2019 teachers and special guests will be announced beginning 11/1/18!
2018 Instructors & Teachers
YARN:
Pam Ellenberger – Bent Limb Farm – Weaving Shoemakersville, PA
Fiber and creativity have been a part of my life almost as long as I can remember. Learning to knit at the age of 9 and completing my first sweater at 16 started this amazing journey.
Alpacas and farming joined my travels in 2009. Having access to alpaca’s luxurious fiber led to spinning and weaving. While working on a floor loom can be fun, the rigid heddle is my “go-to” tool when a quick project calls to me (usually because of an incredible yarn.)
Sharing my love of yarn and the different crafts with students pushes both of us to inspired creativity. All of my classes are low-key and geared to exploration.
I live in Shoemakersville with my husband and our 50 alpacas.
Tamara Kelly – MooglyBlog.com – Knit, Crochet & Crafts Iowa
The word “moogly” was coined by our daughter when she was a toddler. She used it to describe anything wobbly, off kilter, silly, or teeter-tottery. When I decided to start a mommy blog a few years later, the name Moogly was a natural fit! After a while I decided mommy blogging wasn’t right for me, but I kept the blog around because I had a crochet pattern I’d written on there. Fast forward to 2011, when I decided to open a crochet and knit business, and Moogly got stripped down and relaunched to support my commission work! Eventually I realized design was where my heart was, and I stopped taking commissions. And here we are!
Moogly as you see it today is the work of one designer/writer/blogger, and that’s Tamara Kelly. Or… me! My husband Geoff helps out with most of the tech stuff, including all camera work and video editing. None of this would be possible without him! Together we raise our daughter and two sons in Iowa, USA. Moogly is an important part of supporting our family financially, and it’s a lot of fun too! I enjoy interacting with all the amazing crafters I’ve met through the site, and with your support, I hope to continue to do so for a long time to come!
Melissa Leapman – Melissa Leapman Designs – Knit New York, NY
Melissa Leapman is one of the most widely published sweater designers in the world, whose patterns have appeared in every major knitting publication, including Vogue(R) Knitting and Knit Simple. She has worked as a freelance designer for many leading ready-to-wear manufacturers, noted design houses, and major yarn companies. In addition, her knitting, crochet, and design workshops are extremely popular with crafters at all skill levels. She lives in New York, NY.
Mary Beth Temple – Hooked for Life – Crochet, Knit, Crafts & Sewing Wilmington, NC
Mary Beth Temple is an author and designer of sewing, knitting and crochet patterns. Her work appears frequently in knitting and crochet magazines in the US and UK. Her independently published pattern line is Hooked for Life, which is available online through Ravelry and Patternfish and at local yarn stores. She is also the author of The Secret Language of Knitters, Hooked for Life: Adventures of a Crochet Zealot, and Curvy Girl Crochet: 25 Patterns that Fit and Flatter. She lives in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Mary Beth’s new blog is: Tailor Made Cosplay. This features creative cosplay ideas from former Broadway, film and television tailor.
Jessie Rayot – Jessie at Home – Crochet, Knit Nutley, NJ
Hello! I’m Jessie, and I am a crochet and knit designer, a crafter, a blogger, and a mother of twins.
I have been crocheting since my great grandmother first handed me a hook at the age of 8. I earned my first degree in costume design from The Theatre School at DePaul University, and started off my professional life as a costume designer/creator/pattern maker. While managing the costume department for Adelphi University in Long Island, NY I earned my second degree in studio art/painting/sculpture. While at Adelphi I was set up on a blind date with a Jersey boy. A few years later I found myself married and living in Jersey.
In 2007 I became a stay at home mom to twin girls. Shortly thereafter I started Jessie At Home as a way to share photos and stories of the girls with my family. Eventually I started adding crafty posts in, then patterns, and it just kept evolving until it became the fun crochet, knit, craft and family blog that it is today.
Since then I have earned several awards from the CGOA Design Competition. In 2013 I started designing for others outside of Jessie At Home. I have had patterns published in various on and off line crochet and knit publications, including RedHeart.com, I Like Crochet, MainlyCrochet, and Crochet! Magazine.
Heather Zoppetti – Stitch Sprouts – Knit Lancaster, PA
Heather Zoppetti is a knitwear designer, teacher, programmer, and all around fiber artist. She lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with her husband and yarn collection. Her patterns have been published in many Interweave publications, in Knit magazine, by The Alpaca Yarn Company, by Manos del Uruguay, and by Universal Yarns.
Heather is frequently sought after for her gifted teaching skills by well-known fiber art institutions such as the The Mannings Handweaving School in East Berlin, PA, the annual Knitters’ Day Out held in Summerdale, PA, and has also taught children from the York and Adams County, PA, homeschool group.
APPLIQUE, QUILTING & SEWING:
PRHurst – PR Hurst Designs – Crazy Quilt Texas
Penny R Hurst is the current EGA Challenge Chair and has a keen interest in all forms of fiber and textile art. She is a juried member of the EGA Fiber Forum and has been juried into the EGA Mixed Media Complex exhibit. She enjoys teaching small classes in fiber art and mixed media. Her work has been featured in several printed formats and local galleries.
Here you will see original designs in many forms of fiber art, including jewelry, wearable art, art quilts, weaving, needle felting and mixed media collage. Penny has always worked in fine detail and this translates into her original fiber art designs. Her creative use of color, line and design makes her art come alive.
