Quiltmaking with Heidi Parkes: Aesthetics, Curiosity, Efficiency

August 20, 2026

2026 has been the exciting 3rd year of this annual yearlong offering. You’re invited to join us in celebrating my current students and their quilts:

Learn about the experiences of 2026 students thus far
See their beautiful quilts!
Ask questions about the upcoming 2027 class (Pre-register here)
Recordings will be available on my YouTube Channel

Zoom Schedule:

Join my Updates Calendar to add all sessions to your calendar with one click:

attend all sessions

Monday, September 21st 7pm - 8:30ish Central

Featuring:

Stephanie Gagne @sewsstephanie

Wendy Wild @thenextstitch thenextstitch.com.au

Ari DeNardo @ari.denardo

Suz Slezak @tourmamasuz suzslezak.substack.com

Melinda Bilecki @stitchpotion

Anuradhika Roy @dharmatara888

rsvp here

Sunday, October 18th noon - 1:30ish Central

Featuring:

Cynthia McDonnell @cynthia_mcdonnell youtube.com/@cynthiamcdonnell5849

Jessamine Dana @weave_and_wander

Kaylee Christenson @echosandethos youtube.com/@echosandethos

Emily C Johnson @ecdesignstudio ecdesignstudios.com

Kate Warner

Ellen Mary Cook @emc_maker youtube.com/@ellenmarycook

rsvp here

Tuesday, November 10th noon - 1:30pmish Central

Featuring:

Suzanne Ardiff @smchalk_ardiff

Celine Thibault

Kasia Tolwinski @kasia_t_ski

Melissa Murray @ohsewboy

Nicole Wood @quiltyspice

Barbara Jasper @barbarajasper barbarajasper.com

rsvp here

Wednesday, December 16th 2pm - 3:30pmish Central

Featuring:

Sarah Gerth

Marian Urquilla @marianu27

Corey Knight @poppyandfernando

…more to come!

rsvp here

See more quilts made during Quiltmaking class on my Pinterest board

See work by alums going back to 2024 on Pinterest

Watch past presentation recordings on my YouTube channel

Registration for 2027 will open for this fall! Learn more via my email newsletter and pre-register here

Scavenger Hunt Quilt Pattern

$13.00

Receive a coupon code and join the quilt-along on my blog.

First released in QuiltCon Magazine 2020, this pattern combines the technique of wholecloth applique, and the concept of a treasure hunt for self-discovery. In this 41 page PDF, you will receive:

· A 5-page typed pattern with fancy step-by-step graphics

· 35-pages of a quilt-in-progress photos, with insider details on technique and concept

In the photo gallery here, you can see my two versions of the quilt. This is a playful instruction based quilt, so your version might turn out quite differently! You can see the variety of quilts created using this pattern on my Pinterest; you’re encouraged to share your work with the community online using #ScavengerHuntQuilt and by tagging @heidi.parkes.

This YouTube Quilt-Along Playlist is an ideal companion for the pattern.

Additional Info:

All purchases are final.
⭕️ BE READY AFTER CHECKOUT: that is the easiest time to download the PDF required to access class. (You will also get an email from no-reply@squarespace.info with a link to the PDF, and a separate email with your receipt.)
Guilds get discounted rates on this pattern—check them out here!

Infinite ways to Express Gratitude and Love with a Quilt, FREE Zine

$0.00

This zine is a single page, hand written PDF for you to print, fold, and read.

I hope that it will help to spark your creativity, and strengthen the bonds between you and your loved ones.

You will receive an email from no-reply@squarespace.info, sent to the email connected to your Paypal account. Click the blue link “here” and follow the instructions. If you access the document after 24 hours, you can still click on the blue link in your first email and it will send you a new email with a working link.

Spectacle no. 16

$250.00

Mixed textiles

Hand pieced, hand quilted, stretched on a wooden frame

2024

6 x 6 x .75”

This quilt continues my Spectacle series—works made in part while demonstrating my process for students. These triangles were pieced while teaching the Central Virginia Modern Quilt Guild.

This quilt is in an exhibition. If you purchase it, it will be mailed to you in December 2026.

