Cathe

Hello! Thank you for visiting my website. I just love creating quilts! Even more than making quilts, though, I love teaching others how to quilt and getting to know other creative women. I’ve been teaching quiltmaking classes, workshops and retreats and giving lectures for over thirty years, and I have enjoyed every one. I like to teach “technique” classes, and my teaching philosophy is that whether a student is learning the basics, learning a new technique, sharpening her skills, or working toward the unattainable goal of perfection, quiltmaking and quilt classes need to be enjoyable. I encourage students to learn at their own comfort level, inspiring creativity and challenging them to try new things without pressure or criticism. I want you to love quiltmaking as much as I do. If it’s stressful for you, slow down. Don’t quit! Work to your own level of perfection and focus on learning and getting better each time.

I do very little video teaching except for a few in my online classes. I’m not comfortable in front of the camera, and I don’t have a professional studio. But as I just said, I’m trying to learn more and get better each time. Progress over perfection, right?

In all of my classes, the first rule is to be kind. We don’t judge each other. If you can’t afford quilt store fabric, shop at JoAnns. Shop at WalMart! I just want you to keep making quilts and loving it — not feeling stressed by the costs. Quilting is becoming a very expensive hobby, and I don’t want to see people unable to participate in it.

 I made my first quilt, as many women do, when I was pregnant. I’d been sewing clothing since I was seven years old, after all, so how hard could it be?? Well, it was challenging. I talked a friend into doing it with me. We were living in a tiny farming town in Germany at the time. I had one quilting magazine and TERRIBLE fabric. We thought the “Thousand Pyramids” quilt looked good, so we made cardboard templates of those pointy triangles and then cut around them with the amazing little rotary cutter – no rulers or gridded mats back then!  – and of course the cutter just chewed up the templates until they were useless. We did get a couple of rows of triangles sewn together, but then the rows wouldn’t match up, and we dumped it in a box and started over with easier patchwork patterns. I graciously permitted my friend to keep that project, and I believe she unloaded the whole mess on an unsuspecting neighbor years later. (Picture for reference!)

When my family and I moved back to the United States, I became involved with the Missouri Extension Homemakers Club near our home at Whiteman Air Force Base. There was a great interest in quilting in that group, and we organized a quilt guild. My involvement with the county extension office led to the 4H clubs, where I taught sewing and quiltmaking classes for children.  Several years later, we moved to the beautiful mountains north of Spokane, and there I started teaching quiltmaking classes to adults. The first few classes were learning experiences for all of us. The ladies were very patient and kind. Many of them still come for classes when I return to Washington for quilt classes. My husband and I both grew up in the Midwest, so we were glad to eventually return and be closer to our extended families. We live in Minnesota now, and in addition to online classes, I teach small groups locally and occasionally travel to teach quiltmaking classes across the United States. I especially delight in my “Women of the Family” quilting bees for brides and new mothers, quilting retreats and other ministry opportunities.

I also write fiction under the alias  pen name Cathe Swanson. That good old Swedish name reflects my childhood heritage and family traditions, which are common themes in the stories I like to write. Find me and my books at Cathe Swanson.

If you have any questions about this website and its contents, or if you are interested in having me teach classes or lead an event, please don’t hesitate to contact me! (email cathe at gloryquilts.net)

Instructor

  • Demonstrated quiltmaking for Missouri Extension Homemakers Association state conference, Jefferson City, MO, 1991, which I attended as an MEHA Young Homemaker of the Year.
  • Instructed children in quiltmaking for 4H, Knob Noster, MO 1990 – 1991.
  • Lectured for Chewelah Christian Women’s Club, Chewelah, WA 1993 and 1994.
  • Instructor at Akers United Drug, Chewelah, WA, from 1992 – 1995.
  • Independent instructor in Watersmeet, MI, 1995.
  • Instructor for Heartstrings Quilts and Fabrics, Eagle River, WI, 1995 – 1999.
  • Instructor for quilt workshops for Big Sand Lake Resort, Eagle River, WI, 1998 and 1999.
  • Independent instructor in Land O’Lakes, WI, 1996 – 2000.
  • Guest instructor for the Tomahawk Area Quilt Guild’s quilters’ weekend, at the University of WI Treehaven, 1999.
  • Taught weekend quilt retreats at Wheaton College’s Honey Rock Camp, Three Lakes, WI, 2000, 2001, and 2003.
  • Instructed at ten two-week Quilt Holidays (15 – 20 classes per visit) at Akers United Drug, in Chewelah, WA since 1997.
  • Instructor for a sewing and quiltmaking class for high school girls, Racine Area Homeschoolers, Racine, WI, 2001 – 2003.
  • Instructor at MJ Quiltworks, Burlington, WI, 2001-2005.
  • Taught Quilt Weekends in LaBelle, FL and Ridgecrest, CA, fall of 2002.
  • Taught a “Quilt ’til You Wilt” retreat for the Southport Quilt Guild in SE Wisconsin, 2005
  • Independent instructor, quilt classes and special events in SE Wisconsin 2005-2020
  • Currently teaching workshops and special events in central Minnesota
  • Teaching online classes since 2020

Organizations

  • Co-organized Whiteman Area Piecemakers Quilt Guild, Knob Noster, MO, 1989.
  • Contributed to the organization of Colville Piecemakers Quilt Guild, Colville, WA, 1993.
  • Co-organized Cabin Fever Quilters, South Stevens County, WA, 1994.
  • Co-organized the Sew What Club, Land O’Lakes, WI, 1999.
  • Co-organized the Chocolate City Quilt Guild, Burlington, WI, 2002
  • ALL of which are still meeting as of 2025!