I love everything about making quilts; having found my greatest joy in sharing my expertise and innovative ideas teaching design, heirloom machine quilting, appliqué and precise patchwork. The classroom has become a very comfortable place for me; making my students feel at ease puts them in the best frame of mind to learn. I welcome questions on a broad range of techniques that benefit quilters of all experience levels.

I consider the event you are planning an opportunity for so much more than just telling what I have learned. My goal is not only to provide in-depth instruction, but also to encourage students to elevate their standards for their work, leading them to realize their full potential. All classes begin with background information about the topic, giving students time to settle in and relax before they get to work. Each technique is based on essential skills, offering students a solid foundation to rely on for a lifetime.

My teaching style is friendly, knowledgeable, with confidence gained over many years of quilting. I am very imaginative, energetic and have a positive attitude. Twenty years of wallpapering in a different place everyday prepared me to think on my feet and adapt to your environment. Contact me via email, heirloomquilts@hotmail.com to structure any classes and workshops to your event.

Great quilts begin with a well thought out plan. I bring a wealth of knowledge to the classroom for the design phase of quilts, not only from my training in art, but also from my former career as an Interior Decorator, which provided me with many practical skills. My own quilts demonstrate how to conceptualize the entire quilt surface, filling it with meaningful imagery and textured background patterns. A process I developed for transferring tiny images into room-sized children's murals trained me in the areas of spatial concepts and proportion that I can easily teach you. My classes simplify the process using visual demonstrations of how to create a layout with your unique message.

Enjoy a relaxed, supportive atmosphere where each student is inspired to find the key to his or her own personal creative style. Learn to fill the entire quilt surface with perfectly fitting, coordinated designs. The design workshops benefit quilters of all experience levels who use any quilting technique, hand, machine, frame, or long arm. Design classes require access to a copy machine at the facility during class.

Choosing and Adapting Quilting Designs, Full-day, hands-on Workshop
All quilters, any skill level

Plan for a day of fun and discovery when you actually make your own quilting designs! Discover a process for determining effective quilting designs for any quilt. Learn how a single design can be manipulated to fill the quilt top with perfectly coordinating squares, triangles and multi-sized borders. Using simple tools and skills from the art world, I will demonstrate how to adapt almost any image for quilting, where to discover new sources of designs, how to create continuous line designs and show a variety of marking procedures.

Prior to class, each student will construct a small quilt top designed to demonstrate how various areas are filled by manipulating designs. After this class, you will never again be at a loss when your pattern suggests, “quilt as desired!”

My Sentimental Journey, One-day Design Theory Class or Two-day,
Theory plus Hands-on layout development Workshop
All quilters with a commitment to creating original design

This workshop offers a truly creative look at filling the empty spaces of your quilt by looking beyond the quilting world for sources of inspiration. Students are encouraged to let their quilts speak with an enthusiastic voice to express their love and the stories they wish to tell. A theme is developed for each student in an invigorating brainstorming session where all participants are encouraged to contribute ideas. Next, we explore the elements of good design, find sources of images and learn to use simple artist's skills and tools to implement the design.

Through this class, students develop their creativity and learn design skills they can rely on for planning the quilting for all their future projects. The effective use of color, patchwork and appliqué are explored within the layout. Learn to enhance a theme with relevant images through thread illustration, unusual background fabrics and quilted textures. Come join the fun in this exciting and informative class.

Full-day theory class, Students observe many demonstrations of how a concept is conceived, developed and supported with construction decisions.

Two-day hands-on Workshop, Students enjoy the atmosphere of a design studio while creating a full-size paper layout for a wholecloth quilt that captures their personal expression.

If you have the desire to use your home sewing machine successfully for refined free-motion quilting, this class is for you! These hands-on workshops provide you with the information and confidence to complete quilts on the machine you already own and gain the satisfaction of turning a solid piece of fabric into a multi-dimensional object of art. I offer you my formula for success including the supplies and technique I use in my work. I will walk you through the basics of heirloom machine quilting and teach you how quick and easy it is to add your personal touch in every project. You are ready for this class if you at least have had some previous machine quilting experience and have a strong desire to learn.

Ivy Wreath 16" Heirloom Machine Quilted Wholecloth
Full-day, Level One, Refined free-motion hands-on workshop

In the tradition of the great wholecloth quilts, you will transform a solid piece of fabric into a work of beauty using my graceful Ivy Wreath design created especially for this class. Focus on refined free-motion techniques using the basic elements of Heirloom Machine Quilting: curvilinear motifs, grids, and stippling. Class includes information on essential supplies, machine set-up, marking, basting, navigating the design, plus time to begin stitching this beautiful project.

Holly Square 15" Heirloom Machine Quilted Wholecloth
Full-day, Level One, Refined free-motion hands-on workshop

Learn to transform a solid piece of fabric into a work of beauty using the original Holly Square design created for this class. Focus on refined free-motion techniques using the basic elements of Heirloom Machine Quilting: curvilinear motifs, grids, and stippling. Class includes information on essential supplies, machine set-up, marking, basting, navigating the design, plus time to begin stitching this beautiful holiday project. Alternate size runner instructions are included in the pattern.

Years of practice have made me committed to teaching precise techniques to those who want to construct quality work and do it right on the first try. Workshops cover the basic skills for assembling precise quilt tops, including the importance of stabilization of the fabric, accurate rotary cutting and precision piecing. Appliqué classes offer a great turned edge preparation process with numerous finishing techniques. Learn quality skills you will use for a lifetime while creating original projects designed to instruct the basic skills of the technique for each class.