*Shipping may take up to 2 weeks

*Shipping within the United States is included in the purchase price. To make an international purchase, contact Heidi at HeidiParkesArt@gmail.com

Scavenger Hunt: I Listened

$3,000.00

Mixed textiles and cotton thread

Hand pieced, hand appliquéd, hand embroidered, and hand quilted

2019

40 x 40”

This is my first-ever quilt pattern, originally published in QuiltCon Magazine February 2020. I designed most of the pattern while traveling in India, and I quickly pieced it for the magazine before heading to Boulder, CO where I taught with The Makerie and quilted this quilt. Many people have made their version of this quilt and shared it on Instagram with #scavengerhuntquilt. I love the prompts that look at chronological fabrics, tracing your body, noting your birthday, and especially manifesting your desires. I made my manifestation section of me holding hands with someone, and within a month, I met someone special!

Exhibitions:
Duck to Water, Florida CraftArt, St Petersburg, FL (2025)
Heidi Parkes: Soft Magic, Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts, Cedarburg, WI (2025)

*Shipping may take up to 2 weeks

*Shipping within the United States is included in the purchase price. To make an international purchase, contact Heidi at HeidiParkesArt@gmail.com

Sold Out

Scavenger Hunt: I am Well

$3,000.00

Cotton fabric and thread

Hand pieced, hand embroidered, and hand quilted

2020

40 x 39”

I made this quilt with sequential videos from my first Quilt Along. The Scavenger Hunt Quilt is my first quilt pattern, and there are various playful prompts throughout that inspire creativity and curiosity in the maker, including chronological fabrics, tracing your body, noting your birthday, and especially manifesting your desires.

*Shipping may take up to 2 weeks

*Shipping within the United States is included in the purchase price. To make an international purchase, contact Heidi at HeidiParkesArt@gmail.com

Diary Quilting: Manifesting & Spellcasting

$375.00

Join Heidi on a Mighty Network with four learning modules providing video instruction.

Diary Quilts:

Heidi has become known for her Diary Quilts at QuiltCon, Quilt National, as 2024 Artist in Residence at the Pfister Hotel, and in her mid-career exhibition at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts: Soft Magic. Enjoy this unique opportunity to learn from her, and try your hand with this special approach to quiltmaking.

“This class introduces you to personal narrative, code, abstraction, logging daily life, dreaming about the future, and reframing the past. This healing practice focuses on hand piecing a quilt top, and allows you to work with any techniques that you like. I’ll offer guidance on composition, aesthetics, storytelling, technique, and the art of diary. If you’ve studied Diary Quilting with me in years past, this iteration holds the topic at a new angle, and welcomes you back.” ~Heidi

These are some qualities of a Diary Quilt:

A diary entry can reframe the past, track the present, and anticipate the future. There is magic in working with all three of these time zones!
In contrast with an ‘autobiographical quilt,’ a ‘diary quilt’ can conceal or reveal secrets at the discretion of the maker via abstraction and code
Telling your story can be deeply healing, and engages the therapeutic benefits of cognitive reframing
A Diary Quilt can be made with any technical skills that you already have, or with a handful of skills that will be taught in class

Heidi will guide students in creating their own unique composition with an emphasis on the theme of manifesting and spellcasting.

*If you’ve previously studied Diary Quilting with Heidi, this will be a fresh take on the topic! We will delve deeply into the concept of manifestation. This includes practical goal-setting and habit formation, alongside the mystical and even using the absurd to invoke change, healing, and the world we wish to inhabit.

Class Format:

Four learning modules about Diary Quilting: Manifesting & Spellcasting. These include video from Heidi, and links to a carefully curated selection of video on YouTube, podcasts, etc.
Seven RECORDED co-working sessions where you can see students from fall 2025 ask questions, sew alongside Heidi, and converse with fellow students
An exclusive Mighty Network platform with a Studio Community conversation thread in which you can share progress on your Diary Quilt, and exchange comments and give feedback to fellow students
Class will center on making a quilt top. The techniques for completing the top with quilting and binding will be entirely at your discretion, and on-demand resources for these steps are available in the shop
Beginner Friendly: The Introductory Content (available immediately upon purchase) includes instruction on threading your needle, appliqué, knots, basic stitches, and getting started

