About Annie

Annie Smith began sewing at the age of 8 and was quilter by the time her first child was born.

Annie lectures and teaches quilting internationally. In 2005, she began “Quilting Stash, the First Podcast for Quilters” where she talks about all things related to quilting and interviews her quilting heroes. Annie dreams about quilts at night, in-color, and thinks she will never have the time to make all of the quilts she dreams about.

Annie’s technical expertise takes many forms, although fabric selection and fine machine appliqué are her specialties. Annie develops a quick rapport with the audience and immediately immerses herself in tales every quilter can relate to and provides valuable insight along the way.

A native Californian, Annie lives with her husband and two of their three children, who all quilt and contribute to her podcast and to her quilting obsession.

Annie’s lecture style is light-hearted, full of laughter and warmth. Every audience member will relate to the things of which Annie speaks. In her lectures and workshops, Annie crosses boundaries of age and experience and displays the love she has for this craft as few others can.

Lectures

Help! My Fabric Stash is Growing and I Can’t Make It Stop!
Take a humorous look at the quilter’s nature to multiply. Take a sneak peek into the inner sanctum of quilter’s stashes. This is for the quilter who loves fabric and needs to find creative ways to manage and get control over their stash. Isn’t that just about every quilter you know?

Quilting Stash - My Life As A Podcasting Quilter
It’s inevitable. Technology is invading the quilting world. Annie uses that same technology to bring a fresh perspective on the quilting world with an Internet broadcast medium called podcasting. Some are calling it “on-demand radio programming.” It’s the newest, hippest medium shaking-up the communication world. Listen to Annie’s rousing account of how her life has changed since she began podcasting and how it’s changing the way she and her listeners are quilting.

Understanding the Value of Color
Annie takes you through a journey of color and fabric, discussing what the KEY to your fabric choices really is. No matter what your skill level, learn how enliven your quilts’ personality by choosing your fabric with a new eye to color. The keys to fabric selection are thoroughly discussed as well as how to make the color design rules work for you.

Keeping Your Legacy Alive
Each of our quilts has our personal story hidden inside. Annie will inspire participants to see and unlock the personal story inside their quilt, how to document the information and preserve memories to create an heirloom for future generations, a companion to their quilts.

Finding Creativity in Everyday Things
Traditionally, quilting finds its roots in everyday items and experiences, such as a Log cabin block that resembles the house built on the prairie or the Sawtooth star that resembles the teeth on a saw blade. What can we find in our modern world to lend new inspiration for our quilts? Annie’s inspirational slide-and-trunk show will provide ways for every quilter to imagine something new.

Exploring Fabric Choices
As seen on Alex Anderson And Ricky Tims’ “The Quilt Show” 2008
This is the perfect companion workshop for the Understanding the Value of Color lecture.

Traditionally, quilters often struggle making fabric choices when planning a quilt. Learn exactly what draws the eye to interesting blocks and give them life. Annie helps you select colors for your projects on purpose instead of by-gosh-and-by-golly. Keys to effective fabric selection are thoroughly discussed with hands-on exercises using fabric swatches, and helpful aids.
This workshop can be offered as a one or a two-day event. The one-day event focuses on exercises that help a quilter choose a palette of fabrics for making a quilt. Participants will make a series of paste-up blocks and discover the many variations the palette offers when making these blocks. The two-day workshop adds a second day finishing a quilt top using the first day’s key block exercises.
CLICK HERE to see the finished project that is created in the workshop.

StashBusters!
We’re all looking for ways to economize and use our stashes, right? StashBusters explores the ways different quilts can be made from project left-overs and fabrics from your stash. Using the leftover and stash fabrics from a previously completed quilt to make a new project for the workshop, Annie will inspire participants to create simple quilts from leftovers.

Designing Elements of Fine Machine Applique
Based her popular “West of Baltimore” machine applique quilt, Annie has designed a special workshop just for those who love applique. Participants will use an encyclopedia of applique elements and artist’s design secrets. All of this coupled with Annie’s simple technique for fusible machine applique. Participants will be on their way to making an heirloom-worthy quilt.
This workshop can be a one or a two-day event. The one-day event focuses on each participant designing a unique quilt. They will be given ideas and resources that will make the design process easier. The one day event is a no-sew class. The two-day event adds the technical side of learning the fusible machine applique technique and participants will begin to sew their creations.

Tool Time: Essential Notions for Quilting Success and How To Use Them - half-day, no sew workshop
There are so many cool notions in the shops, with more to befuddle us after every new Quilt Market. Using the right tool for the right job, Annie’s workshop details a horde of quilting notions and she will demonstrate their uses, featuring her favorites. She’ll help you understand which ones you need and the ones you can do without. This workshop includes door prizes of the demonstrated notions!

Fees and Information

Lecture Fee (1 hour): $375, when booked with a workshop
Lecture Fee (1 hour): $425, when booked without a workshop
Half-Day Workshop Fee (3 hour session): $350
One-Day Workshop Fee (6 hour session): $475
Two-Day Workshop Fee (two 6 hour sessions): $650
*fees do not include travel expenses (meals, accommodations, mileage, airfare)

GENERAL INFORMATION
All lectures include a computerized slide show and trunk show of quilts and time for conversation with participants. 45 minutes is required prior to the meeting start-time for set up.

• To best serve you, workshop fees are based on 20 students, with an additional $20 for each student up to a maximum of 24 students.
• Workshops are 6 hours in length, and can be done as a one-day or two-day workshop(s).
• In Annie’s workshops and lectures, a number of items will be available for sale to interested students. The guild/conference will not expect to collect any commission on these sales.
• If a workshop has a materials fee, it can be paid either by the student to Annie, or added to the cost of the Guild’s workshop fee and reimbursed to Annie.
• A supply list will be provided. A sample project can be provided upon request. When requested, digital images (jpeg format) can be provided for newsletter and website advertisement.

• The group will provide meals and accommodations while in the area and en route.

• Annie requests a private non-smoking hotel room for her lodging. Please request a single non-smoking room with an inside entrance (safety) and a main-floor hotel room if there is no elevator.

• Mileage is reimbursed at the current IRS-set rate at the time of the event.

• All fees are to be paid at the time of the service before the close of the final event.

Annie is also available as a quilt show judge. Please contact her by phone or email.

Contact

Annie Smith

14938 Camden Ave, Suite 29
San Jose, CA 95124
408-849-4882
annie@simplearts.com