Mancuso Show Management’s quilt festivals is always the instructors who present workshops. Talent, creativity and expertise are abundantly available from the wonderful teachers. This year the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, February 25-28 in Hampton, Virginia, has a spectacular faculty who will offer a wide variety of workshops for beginner to advanced quilters and textile artists. Included is well-known instructor Laura Wasilowski, a Mancuso Show Management regular and nationally admired quilter.

Laura is a contemporary quilt maker whose artwork is collected and exhibited internationally. Her quilts begin with her unique hand-dyed fabrics and threads and are infused with color, whimsy and joy. Laura is author of Fusing Fun, Fuse-and-Tell and her latest book Fanciful Stitches, Colorful Quilts.

Laura’s three full-day workshops at M-AQF are:

Woven Flower Basket Quilts
WS #030 on Thursday

Pretty Planet Quilts
WS #031 on Friday

Tiny Homes & Gardens
WS #032 on Saturday

A highlight of Laura’s appearance at M-AQF is her Thursday, 6:00 pm lecture, Art Quilts: The Musical. Yes, she sings! Listen to her adventures in quilt making, see her art work, and hear traditional art quilt folk songs like “Everybody Gets Rejected Sometime” and the “Minnesota Quilter’s Polka.”

Laura sums up her quilting life by saying, “The art of quilting gives me the freedom to express myself and play at the same time. It’s the best job in the world!”