Class Itinerary:

⚡️BEFORE class:

Watch for the link to the PDF Welcome Letter immediately after checkout (and in your email). This will give you access to our Mighty Network
Create a profile on the Mighty Network, and introduce yourself in our Studio Community by making a ‘Virtual Studio’ to share photos and text

Introductory Content:

Watch the pre-recorded videos on technique, and orient yourself to the ideas behind Diary Quilting (helpful for beginners!)
Receive some creative prompts, and links to additional optional videos

Module 1: Introduction to Diary Quilting

Module 2: Observing Present Circumstances

Module 3: Microcosm & Macrocosm, Verbing to Cast Spells

Module 4: A Manifestation Story: The Making of Softly, Gently, Slowly, Fast

Additional Resources:

#HPdiaryquilt is an Instagram hub for students to connect and share
The class website will include links to books, YouTube videos, podcasts, and additional resources that Heidi has found valuable in her practice of Diary Quilting. There is also space at the end of each module for students to share additional resources that they’ve found useful.

After Class:

Please keep posting updates about your quilt on your Virtual Studio in the Mighty Network! Existing and future students can continue to share and interact here for years to come. *This space is for sharing specifically about this quilt for this class.

Additional Info:

This began as a LIVE class, and is now an on-demand class, incorporating recordings from our co-working sessions. The cost is the same LIVE and on-demand. Stay tuned to my email newsletter to learn about future iterations of Diary Quilting with new themes.
‘Lifetime access’ to the class is connected to Heidi’s lifetime, and a continued career teaching quilting. We hope this will be a long time.
You can see Heidi’s favorite sewing supplies HERE . The Little House Needle Gripper Silicon Thimble is a favorite that you can find with $5 off via this Snuggly Monkey coupon link. Further details on supplies will be shared on the class website, but the most important supplies are a needle, thread, thimble, and fabric.
All purchases are final.
⭕️ BE READY AFTER CHECKOUT: that is the easiest time to download the PDF required to access this class. (You will also get an email from no-reply@squarespace.info with a link to the PDF, and a separate email with your receipt.)

Quilts and Art, Video Lecture

$15.00

Let's get more quilts seen by more people, and exhibited in a larger variety of spaces! One of those spaces is the art world. This lecture is intended to demystify, give permission, and offer guidance on how to connect with the art world. Heidi will tell some of her personal experience, but will also focus on simple steps any quilter can take to engage in the art world.

This lecture will be sent to you as a 7-page PDF. The PDF contains a link to an unlisted YouTube video where you can watch the 47-minute lecture. The PDF also contains all of the text from the lecture, and MANY links for additional learning connected to the lecture.

There are many positive reviews for this lecture on my instagram post from 2/21/2021:

“I was absolutely blown away by this talk, Heidi. Way to go! I’m going to email you more compliments and questions soon! 🖤”
-sonicstitches
“Heidi, your lecture was so inspiring! I took copious notes and am looking forward to seeing where this next step of my journey takes me. As ever, thank you for your generosity and advice 🙏💕💕”
-threads_of_my_life
”So impressed with your lecture! Thanks for your calm, thoughtful, and organized presentation!”
-moquilt
“I loved how many images you had and the organized and thoughtful way you set up your lecture today. I still can’t stop thinking of those inflatable sculptures your high school students and you made!”
-amandanadigart
“The lecture was great! So helpful, Heidi. Thank you so much for your openness and generosity, you make me feel supported! ❤️❤️❤️”
-capaik670

Additional Info:

This is a pre-recorded lecture.
All sales are final.
⭕️ BE READY AFTER CHECKOUT: that is the easiest time to download the PDF required to access this lecture. (You will also get an email from no-reply@squarespace.info with a link to the PDF, and a separate email with your receipt.)
Guilds get discounted rates on this lecture–check them out here!

Sold Out

But, it’s Still Warm

$250.00

Mixed textiles, silk organza, cotton thread

Hand pieced, hand quilted, stretched

2024

6 x 6 x .75”

I love this DMC pearl cotton size 8 color #606! There may be cool fabrics in the mix, but this red infuses the piece with warmth.

