Valerie Bothell will be teaching on Wednesday and Thursday, 3402R Amish Bouquet, on Friday and Saturday, 5601C Wholecloth Quilt Design, and on Sunday, 7018R Silk Ribbon Embroidery
Valerie Bothell was recently added to Road 2016’s distinguished faculty line up. Born in Fort Collins, Colorado, Valerie has lived the past 38 years in Wichita, Kansas. A mother of four boys, ages 10 – 27, she is the only one in her family who quilts or does any kind of handiwork.
Valerie started sewing quilts at a very early age but didn’t really get serious about it until around 20 years ago. At age 11, she found a candy tin filled with embroidery floss in the hall closet and hasn’t stopped stitching.
The best quilting class Valerie has ever taken was taught by her dear friend, Candace Kling. I Valerie loved learning from Candace how to make vintage flowers out of ribbon and silk fabrics. She said during that class she felt like she was “living back in the 1800’s.”
For many years, Valerie taught crazy quilting out of her house. It was a good way to earn an income while staying home with her boys. She was in the midst of teaching one day when one of her sons came in to her studio without a stitch of clothing on to let her know he had gone to the bathroom all by himself. She still teases him about that to this day!
Valerie loves teaching her students new skills. Her favorite part of teaching is to encourage her students to think outside the box and enjoy what they are doing.
What does Valerie hope her students get out of her class? “A sense of satisfaction in learning new skills that they can then incorporate into their own projects.” And her best quilting tip for her students? “ Enjoy the process!”
There is one quilting tool Valerie can’t live without: her purple air erase pen. She uses it to mark her crazy quilt seams so that when she embroiders them, the stitches come out looking even every time.
Valerie is looking forward to Road 2016. She will be “teaching a subject that I have loved for over 20 years, meeting new students and enjoying California weather in January!”
Join us in welcoming Valerie to Road 2016.
For information about Valerie, please go to her website.
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Tags: Crazy Quilting, Pink Bunny Kansas, Traditional Quilting, Valerie Bothell
