Josh Cacopardo
Currently hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Josh has been quilting since 1999 when he was unwittingly duped into a project one spring morning. Most of his projects since then have been of epic proportions, namely because he likes complicated patterns and generally doesn’t budget enough time to finish anything.

In addition to quilting, Josh spends much of his time writing fiction and poetry, eating cupcakes, imbibing adult beverages and overdeveloping his ego. He is passionate about sustainable living, progressive reform and Christianity, all of which influence his writing, his quilting and the likelihood that you will find him standing respectfully on the nearest soapbox. The best way to befriend Josh is to feed him, but complimenting his writing is a close second. Josh is also a staff writer for an online arts and culture magazine called The Curator (www.curatormagazine.com), and he blogs occasionally at www.inauguratedphantasies.com.

 

 

Rose Hughes

Teacher, author, designer and darned special q-friend Rose Hughes of RavenSpeak Quilts brings her unique vision of life’s landscape alive through her seemingly magically stitched together art quilts. She uses her simple method, called Fast-Piece Appliqué™ and has shared this and other fabri-magic in her two books, The Dream Landscape and Exploring Embellishments, (Martingale).

Her works have appeared in many solo exhibits, and she’s shared her wisdom in the pages of Quilting Arts, Quilters Newsletter, Quilter’s Home and American Quilter magazines. She has also entertained the masses on Simply Quilts, The Quilt Show, and the Quilt Out Loud programs.

She may have been quilting and creating now for more than 20 years, but says she still gets a fresh thrill every time she fondles fabric. The only experience that’s a bigger thrill might be when she’s teaching others—especially quilt virgins—to explore the passion of creating with fabric.