*Shipping may take up to 2 weeks

*Shipping within the United States is included in the purchase price. To make an international purchase, contact Heidi at HeidiParkesArt@gmail.com

Neutrality Study no. 3

$3,000.00

Cotton fabric and thread, and a vintage table linen

Hand pieced and quilted

2021

42 x 41”

This series explores neutral color schemes. Hand pieced and hand quilted, this is the most colorful in the series thus far.

Exhibitions:
QuiltCon presented by the Modern Quilt Guild, Raleigh, NC (2024)
Heidi Parkes: Reuse, Reflection, and Storytelling in Cloth, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI (2023)Modern Quilt Exhibition, Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, Pompano Beach, FL (2022)
Heidi Parkes, Gallery 224, Port Washington, WI (2021)

*Shipping may take up to 2 weeks

*Shipping within the United States is included in the purchase price. To make an international purchase, contact Heidi at HeidiParkesArt@gmail.com

Sold Out

Walk no. 3

$1,200.00

Linen fabric and cotton thread

Hand embroidered and hand quilted

2021

17 x 17”

This embroidered wholecloth quilt is an aerial map of my favorite walk at Lake Park in Milwaukee, WI. I was an ARTservancy Artist in Residence there for a year, and this map highlights one of my favorite walks in the park. There is a small hill with a plaque from 1910 that attributes the hill as an earthwork and explains that at the turn of the century, there were other earthworks of animals and geometric forms on that land that had been recently destroyed. Sometimes on my walks I imagine what the land once looked like, and this embroidery is one such imagining. I juxtaposed images that I researched from the Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, and Menominee people, with images that I imagined while walking. I've also sewn current landmarks including my home, a golf course, soccer field, waterfall, my sweetheart's home, the Milwaukee River, and Lake Michigan.

Exhibitions:
Through the Needle’s Eye, Gardner Center for the Arts, Gary, IN (2025)
Land Reflections: ARTservancy Artists in Residence, Schlueter Art Gallery, Milwaukee, WI (2023)
Heidi Parkes, Gallery 224, Port Washington, WI (2021)

*Shipping may take up to 2 weeks

*Shipping within the United States is included in the purchase price. To make an international purchase, contact Heidi at HeidiParkesArt@gmail.com

Visible Hand Binding, On-Demand

$60.00

Learn to bind your quilts by hand with visible stitches, so that your viewer can appreciate all of your handwork! This straightforward on-demand class will concisely teach you everything you need to know to complete four different styles of binding. This class is very Beginner Friendly, but may also appeal to experienced quilters looking to try a new approach to binding:

Double Fold Binding
Backing as Binding
Facing
Previously Finished Edges

This purchase will provide you with a PDF that you must download within 24 hours. It contains the link to our class page, which includes:

92-minute video on binding, which demonstrates all 4 types of binding in real time, mostly with a close-up view of my hands
33-minute lecture about the aesthetic choices I make when I choose a binding method
6 brief introductory sewing technique videos for knots and stitches
22-minute BONUS video of me binding a quilt in real time with the Backing as Binding method, where I join threads, round a corner, and finish binding

Additional Info:

This class is ideal for beginners
This is a pre-recorded class.
Attendees of this class will have ‘forever’ access to all of the class materials; therefore, refunds are not available.
⭕️ BE READY AFTER CHECKOUT: that is the easiest time to download the PDF required to access this class. (You will also get an email from no-reply@squarespace.info with a link to the PDF, and a separate email with your receipt.)
Guilds get discounted class rates on this class–check them out here!

Quilting as Therapy, Video Lecture

$15.00

Quilting as therapy is a common concept in the quilting world, and quilting can help heal sadness and grief in many forms. In this lecture Heidi will discuss quilts made about the pandemic, the passing of her father, and the impact of the quilts that were part of her own childhood. Heidi will also discuss the concept of reframing, and the way that storytelling in a quilt can help to give a new perspective on things, and help aid in the healing of emotions and the building of courage, compassion, and self esteem.