Falling Leaves 44" X 49" Quilt and 14" X 14" Pillow
Two-day workshop offered in two daylong sessions with time to sew in between them, or as a weekend retreat. Any quilter interested in learning first-rate skills, beginner thru advanced.

Come join the fun and improve your workmanship while constructing this quilt and matching pillow. They feature strip-pieced blocks and fusible appliquéd leaves that can be finished with blanket-stitched edges by hand or by machine. Learn precise patchwork, sewing and pressing techniques for strip-pieced blocks, accurate half-square triangles and edge finishing techniques for turned edge or fused appliqué. A saw-tooth border adds a final touch to the quilt and pillow. The original pattern contains quilting designs and complete instructions for both items.

Birdie in a Garden Wreath Invisible Machine Appliqué,
Full-day Workshop
Any quilter, must know how to operate your zigzag machine

Learn invisible appliqué by machine using this original pattern (and kit) based on traditional New England Folk Art shapes, updated in contemporary colors. First, discover a hassle-free preparation method for turned edge appliqué using heat resistant template plastic. (No messy glue or paper to remove!) Next, attach the shapes with invisible appliqué by machine. This preparation method can be used for traditional hand appliqué or decorative edge finishing techniques by hand or machine, which will be demonstrated

Garden Basket Pillow, Fusible Appliqué, Full-day workshop
Any quilter, must know how to operate your zigzag machine

This is not your Grandmother's fusible appliqué! This one-day workshop covers new lightweight methods for raw-edge fusible appliqué resulting in softer, more pliable appliqués. Choose either invisible or decorative threads for testing a variety of delicate edge finishing stitches performed by machine. Class also includes a quick, faux cording technique for trimming the 13" X 17" pillow.

Garden Birdhouse Wall Quilt Turned Edge Appliqué,
Full-day workshop Any quilter, must know how to operate your machine

Create your own 20" X 24" wall quilt with precise turned edge applique?L by machine. The use of heatproof template material makes turning the edges simple. Learn straight, curved, and corner turning techniques with this design. This full-day workshop also explores mock hand appliqué by machine, using invisible thread and a blind-hem stitch to finish edges.

*Both Garden pattern can be used to construct either a wall quilt or pillow.

*Both of these appliqué classes could be combined into a one-day workshop; however, there will be less time for students to stitch and both patterns are required if both techniques are taught.
Order patterns at: heirloomquilts@hotmail.com

Learn to Mark it and like it! Half-day Lecture/Demo Solution Session
Any quilter, all skill levels

If you dread the marking process, are confused by all of the different tools, and are challenged by difficult to mark fabrics, this class is for you! Joanie brings a wealth of information from many years of quilting experience and her inventive methods discovered when necessity pushed invention, in marking her contest quilts. Learn about the latest innovations in marking tools, how you can change the size of designs, turn block designs into multi-sized borders and create continuous line designs. Joanie makes this fun and creative while impressing the importance that marking will bring to your machine quilting experience.

Planning your own Roadmap/Navigating and Stitching Directions for
Machine Quilters, Half-day Lecture/Demo
Session Skill Level-All, longarm, frame, and home machine quilters

Have you ever considered how many similarities there are between free-motion quilting and driving a car? How do you expect to drive your machine without a plan for where you are going? Joanie takes you on a light-hearted adventure of understanding the process of machine quilting. From planning intelligently, to beginning and ending your stitches, what to stitch first, last and why, this Lecture/Demo/Solution Session is your travel pass to a future filled with successful machine quilting.

More One and Two Hour Lecture Demos are on the Lectures Page.

Details concerning fees and travel requirements are on the Lectures Page.

Joanie Zeier Poole's elegant style of Heirloom machine quilting inspired me to learn refined free-motion machine quilting after having hand quilted for several decades. Joanie is an excellent teacher. I arrived at her class knowing nothing about free-motion machine quilting and came out able to do elegant refined free-motion quilting on my home sewing machine with ease and understanding. Joanie?fs books are a wealth of information, inspiration, beautifully photographed and concisely written. Joanie?fs teaching style is such that anyone can understand her technique and become successful.
Student, Donna Nelson

Teaching has made my life richer. I have to admit some of the rewards were unexpected. When I began developing classes, I worked so hard creating the curriculum and worrying about every student being successful; I never even considered there could be a benefit for me beyond my daily fee. Now, after class, students quietly take me aside to tell me that what I taught them has changed their life. Wow! While I am truly amazed by those words, I relate to them because there was a time my life was changed by my teacher, Diane Gaudynski and I remember what it felt like saying those same words to her.

Just one more thing, when asked what it was about Diane's classes that changed my life so. I have to say that she ignited a flame that I now know has always been within me. From the information she taught, I gained confidence and an insistence that I expect more of myself in striving to master whatever technique I used to create a quilt. And, the quilts just keep getting better. Thank you always Diane, my friend and teacher.

Copyright © 2008 - All Rights Reserved

Quilt Expo
Madison, WI
Sept 11-13, 2008
www.wiquiltexpo.com

Mill house Quilts
Waunakee, WI
September 30, 2008
www.millhousequilts.com

Lowell Quilt Festival
Lowell, MA
August 7-10, 2008
www.lowellquiltfestival.org

Prairie Shop Quilts
Batavia, IL
Sept, 5-6, 2008
www.prairieshopquilts.com

Quilting in the Desert
Phoenix, AZ
January 25-31, 2009
www.quiltcamp.com

Fox Valley Quilting Expo
Oshkosh, WI
March 13-14, 2009
www.fvtc.edu

Road to California Show
Ontario, CA
January 14 -18, 2010
www.road2ca.com