Melinda Bula is an award-winning quilter, including Best of Show in Chicago 2009. Melinda creates Fabulous Fusible Flowers using thread and fabric. Ricky opens the show, demonstrating luminosity using the "7-value system." Melinda follows, showing how to build her lovely Sunflower pattern. You'll love learning how to design and achieve depth and reality in your quilts. With two great teachers, the Treasure Chest, Lilo as clothes model, and lots of smiles, Series Five starts off with a bang.

Anelie Belden shows how easy it is to make one of your favorite patterns, Dresden Plate, thoroughly modern using freezer paper (Ricky loves freezer paper!) and a breezy flip-and-sew approach. Wait... there's more: Anelie has a "no-measure" border technique that you are sure to love. To start the action, Alex demonstrates her easy Heart block that is half pieced and half appliquéd. Appliqué, flip-and-sew, no-measure binding, freezer paper, and a modern twist to a familiar pattern: this show will give you techniques you'll want to start using immediately.

This show brings you three great quilters, teachers, and designers. Cathy Franks is a longarm expert, an international award-winning quilt artist, and a refreshing bundle of energy! She creates designs and develops techniques that produce amazing results. Sue Garman takes us along on her journey of building a new quilt design. Where do her ideas come from? Next, TQS visits Sharon Malec. Sharon is famous for showing "man's best friend" in quilts that are beautiful, emotional...and fun!

Marti Michell is a pioneer in the quilting world. Do you want to develop techniques that are fast and accurate? Marti shows you how. You'll love her demonstrations of the Circular Log Cabin block and quilting "as you go." Watch as Alex shows you how to divide a block into its parts so you can draw the block any size you wish. Finally, see what fun products are hidden in the TQS Treasure Chest.

TQS members joined with Carol Schillios and Fabric of Life to create quilts from fabric made by women in Mali. The challenge extended our design capabilities and increased our awareness and sensitivity for women around the world. Discover who won and see the designs created by Ricky, Alex, and some surprise participants. As an added bonus, Ricky and someone (???) show how their designs were created. You will then see how to paper piece a Compass design. This is a show brimming with design, color, and heart.

Jan Krentz Skypes in from San Diego to demonstrate how to build a LeMoyne Star. Want to see how the star will look before you cut the fabric? Jan has a great trick for you. Then meet Esterita Austin, who will amaze you with her quilts, which she creates using photographs and freezer-paper templates. She shows how tulle can suggest different shading effects when used with Mistyfuse. Traditional blocks, artistic shading, and Dan Purcell with "What's on the Internet?"...in addition to being informative and fun, this show is a visual treat.

Join us for a show that is chock-full of ideas for hand-crafted gifts. We know it's hard to find items to please both your quilting and non-quilting friends. Not to worry! Jeanie Sumrall-Ajero, Rebecca Kemp Brent, and Judith Baker Montano share a variety of unique quilted gift ideas, from stunning kaleidoscope cards, to small machine-embroidered items, to a little purse pattern that can also be used to create a baby's hat or a yarmulke. All are sure to please any recipient on your gift list.

You have a special backstage pass to the opening of an exhibit featuring the work of a great quilter and a good friend. Join us for a trip to the Big Apple, New York City, where we visit the American Folk Art Museum for the one-woman show of Kaleidoscopic Quilts by Paula Nadelstern. Then Paula takes us on a personally guided tour of her favorite "not-to-be-missed" shops in the NY Garment District. It's a tour that includes all the fabric and embellishments any quilter could covet for his or her stash.

You don't want to miss the incredible machine-quilting skills shared by award-winning quilter, Joanie Zeier Poole. (The audience and crew all fell in love with her work.) Discover how she uses very fine thread and tiny, tiny stitches to produce her incredibly rich and textured designs. Then, have you ever taken pictures at a quilt show and found that the colors change when you use the flash? Watch as Gregory Case uncovers the problem and gives you tips for getting the best shots possible. Also, Alex will demonstrate how to piece a perfect isosceles triangle in a square.

Join us for a show that presents different perspectives from two award-winning quilt artists. Tammy Finkler, a traditional quilter and longarm quilting expert, guides you step by step through the process of designing intricate wholecloth quilting designs. Then examine quilts from an artist's viewpoint as Patt Blair teaches you how to draw and paint a tiger's face using a special "paint pencil" and fabric dye. You'll love the whimsy Patt brings to her quilting. Bottom line? Don't miss the fun, information, and fabulous quilts in this show!

Your in for a "far out" good time. Join Joaquin (Ricky) and Mona (Alex) as they journey back to the 60s to celebrate "Hippie Day." The characters, costumes, and photos are sure to have you feelin' groovy. Meantime, learn something new as Terri Sandelin shares her fast and precise technique for creating beautiful miniature quilts. You'll love Terri's special system that makes the results come out just right. Then be inspired by a trip to Boys Town.

We know that designing your own quilt can be intimidating. Join us as we present clever ways to help you using a variety of techniques. Sharon Pederson demonstrates how to use a "road map" to create a quilt block. (You can trust Sharon: she teaches Machine Appliqué for the Terrified Quilter!) Ricky shares ideas for building a design using die-cut templates, and we take a road trip to Robbi Joy Eklow's studio that will open your eyes to a special way of designing.

Join Alex and Ricky as they visit the home and workspace of legendary quilter and good friend, Libby Lehman. Libby has a rich history of quilting in her family and to her credit has one of the Top 100 Quilts of the Century. You will also learn how she gets so much accomplished in spite of her incredible traveling schedule. Libby has a deep knowledge of sewing machine capabilities, an artist's feel for color, movement, and design, as well as a wonderful sense of humor. Join TQS as we celebrate Libby Lehman as our 2009 Quilting Legend.