This lecture will be sent to you as a 4-page PDF. The PDF contains a link to an unlisted YouTube video where you can watch the 50-minute lecture. The PDF also contains all of the text from the lecture, and many links for additional learning connected to the lecture.

There are many positive reviews for this lecture on my instagram posts from 2/22/21 and 9 /15/21:

“When you shared this as QuiltCon this year, I was shaken to my core. I love everything about this. It made me reevaluate my whole process and what I want out of my practice.”
-BenMillett

”I am blown away! You are so open and honest. I connected with every part of you lecture this afternoon. Thank you for leading the way.”
-dl.johnst
“I sat in awe and with immense emotion during and for quite some time after your amazing lecture. I felt connected to you, and to this community. I feel brave and inspired. You have given me the courage to explore so many ideas not yet explored in my art. Thank you ♥️”
-melissamillercurley
“Brave, bold, powerful. You are connecting the dots between your experience & your art: exquisite. Thank you.”
-janbrown360

Additional Info:

This is a pre-recorded lecture.
All sales are final.
⭕️ BE READY AFTER CHECKOUT: that is the easiest time to download the PDF required to access this lecture. (You will also get an email from no-reply@squarespace.info with a link to the PDF, and a separate email with your receipt.)
Guilds get discounted rates on this lecture–check them out here!

Framed Quilts, On-Demand

$85.00

Framed Quilts:

The ‘Soft Bulk’ of a quilt is extraordinary! Quilts can squish into backpacks and unfurl into art galleries, but sometimes there’s a thrill in stretching them taught, just like a painting. This workshop will teach you to use a wooden frame and staples to display your quilt ‘stretched canvas style.’ You will also get an introduction to several exciting quiltmaking techniques:

Layered quilts: have a transparent layer on top, revealing fabric and thread beneath
Patchwork: involves ‘piecing’ small segments of fabric together to expand into a full-sized quilt top
‘Quilt as you go’: combines the acts of ‘piecing’ and ‘quilting’ (fusing your quilt top and batting/insides) into one efficient and unique-looking quilt
Embroidery: Maybe you want to skip the quilting phase and just frame an embroidery
Freeform Applique: Working with a base fabric, you can apply more fabric on top with raw edges or turned edges to create a complex composition

This is a pre-recorded class. You will have access to 6 very short technique videos for knots and stitches, followed by a 34-minute Demo where I frame a quilt in real-time. Then, you will experience a recording of a live Zoom class with student questions and progress, examples, and lots of live demos. The class is 4 hours, followed by about 40-minutes of mingling, celebrating student work, and answering follow up questions. You will have an opportunity to share your work publicly with #HPframed on Instagram.

Additional info:

You can see my favorite sewing supplies HERE on my website. I also love to use the Little House Needle Gripper Silicon Thimble for handwork and you can find it and $5 off with this Snuggly Monkey coupon link.
This class includes copies of my Visible Hand Piecing, Hand Quilting, and Hand Yoga zines.
This is a pre-recorded class.
Attendees of this class will have ‘forever’ access to all of the class materials; therefore, refunds are not available.
⭕️ BE READY AFTER CHECKOUT: that is the easiest time to download the PDF required to access class. (You will also get an email from no-reply@squarespace.info with a link to the PDF, and a separate email with your receipt.)
Guilds get discounted class rates on this class–check them out here!

Vignettes Quilt no. 2

$6,000.00

Clothing, mixed textiles, cotton thread and yarn

Hand embroidered, hand pieced, and hand tied

2022

61 x 62”

This is the second quilt I've made with my Vignettes Quilt pattern. It's inspired by the elements, principles, and post modern principles of art. This quilt makes use of some vintage diapers from Japan, a shirt from an old Milwaukee office, and eye embroideries sewn on an airplane- tied for visual movement.

