Berlin Grande Retreat Instructor Line up!!!!
Sue Nickels
Sue has been quilting for over 40 years, starting by hand and gradually focusing on machine work. Sue has been teaching machine techniques for the past 30 years. Sue has taught and lectured nationally and internationally for shops, guilds and major conferences. Sue’s awards include 1998 AQS Best of Show for “The Beatles Quilt” made by Sue and her sister, Pat Holly. Sue and Pat’s quilt “Two of Us” won the 2014 AQS Home Machine Workmanship Award. Sue’s most recent book is “Fabulous Feathers and Fillers”. Sue has also been a judge for many quilt shows. Sue’s priority in the workshops she teaches is to provide a relaxed environment for students to learn machine techniques that are timesaving. Sue emphasizes the best quality workmanship, never compromising quality for speed!
Janine Babich
Janine grew up on a small farm in Washington state, in a a family of seven that was heavily involved in community, sports, 4-H & FFA. She learned to sew at a young age from her mother & Sisters and cannot remember a time in her life when there hasn’t been a sewing machine in her home.
Janine began teaching sewing & Embroidery classes in 2002, her ideas and worksheets for class projects evolved into writing patterns several articles for Sew News magazine. in 2014 she made it official when she filed for incorporation as Janine Babich Designs with just 5 patterns.
Since that time her business had grown to over 60 patterns for beautiful machine embroidered projects to decorate your home.
Tammy Silvers
Hi, I'm Tammy. I've been quilting since 1991. I've also taught at a variety of quilt shops as well as online (check out my Quick Quilted Gifts class on Blueprint!), and design and self-publish my own quilt patterns under the label Tamarinis.
I'm no different than most quilters - I enjoy working with almost any fabric. But I must confess - my favorites (the one that will make me drool, and blow a carefully constructed budget) are batiks, bold prints, and almost any fabric with words on it. Having a background in art and literature, another of my guilty quilty pleasures is finding ways to use “words” in my work, be it in the fabric itself or by adding them to the piece. I am a Georgia native and currently live in Acworth with my husband, children (when they come to visit!), one grumpy dog, and my favorite fat cat.
Under the label Tamarinis, my designs are regularly published in a variety of quilt magazines. I also work with some of the major fabric manufacturers designing projects to showcase and promote their fabric lines, including Northcott, Free Spirit, Maywood, Dear Stella and Timeless Treasures.
I even design fabrics for Island Batik. A perfect fit - since I LOVE batiks! I'm fortunate to have a thread line with Aurifil that coordinates beautifully with my current Island Batik line too!
Yes, I love designing, but I love teaching and sharing my passion for quilting. It is so much fun to get to visit different guilds, meet quilters and see all the creativity that makes this such a fun world to be a part of.