2026 Teaching Schedule

I have an exciting year of teaching planned for 2026–a mix of new things like my Hawaii cruise in January and February, plus return trips to Empty Spools Seminars in April and Woodland Ridge Retreat Center in August. Check out the list below to see if I’m coming to an event near you (or that you’d like to travel to). I’d love to see you!

January 28 – February 14 – World of Quilts Travel Quilt Bee at Sea – Hawaii cruise SOLD OUT

This is my first quilting cruise and I’m excited about the opportunity to teach 8 different one day classes on the “at sea” days. Check back in 2026 for another opportunity to cruise with me in 2027!

April 6 – Annapolis Quilt Guild, Annapolis, MD – in person Fabulous Freehand Curves workshop, Anatomy of Improv lecture

April 21 – 23 – Bayberry Quilt Guild, Cape Cod, MA – in person Artful Improv Medallion workshop, Free Motion Quilting with Style lecture

April 29 – May 4 – Empty Spools Seminars, Pacific Grove, CA – 5 day in person Abstracting from Art workshop

Use a work of art as inspiration for an abstract quilt design. We will be using the source as inspiration only for color and shape — not representing the work itself. Through lectures, demos, and individual discussions we will study our inspirations and translate them into fabric. Using the colors, lines, and shapes from the inspiration, works will conclude with creating one or more quilt tops. The image above is a collage of work I’ve made using this idea. Check out my blog post at https://cindygrisdela.com/2024/03/17/so-much-fun-with-abstracting-from-art/ for more information about what you’ll learn.

Registration closes January 9, 2026 – don’t delay if you’d like to join us; there are only a few spaces left!

May 11 -16 – Mackinac Island Quilting Seminar, Mackinac Island, MI – 5 day in person Fabulous Freehand Curves workshop

Join me on picturesque Mackinac Island in Michigan for a deep dive into cutting curves freehand without patterns or templates! We’ll learn the basics of freehand cutting Improv style, then add fun elements like wonky triangles, confetti pops, fried egg curves and more to give each block its own personality–even if you’re new to sewing curves you’ll be confident in no time.

June 6-7 – Front Range Contemporary Quilters, Lakewood, CO – in person Abstracting from Art workshop

June 23 – 26 – Kentucky Heritage Quilt Society, Bowling Green, KY – in person Improv Puzzle, Artful Improv Medallion and Fabulous Freehand Curves one day classes.

July 23 – 25 – Maine Quilts 2026, Augusta, ME – TBD in person workshops

August 12 – Blue Valley Quilt Guild, Overland Park, KS – in person Improv Puzzle workshop

August 18 – 22 – Woodland Ridge Retreat Center, Menomine, WI – 5 day in person Fabulous Freehand Curves workshop

Cut large scale curves freehand without templates or patterns. Add dots, skinny lines, wonky triangles and more to give each curve its own personality, then combine them into a fun original design. We’ll talk about color and design to create the composition as well as the techniques needed to make beautiful abstract quilts.

My new book, Freehand Curve Quilts, will be out and it includes some new material that I haven’t taught in Fabulous Freehand Curves before.

I have another exciting teaching opportunity coming up in Fall 2026 that isn’t ready for publication yet. Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know about new classes and workshops.

I hope to see you in class in 2026!