Every monthly guild meeting is at Westside Community Center
From August through May, Omaha Quilt Guild meetings will be at
Westside Community Center, 3534 S. 108th Street, Omaha, NE (map)
Rising Stars meet at 6:00 pm
General Meeting is at 7:00 pm
OQG does not meet in January, June or July
2024-2025 Program Schedule
August 13, 2024
Program: Seeing Judy Niemeyer
Connie Lange Norfolk, NE
Langeconnie.68701@gmail.com
Connie inherited her love of fabrics and textiles from her mother. She began sewing at age eight in 4-H and started quilting in the late 1970’s. Her first quilt was a 9-patch snowball block design, and Connie’s quilting journey began. Through the years, Connie has taken many classes, pieced a variety of quilts and learned different techniques.
Over 20 years ago, she took a class from Internationally known designer Judy Niemeyer, at Material Girl in Grand Island. Connie had tried paper piecing before, but she wasn’t satisfied with the process. The class was a revelation with Judy’s method of using paper templates to cut fabric and organizational tips for every step of the way. Using these techniques, even a difficult-looking quilt became much easier.
Connie began teaching Judy Neimeyer paper piecing patterns ten years ago. She became a Certified Instructor for Quiltworx in 2015. As a Certified Instructor she is excited to share Judy’s techniques with beginners that have never paper pieced before, and others that are experienced piecers that have used other techniques.
Connie’s love of fabrics has continued as well. They speak to her and she finds unexpected ways to use today’s extraordinary fabrics and colors in her quilts. Connie also loves to add fussy cutting to some of her quilts which enhances Judy’s quilt designs even more.
In her program, Connie will show you the wonderment and beauty of Judy Niemeyer’s quilts. Connie enjoys the wonderful experience of making friends and fellowship that quilting offers, and so Connie’s journey continues. Are you ready to begin your journey to make a quilt of your dreams? Connie can guide you.
September 10th, 2024, 5pm-9pm
Helping Hands Sew-in
Westside Community Center
October 8, 2024
Program: Squares and Rectangles
Sharon and Jackie Bellevue, NE
Sjquilts.com
Sharon and Jackie are SJ Quilt Patterns: sisters, best friends, twins born 3 ½ years apart. Quilting is our art. We design traditional quilt patterns with a modern twist.
Giving someone a quilt is giving them a hug to snuggle up in when you can’t be there. We hope to inspire people to take their sewing machine out of the closet, dust it off, thread the needle, and start sewing.
Our goal is to provide patterns for all skill levels, where the only special tool you need is a desire to make something beautiful.
When you see their presentation of Squares and Rectangles, you will see the beauty when shape and color blend inside a quilt.
November 12, 2024
Program: Quilting with Friends
Sandi Griepenstroh Central City, NE
Ltdquilting.com
Sandi Griepenstroh has quilted for over 30 years, and taught quilting for over 15. She has been published in AQ Magazine, taught beginners at Central Community College, and taught at QNE 2014, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023. She was a co-chair for QNE in 2022, and has also taught at Threads in 2017, 2019, and 2022.
Sandi started her longarm quilting business Lone Tree Designs Quilting (LTD Quilting) in the fall of 2009 and has quilted well over 1000 quilts using her hand-guided Nolting 24.
She enjoys writing a blog on her website: ltdquilting.com. Sandi manages a Facebook page called Sewing with Sandi, and her business page LTDQuilting. She is member of seven quilting guilds.
She quilts for customers, presents trunk shows, teaches classes, and spends time with her 3 grandkids whenever she can!
December 10, 2024
Holiday Party benefiting Children’s Emergency Fund
German American Society
January 14, 2025, 5pm-9pm
Helping Hands Sew-in
Westside Community Center
February 11, 2025
Program: No Time on My Hands: The Story of Grace Snyder
Kevin and Charlotte Endorf
Grace Synder was born April 23rd, 1882 and lived to be 100. She moved to Nebraska with her parents from Missouri when she was only three. Grace had three dreams: to grow up to make the most beautiful quilts in the world, to grow up and marry a cowboy, and to look down on the top of a cloud. At the time, it seemed impossible that any of her dreams could ever come true. Kevin and Charlotte Endorf share Snyder’s life story after countless hours of study. Enjoy the display Kevin and Charlotte have compiled of this woman, clearly ahead of her time. (photo courtesy of Tom Yost)
March 11, 2025
Program: Quilt Explorations for Creative Fun
Karen Burns Council Bluffs, IA
karen@warpedspinster.com
Karen has been a quilter for nearly half a century, and a teacher and pattern designer for 20 years. Karen’s goal as a designer and teacher? “I just want everyone to have as much fun with quilting as I have! Because, if it isn’t fun, what’s the point?”
Karen retired in 2013 from a career as a librarian, and is now able to pursue her (formerly part time) passions full time. Besides quilting, she enjoys spinning, weaving, knitting, embroidery, and just about any fiber art thing she can get her hands on. She lives in southwest Iowa in the U.S., in a home that can house her fiber passions. (She has thought about a tiny home, but hasn’t yet found one that can hold her sewing machines, longarm quilting machine, looms, and spinning wheels.) She’s on Team Dog and Team Tea, and she loves all things chocolate. Oh, and popcorn. Can’t forget popcorn!
In her presentation, The Warped Spinster will share what she’s been up to with her designing, from her Block Riffs to wonkified blocks to abstractions and improv. Her aim is to have fun, and to encourage others to do the same.
April 8, 2025
Program: Aunt Martha and Her Evil Twin
Patricia Beaver Salina, Kansas
Patricia started sewing at a very young age. Her father often said that “Patricia is going to die with a needle in her hand.” As an avid quilter Patricia enjoys all styles of quilts and tries to learn new techniques She is a lecturer,, judge and teacher. Patricia has taught in California, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Kansas and even Rome, Italy! She came to our guild last year, and we loved her so much we needed a return engagement!! In her program Patricia will tell us the story of Aunt Martha’s quilt pattern company which was a very popular quilt pattern company during the depression. Don’t you feel like we all have an evil twin? Patricia will show us different quilts from Aunt Martha’s pattersn company. These quilts will be both pieced and appliqued. This is a must see meeting!!!!
May 13, 2025
Program: Challenges 1- Accept the Challenge
Diane L Murtha Bettendorf, IA
My Grandmother helped me with my first hand sewn and tied quilt as a young girl, but I didn’t take my first quilting class until the late 90’s. From that moment on, I was hooked. I snatched any quilting time I could get, but a demanding career left minimal time for my quilting hobby, although I was very active in both my Heidelberg, Germany and Northern Virginia quilt guilds over the years.
Like many of you, I started with mostly traditional quilting. Gradually I modified patterns more and more, making my quilts unique, as well as creating my own original designs. Over the last 8 years I gravitated to art quilts, specifically participating in art quilt challenges. An early retirement allowed me time to open my creative aperture to explore quilting on even more new levels!
Challenges are an excellent opportunity to get out of your comfort zone. I embrace it fully and encourage you to do the same and experience the joy and personal satisfaction of challenges!
So why do you want to listen to me? Because I am you! My point is – if I can do challenge quilts – so can you! I’m not fancy. I only recently started entering juried competitions. However, I’m super excited to share what I have learned with you. I regularly spoke at international conferences across the country in my professional life so speaking about my quilting passion is an easy and natural transition