Ron Collins - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Ron Collins is Canada’s best known sewing personality and is adored as a designer, speaker and teacher. He is the first male Canadian Designer to have his own line of patterns with Vogue, which premiered in March 2017. Sandra Betzina, Power Sewing icon, and Ron have produced 12 DVD’s including an tailoring for both men and women. Since 2009 they have filmed over 240 on-line web shows called Power Sewing which has received great reviews. He is talented, hardworking and handsome - an absolute natural! Lucky for us he also loves to teach.
Beverly Johnson -
She’s at it again! Your Fairy Bra Mother has come out of a short-lived retirement with a brand new set of master classes and patterns to go with them. Beverly Johnson has created 31 intimate apparel patterns and written 10 books but she is back with her new line of exciting new Beverly Johnson Designs. With her signature sense of humour and teaching style, catch these classes before they sell out!
Dianne Jansson - Pritchard, British Columbia
After attaining an Australian Degree in Home Economics and Teaching dressmaking for many years in Australia and Canada the last 25 years have seen Dianne's focus change to quilting technique, rather than artistic design is the basis for most of her machine piecing workshops with colours playing a strong role. Dianne believes that quilting is meant to be a pleasurable activity and encourages students to adapt designs to suit their own needs.
Jan Bones - Winnipeg, Manitoba
Jan is a teacher, author & designer. Teaching is an inspiring & amazing part of her life. Jan knows The Saskatchewan Stitches Conference is the place for all to share ideas, meet new friends & have fun working hard!
For 31 years Jan taught pattern design, garment construction, pattern drafting, tailoring, draping & fitting at the University of Manitoba. She continues to enjoy educating classes of enthusiastic clothing design students at Rev Rive College, located in Winnipeg.
In 1994 Jan started her sewing pattern company "Linger Secrets & there are over 40 designs to fit ladies in all shapes & sizes! Jan travels across Canada & the United States, to have the joy of teaching sewing enthusiasts in seminars, hands on workshops & weekend retreats. Family (including happy perfect grandchildren, aged 10, 16 & 24), volunteer work and summer time at the cottage keep her busy and joy filled.
Ana Buzzalino , Calgary Alberta
Ana Buzzalino is a creator, maker, fibre and mixed media artist, surface designer, teacher and lecturer. Her love of layers and texture combine in her original work. She achieves results using a combination of different surface design techniques such as monoprinting, hand-painting, free-motion stitching and hand-stitching, amongst others to achieve the effects she’s searching for. Her work has won numerous awards at national and international shows. She is a frequent contributor to Quilting Arts Magazine and A Needle Pulling Thread. She was named Quilter of Distinction at Heritage Park in 2019 and appeared in The Quilt Show in 2022.
A lot of her work for the past few years has used aspects of history with an impact on our culture today. In the current climate where everything is new, instant and shiny, history has relevance; old buildings have a soul that modern buildings do not possess. She finds herself returning to those old buildings to look at the marks of passing time.
Ana’s latest work focuses on old, decaying buildings. Structures that show the ravages of time. Weathered wood, rusted metal, peeling paint. The work takes on various shapes and forms to draw the viewer in. The layered elements are used to give the impression of time passing, buildings deteriorating, disappearing slowly to make room for the new.
She hopes to make visible what is overlooked as old and obsolete and give back the beauty to these old buildings.
Ana is the founder and CEO of Create2Flourish, a program to help quilters, textile and mixed media artists avoid frustration and overwhelm and find their own voice so they can create art in their own style. Ana is currently teaching online from her studio in Calgary, Alberta.
Wendy van der Walt - Brandon, Manitoba
For over 22 years, Wendy has been in the business of making colorful dreams come true! For the first 15, Wendy was the Creator and Faerie Godmother of Faeries from the Prairies, a costume and clothing manufacturer you might have seen at a Canadian Craft sale near you.. Currently, Wendy is the Chief Creative Shenanigator and Hand Holder at Fabriculous Fresh Modern Fabrics in Manitoba. Opening in early 2012, Fabriculous has expanded and evolved to include two location, shows and teaching engagements across western Canada, as well as legendary retreat hosting! Wendy and her husband George have also developed their own line of Collage, Bag Making and Quilting designs and patterns under the Fabriculous banner. The heart of the business, as well as the energy behind the growth has been Wendy's enthusiasm and excitement for taking projects that seem intimidating and dauting, and making them fun, fast and accessible to everyone. "you can do this!" is her favorite thing to say!
Bonny Voice, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Bonny is a self described fabricoholic and she loves t quilt and sew. A well spent day for is one spent in her sewing room designing and making her next quilted project. Bonny's been teaching, sewing and quilting for most of her adult life She has taught across Western Canada, at four Quilt Canada Conferences and at the Saskatchewan Stitches Conference since it inception in 2003. Her work has been exhibited in numerous shows and galleries.
Laurie Remin, Edmonton, Alberta
Lauri’s quilting hobby turned into a small business in 2018 when she purchased a laser cutter and began creating acrylic templates and long-arm rulers. Sew Clever started with a small collection of basic templates sold through the website and to a few wholesale clients. Lauri’s goal is to create tools that make quilting “Faster - Easier - Better.
Every day is a “creating day,” filled with designing quilting and bag-making templates. Her product line has continued to expand with the addition of a 3D printer creating convenient tool holders for notions for any sewing machine.
The Penta Hexi acrylic pieces and patterns came into existence after Lauri was asked, “What can I make with a layer cake?”
Amanda Brown - Hamilton Ontario
Amanda is a vibrant force in the quilting world, living her colorful creative life in the Hamilton, ON suburbia. After discovering quilting in 2010, she traded seven years of science-focused education for a career built on creativity and connection.
As the founder of the Canadian Modern Quilt Collective and a sewing educator for Janome Canada, Amanda inspires Quilters and Sewists across the country to embrace bold colors, intricate designs, and their own creative journeys. Whether teaching workshops or traveling to share her passion, Amanda is dedicated to helping others overcome creative fears and find joy in modern sewing.