Carol C. Porter – Quilt, Appliqué Seattle, WA
Carol is an accomplished quilter, sewist, knitter, designer, author, teacher and consultant. She began her quilting journey in the late 70’s.
Carol is a disciplined and thoughtful teacher whose encouragement and patience regularly inspires student creativity and success.
She is well known for her luminous “colorwash” designs many of which have been released under the Heatherworks label.
Most recently Carol served as Education Director for Clover Needlecraft Inc. a Japanese company which produces precision tools for sewing and knitting.
She now has plenty time to focus on sharing her craft with energetic students and exploring myriad design issues and options.
PAPER & MIXED MEDIA:
Jim King – Mixed Media Lancaster, PA
Workshop instructor Jim King has a B.A. in art from Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana. He began studying vinegar painting in the 1980s when he became inspired by grain painting antiques he was collecting. He purchased blanket chests in disrepair at auctions and flea markets and then restored them and applied vinegar painted surfaces. He had difficulty finding smaller chests and started having Old Order cabinetmakers copy his antiques which he then grain painted using a variety of traditional techniques.
Jo-Ellen Mathews, CZT – Mixed Media FL
I am passionate about arts and crafts and have been since my earliest memories. I began teaching classes in various paper subjects in the mid 1990’s as well as contributing to paper arts magazines and books. When I am not creating, it’s often due to rescuing sea turtles. My passion and enthusiasm is to inspire and cultivate creativity in others.
Jo-Ellen is a Certified Zentangle Teacher.
Barb Mavraganis, CZT – Zentangle Lancaster, PA
I began my Zentangle journey in 2012 when I stumbled upon Zentangle in an article in my newspaper!
I was certified by the founders Rick and Maria and I have enjoyed sharing this rewarding artform with all ages of adventurous people! Join me for an introduction and learn something new!!!!
I have 4 grown children and 3 grandchildren and love living in beautiful Lancaster County
Lynn Sommer – Lynn Sommer – Fraktur Painting Lancaster, PA
Workshop Instructor Lynn Sommer began painting fraktur motifs as a child, influenced by her Swiss German background. She formalized her interest by studying the art of fraktur in 2009. She is the illustrator of the Amish Prayers Coloring Book by Herald Press which incorporates fraktur motifs. She lives in Lancaster County where the rich illuminated art of fraktur is prolific.
Susan White Sullivan – Susan White Sullivan – Counted Cross Stitch, Mono Printing, Decoupage Little Rock, AR
Susan has been creating all her life. It all started with needlepoint and crewel embroidery. Once she found her way to the sewing machine, she joyfully worked her way through learning every technique and creating many types of projects including her wedding gown.
She fell in love with counted cross stitch in 1980. She was fortunate to be able to use her love of all things creative in her employment with Leisure Arts. She spent 26 years there and the last seven as Editorial Director. While there, she was managing editor of For the Love of Cross Stitch magazine and enjoyed planning each issue as well as developing learn-to-cross stitch publications.
In 2015, she formed her consulting firm and now works with clients across the craft industry using her extensive knowledge of the editorial process, product development, video production and publishing. She used her sewing skills to author Weighted Blankets, Vest & Scarves (Spring House Press, 2016). She is a certified instructor in crochet through the Craft Yarn Council and teaches weekly classes locally. She has served on the board of the Crochet Guild of America as president and currently holds the office of treasurer.
FIBER:
PR Hurst – Embroidery, Needle Weaving, Ribbon Embroidery Fresno, TX
Please see above, under Quilting!
Louise Kulp – Punch Needle (Rug) Lancaster, PA
Louise Kulp holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in Painting and Drawing and a master’s degree in Art Education with a studio concentration in Fibers, both from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She received Oxford Punch Needle Rug Hooking Teacher Certification in 2006 and in 2011 was the first Oxford instructor to achieve Advanced Certification. Louise has been teaching beginning-to-advanced level rug hooking workshops for more than 11 years and is passionate about passing this innovative and creative textile art on to students of all ages. She has taught at Fletcher Farm School for the Arts and Crafts in Vermont, the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen, and in numerous museum education programs. She also has volunteered her time teaching children and youth at non-profit organizations such as the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild in Vermont, The Point Community Development Center in Bronx, New York, and 4-H of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Her work has been published in Rug Hooking magazine and the book Hooked Rugs Today IV: Expect the Unexpected, and exhibited at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont. Louise is based in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and designs and hooks rugs and teaches under the name Eden Village Rug Hooking, a studio she established in 2008.
Linda Poole – Fabric Painting Millford, PA
I was destined from an early age to cut apart things, glue, paste, tape, build,and sew all sorts of little things to keep busy. I lived in a home where sewing was as common as cooking, and in those days, cooking dinner was an important meal where family gathered around the table to talk and enjoy one another’s company.
Mom was never hesitant to hand over a pair of scissors to me at an early age. I was taught to sew quite young in life, so I was shown how to handle scissors properly.
I love teaching, photography, gardening, reading, snuggling with kitties, dancing, writing, painting, journaling, researching history, traveling, putting puzzles together, watching a good thriller on television, learning, learning and endlessly learning from those who know alot of one thing or a bit of everything!
Susan White Sullivan -Counted Cross Stitch Little Rock, AR
Please see above, under Paper!