Exhibitions:
Heidi Parkes: Reuse, Reflection, and Storytelling in Cloth, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI (2023)
5th Annual Fiber Arts Biennial: Hide + Seek, Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts, Cedarburg, WI (2022)
Heidi Parkes’s Quilts, special exhibit at The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show, Madison, WI (2022)

*Shipping may take up to two weeks

*Shipping within the United States is included in the purchase price. To make an international purchase, contact Heidi at HeidiParkesArt@gmail.com

Vignettes Quilt VIDEO Workshop

$115.00

This is a 2.5 hour instructional video on my Vignettes Quilt Pattern! It was originally filmed and edited for the pattern’s release with QuiltCon Together in 2021. Since then, I have adjusted the editing myself, and added an additional 30 minutes of new footage. It is filmed efficiently to maximize your learning time, and it follows me though the entire piecing process. The filming was done in my REAL living room/studio space, and is the most authentic view possible into my approach to quilt-making and the pattern.

This is an improv quilt pattern, so each maker’s result will be unique. I guide students intimately through the decision making process around the blocks. Then, for the composition step where we assemble the blocks into a single quilt, I show a variety of options and break down my aesthetic reasoning and technical considerations for the composition that I went with.

The Vignettes Quilt is exciting for two reasons:

1) The vignettes approach to piecing, and making a patchwork from blocks that are a variety of sizes.

2) It will increase you art vocabulary, and give you more confidence talking about your quilts.

I hope you’ll join me in this special video class!

Additional Info:

This is a pre-recorded class.
This purchase includes the quilt pattern, and access to my introductory hand piecing videos.
Attendees of this class will have ‘forever’ access to all of the class materials; therefore, refunds are not available.
⭕️ BE READY AFTER CHECKOUT: that is the easiest time to download the PDF required to access this class. (You will also get an email from no-reply@squarespace.info with a link to the PDF, and a separate email with your receipt.)

Improv Hand Quilting, On-Demand

$85.00

Learn to hand quilt any time you’d like!

Improv Hand Quilting:

Hand quilting is my favorite part of making a quilt! This workshop is both conceptual and technical. I begin with a Powerpoint lecture, during which I explain both why and how I quilted as I did. Stitch density, exposed or hidden knots, overlapping lines of quilting, and color choices will be expanded upon. I love to quilt with pearl size 8 thread for its high visibility and strength. Students can work with an existing quilt top or a ‘wholecloth’ single piece of fabric. We cover basting, quilting with a tabletop and a heavy book to create tension, hand positioning, hand care, thimble use, and a variety of ways to balance planning with improv. I don't use pens to ‘mark,’ my fabric, but will share a few tricks to anticipate my stitching. I love to create areas of visual interest to activate the quilt top with the quilting functioning like a ‘drawing’ on the surface of the fabric. Students will not complete their quilt during the class, but they will get a solid foundation to start! See and share work with #hpHandQuilting.

Key concepts of the class include:

Thimble use
Hand quilting techniques
Composition and aesthetics
Tips on being fast and efficient
Knots, both buried and exposed
Balancing planning with improvisation
Tips for quilting over/around applique and embroidery
Tips on supplies like needles, thread, thimbles, and fabric
Tips for body care and lifestyle so that you can fully enjoy hand quilting
Creating visual tension with our quilting to make even the most homely quilt top sing!

This class consists of:

5 short intro videos on techniques
A zine on hand quilting
A two-hour intro lecture where I share lots of details about my quilts
A 4.5 hour recording of a live Zoom class where students ask wonderful questions and we dig into the details of composition, technique, and more
A BONUS video of me hand quilting a quilt for about an hour, so that you can see this process up close and in real time
Lots of links to my best YouTube videos on quilting
A private community slideshow that will link you to the other students so you can share your work with our group, and reach out to each other via email or instagram.

This workshop is Beginner Friendly, and also very exciting to experienced quilters who are eager to try something new, and increase their efficiency & body-care.

Additional info:

You can see my favorite sewing supplies HERE on my website. I also love to use the Little House Needle Gripper Silicon Thimble for handwork and you can find it and $5 off with this S nuggly Monkey coupon link.
This is a pre-recorded class.
Attendees of this class will have ‘forever’ access to all of the class materials; therefore, refunds are not available.
⭕️ BE READY AFTER CHECKOUT: that is the easiest time to download the PDF required to access this class. (You will also get an email from no-reply@squarespace.info with a link to the PDF, and a separate email with your receipt.)
Guilds get discounted class rates on this class–check them out here!