Judy Steward brings over three decades of quilting expertise and a gift for teaching to guilds across the southern United States. Her workshops cover a wide range of techniques — from free-motion machine quilting and appliqué to fabric collage and upcycled bag making — always delivered with the warmth and encouragement that makes every skill level feel welcome.
Judy travels throughout the southern US, hosting lectures and workshops for groups of 10 to 20 members. Each experience is hands-on, memorable, and tailored to your guild.
View Judy’s price list and inquire about availability to bring Judy to your guild.
Workshop
Your sewing machine can do so much more than sew a straight line. In this workshop, Judy shares everything she’s learned in over two decades of machine quilting on a domestic machine — from free-motion technique and walking foot basics to tips for wrangling a large quilt with ease.
Lecture
Big Quilts, Home Machine
Think you need a longarm to quilt a large quilt? Think again.
In this trunk show and live demo, Judy sets up her own domestic sewing machine so guild members can see exactly how she tackles big quilts at home — the setup, the technique, and the confidence that comes with 20+ years of practice. What feels impossible becomes surprisingly within reach.
Workshop
A wedding dress holds one of life’s biggest moments. This workshop teaches you to hold onto it differently — stitched into a Double Wedding Ring quilt that tells the story for generations.
Inspired by The Wedding Dress Quilt by Texas author Jeffree Wyn Itrich, instructor Judy Steward will guide you through the techniques and tools that make this project approachable — even with silks, lace, and other formal fabrics. All materials provided. Leave with your first square complete.
Judy Steward and Jeffree Wyn Itrich
Lecture
Have you read The Wedding Dress Quilt by Jeffree Wyn Itrich? This charming cozy mystery — Judy’s favorite genre — inspired her to do something extraordinary: make a Double Wedding Ring quilt from thrift shop wedding dresses, with Jeffree herself selecting each one.
Wedding dresses are unlike any other fabric you’ll ever work with. Lace, beads, trims, mystery fabrics — and if the dress belonged to someone you love, a lifetime of memories stitched into every seam. In this lecture, Judy shares the story behind the quilt, the steps it took to bring it to life, and how the project led her back to the quiet joy of hand quilting.
Workshop
Seven Techniques, Endless Possibilities
Appliqué is one of quilting’s most expressive tools — and there’s no single right way to do it. In this workshop, Judy walks you through seven different methods: needle turn, freezer paper, raw-edge, fusible, glue, reverse, and shadow appliqué. Some by hand, some by machine, all worth knowing.
Whether you’re embellishing a quilt, a bag, or a piece of clothing, you’ll leave with a full toolkit and the confidence to choose the technique that works best for you.
Lecture
The “A” Word Isn’t Scary Anymore
Slow. Tedious. Intimidating. Appliqué has collected quite a reputation over the years. But maybe slow is exactly the point.
In this lecture, Judy shares the many methods she has explored and mastered over her quilting journey — proving there is an appliqué approach for everyone, whether you crave the meditative rhythm of needle turn or the satisfying speed of fusible web.
A boy leaning on a fence. A windmill turning on the open prairie. The Rural Life Series captures the quiet beauty of country life in six original designs that will charm any guild.
In this one-day workshop, you’ll choose the pattern that speaks to you and walk away with a completed quilt top — using Judy’s own techniques to get you there with confidence and ease.
A favorite photo. A painting that stops you every time you pass it. What if it became a quilt?
In this workshop, Judy will show you how to translate any image into a stunning quilt — and with today’s fabrics available in such an extraordinary range of colors and styles, bringing your vision to life is easier and more fun than you’d expect.
Circles and squares come together in this striking quilt — and not a curved seam in sight. Chain Link Garden is as fun to make as it is beautiful to look at, with multiple block arrangements so your finished quilt is truly one of a kind. Come play with pattern and make something uniquely yours.
Before you toss that chip bag, think again. Those crinkly, colorful wrappers are about to become your favorite new crafting material.
In this fun and creative workshop, Judy will show you how to transform candy and chip bags into whimsical zipper pouches and bags — perfect for gifting or keeping for yourself. It’s a great way to make something unique while keeping plastic out of the landfill.
Floral Rabbit Collage — Play With Your Stash
This is what your fabric stash has been waiting for. In this workshop, you’ll use collage, fusible web, and raw-edge appliqué to bring a charming rabbit design to life — pulling from your own beautiful florals to create depth, color, and personality.
Every edge is quilted down by free-motion stitching, making the design as secure as it is stunning.
Fun & Effective Quilt Tips & Tricks — Hardware Store? Kitchen Drawer? Yes, Really.
After 20+ years of quilting experimentation, Judy has discovered that some of the best quilting tools don’t come from a quilt shop. In this lively lecture, she’ll demystify the tools already hiding in your closet and introduce you to clever finds from the kitchen, hardware store, and beyond.
Practical, surprising, and a lot of fun.
A Trunk Show With Real Talk
How do you know what will look good? Sometimes experience is the best teacher — and Judy is bringing hers.
In this trunk show lecture, Judy walks you through her own traditional and art quilts, sharing the design choices that worked, the ones that didn’t, and everything she learned in between. A candid, inspiring look at the creative process behind the finished quilt.
My Quilt Journey — The Stories Behind the Stitches
Every quilt tells a story. And behind every quilter is a journey worth sharing.
In this trunk show, Judy takes you along on hers — from her beginnings in Idaho and her first class in Virginia, to running a shop in Texas, to the deeply personal honor of teaching her own family back home in Missouri. Aunts, cousins, friends gathered around fabric and thread, making something beautiful together.
Quilting has always been about more than technique. It’s about the people who shape us, the stories we carry, and the joy and strength we find in a community built one stitch at a time. This trunk show celebrates all of it.
My Art Quilts Through the Years — It Started With One Unforgettable Quilt
In 1993, Judy walked into the Houston Quilt Festival and stopped cold in front of Cynthia England’s Best of Show, Piece and Quiet. It was the most amazing quilt she had ever seen — and the moment that set her art quilting journey in motion.
Since then she has studied with Cynthia England, Katie Pasquini Masopust, Susan Carlson, and other masters of the form. In this trunk show, she shares the quilts and the journey that followed.