Laura Hopper
Laura Hopper is a historian, curator, writer, and quilter. She currently works as the Creative Operations Manager for Suzy Quilts. As a freelance quilt writer, her articles have appeared in Curated Quilts, Tatter Journal, Craft Industry Alliance, Quiltfolk, Modern Patchwork, and more.
Laura worked for over 15 years as an award-winning museum curator focused on textiles — including quilts — and their preservation and interpretation. Laura is also a quilter who makes quilts inspired by music. Her quilts have been shown at QuiltCon, the National Quilt Museum, the International Quilt Festival, and more. She is currently Co-President of the Quilt Alliance and is a past president of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild. She lives near Chicago with her spouse and daughter.
Heidi Parkes
Before Heidi Parkes was born in Chicago, IL in 1982, her grandmother organized a collaborative family quilt to commemorate her birth. Now based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin her quilting and mending celebrate the hand, and her works tug at memories and shared experience. Often using specific textiles, like an heirloom tablecloth, bed sheet, or cloth tea bag, Heidi adds subtle meaning and material memory from the start. Engaging in the worlds of art, quilts, mending, and social media, Heidi is an advocate for the domestic realms, slow stitching, and mindfulness. Find her on Instagram and YouTube. She was a 2020-2021 ARTservancy Artist in Residence, and a 2005 graduate from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Frances O’Roark Dowell
Frances O’Roark Dowell first combined her love of storytelling and quiltmaking in her 2016 novel Birds in the Air, followed by the short story collection, Margaret Goes Modern. She currently leads a thriving online community at QuiltFiction.com, where the second volume of her Friendship Album quilting series, Forget Me Not, is being released via a listener-supported podcast.
She is also the author of over twenty novels for middle grade readers, including the Edgar Award-winning Dovey Coe, The Secret Language of Girls, and, most recently, Hazard. Her nonfiction book, How to Build a Story, is used in classrooms across the country.
Frances is a contributing writer for Quiltfolk and has recently published articles about quilt making and quilt makers in Quilting Arts, For the Love of Quilting and QuiltCon Magazine.
Laura Hartrich
I am an artist working mostly in fiber, particularly quilts. My work centers around themes of reflection, acceptance, time, and memory. I love color, texture, and meaning in quilts. I live in Oak Park, IL (just outside of Chicago) with my family (1 husband, two kids, two cats), and recently graduated from a master’s program where I studied occupational therapy. I’ve been documenting my life from a young age, so when I learned that quilts have labels it made perfect sense to me, and I’ve been a dedicated labeler ever since. When I speak about quilt labels, I emphasize motivation over technique because there are many great techniques but without the right mindset, labels tend to get neglected. I’m passionate about sending my quilts out into the world with their stories firmly attached, and find that this idea resonates with many other quilters.
Amira Ameruddin
The name given to me is Amira Saryati Ameruddin. Born in Malaysia. Raised in Malaysia by both wonderful parents. My passion for craft begins so early in my life. Watching my mother sew, watching my father do wood work. Though both of my parents are working fulltime, they had always time to squeeze for their hobbies.
Now here I am, following the same path. Working full time yet willing to find time for my hobbies and my craft endeavours. I love my job. I love teaching. I love Physics. but I also love craft. If I had to choose between one, I can’t. That’s why I think its best for me to do both as it keeps me happy and motivated.
Amy Milne
Amy Milne has been the executive director of the Quilt Alliance since 2006. She has two decades of experience as a nonprofit administrator, educator and artist. Amy has overseen the expansion of the Quilt Alliance’s oral history projects, including the creation of the Go Tell It at the Quilt Show! project, as well as Quilt Alliance events: Quilters Take Manhattan/a Moment and the Not Fade Away: Sharing Quilt Stories in the Digital Age conference.
Meg Cox
Author and quilter Meg Cox is a sought-after speaker and teacher at guilds and museums and a staff writer for Quiltfolk magazine. Her journalism has been published by dozens of national magazines and the Wall Street Journal, where she was a staff reporter for 17 years. Cox has written a popular free monthly newsletter called Quilt Journalist Tells All! since 2008 and authored a bestselling resource guide, The Quilter’s Catalog (Workman Publishing). Her quilt photographs have appeared in multiple publications. For more, go to www.megcox.com.
Azuree Maisie Holloway
Azuree Holloway is a photographer based in Chicago. She loves to travel, spending time with her husband Trevor and pup-son Pigeon. She has a penchant for Polaroids and loves learning about all things Quilts! Azuree has been a photographer for over 15 years specializing in lifestyle, portrait, concert photography and of course- documenting quilts beautifully!
Trevor Holloway
Trevor Holloway, a dynamic multidisciplinary artist based in Chicago, weaves his creative practice across a diverse collection of mediums. As a filmmaker, photographer, and painter, his work resonates with emotive storytelling, capturing the essence of a moment. His craftsmanship extends beyond the visual arts, manifesting in woodworking and prop design.
A visionary co-founder of an art collective, Inside Town Art Collective in Chicago. Holloway, alongside his wife Azuree, fosters collaborative innovation in their local art scene while advocating for community and connection. All of which impacts his role as a quilt stylist for Quiltfolk magazine showcasing a unique intersection of tradition and contemporary aesthetics, exploring new perspectives in the world of quilting. With a passion for converging art forms and an eye for intricate details, Trevor Holloway crafts narratives that are playful and transcend convention.
