General Meeting and Lecture: In-Person and ZOOM
September 8th
7:00pm
Lisa Ellis
Working in a Series
Lisa Ellis is a dedicated quilt artist, teacher, and lecturer whose passion for quilting extends beyond the artistic realm. With a passion for making a positive impact, Lisa frequently shares her expertise in healing quilts, inspiring fellow quilters to contribute to the improvement of health care centers and hospitals. Her leadership has included prestigious institutions such as Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the University of Michigan, Auburn University, National Institutes of Health, and INOVA Fair Oaks Hospital.
Currently, Lisa plays a pivotal role in the Arts and Healing initiative at the Schar Cancer Institute at INOVA Fairfax, where she serves on the Executive and Art Selection committees. Her commitment to the transformative power of art in healing is evident in her leadership and on-going contributions to healing-related installations.
General Meeting and Lecture: In-Person and Zoom
August 4, 2025
7:00 PM
Radha Weaver
From Fast Fashion to Sustainable Stitching
Radha is a Textile Artist, quilter, and Sustainable Business Strategist based in San Francisco. After a 15-year career in the apparel and textile industry woking at Levi’s, Radha founded Sewing through Fog in 2021 to reconnect with her creative roots and advocate for circular textiles. With authenticity, humor, and heart, she encourages others to find beauty in repurposing denim and to transform old fabrics into new treasures.
View Our Schedule
Programs
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Monterey Peninsula Quilters Guild has a General Meeting on the First Monday of the month (with a few holiday exceptions). From March through October they will be IN-PERSON at the Pacific Grove Community Center, 515 Junipero Street ( at 15th ST) in PG. We will ZOOM November, January and February meetings. We will gather together for our Holiday Party in December.
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Our meeting starts with a Social time at 6:30pm followed by a special presentation at 7pm. The speakers are nationally and internationally known quilters.
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All members will receive a Zoom link the day of the ZOOM meetings.
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There is a guest fee of $5 for meetings with speakers.
General Meeting and Lecture
In-Person and Zoom
June 2, 2025
7:00 PM
Karen Bolan
Learn With Every Quilt
Karen Bolan is a quilter in Santa Rosa, California. Drawn to the layers of design and expression possible in quilting, she loves the learning that comes from experimenting. She endeavors to find efficiencies in process and material use. Her designs are out of the box, and integrate a love of geometry, experimentation, interconnection, depth, and texture. Her work has been featured in magazines including Curated Quilts, Modern Quilt Guild Journal, Make Modern, and
Modish Quilter. Her quilts have been exhibited at local and international quilt shows including Pacific International Quilt Festival and QuiltCon.
You can learn more about Karen’s work by visiting her website at www.KarenBolan.com
Zoom Workshop for MPQG members!
June 7, 2025 SOLD OUT
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Karen Bolan
Piece Curves and Play with Transparency
Are you intimidated by curves but love precision piecing? Start the Cool as a Cactus quilt in
class, featuring pieced curves, a unique border treatment, and color palette that features
transparency. Class will begin with an exercise in creating transparency effects, then we
work from paper templates to accurately cut and piece large diameter curves. Learn to cut
and precisely piece large-diameter curves from templates, assemble a quilt top with pieced
borders, and plan a color palette that includes a transparency effect. Leave class with at least one block and border complete.
Cost: $65 for MPQG members
Students must purchase the digital pattern from Karen
Find out more about Karen at:
General Meeting and Sponsor's Showcase
July 7, 2025
7:00 PM
Mary Ellen Parson
Quilting Journey: A Story of Passion, Perseverance, and Parsonage Wines
In the 1970s, Mary Ellen’s quilting journey began when she was invited to become a partner in a quilt shop in Pacific Grove called Wild Goose Chase. Alongside Jeanne Mills, Wendy Howe, Wilda Northrop, and Linda Bulgreen, she stepped into a world of color, creativity, and craftsmanship. At the time, Mary Ellen was already an experienced sewer. This practical experience made her the perfect fit for a new adventure in quilting.
Mary Ellen dove into a couple of quilting books and, armed with that knowledge, began her new venture in quilting. The early quilts she created were, in her words, "rather strange," but these humble beginnings set the stage for her continuous evolution as a quilter.
Mary Ellen, a self-taught quilter, learned through trial and error—making every mistake possible, but gaining invaluable lessons along the way. A true testament to the saying "failure is the best teacher," she now shares those lessons with others, often teaching design fundamentals during her quilting sessions.
One of the earliest members of our quilting guild, Mary Ellen has become known for her vineyard and winery-themed quilts. This passion for wine and the craft of quilting runs deep—she and her family grow grapes and produce wine in Carmel Valley. If you've ever enjoyed a bottle of Parsonage wine, you've seen her quilts firsthand, as each bottle is graced with one of her beautiful quilt labels.
Join us as Mary Ellen takes us through her quilting journey, from her early quilts to her more refined designs, along with tips and tricks she’s picked up along the way. It’s sure to be a session filled with laughter, learning, and perhaps even a little inspiration from the vineyards of Carmel Valley.
