Innov8R

I know she is not current, but I have all of Georgia Bonesteel's books. I know they are older, but one of the attractions quilting has for me is the timelessness of good design and good sense.

rryder

I have lots of favorites:
For inspiration:
Ricky Tims- his convergence quilts are wonderful and I really like his playful approach to quilting.
Joe the quilter guy- who's last name escapes me at the moment, I love his completely free approach to improvisational quilting.
Libby Lehman- her addition of thread painting to her quilts just added so much depth, texture, color play--again a playful approach that comes through in her quilts.
Alex Anderson- her tv show introduced so many different approaches to quilting, from traditional to art quilts to modern quilts, she showed the breadth of vision that today's quilters have.
The Quilters at Gees Bend- I saw the show when I took a trip to San Francisco in 2007 and that was what got me back into quilting after many years away.
Judy Madsen- her quilting always amazes me.

For teaching:
Laura Nownes- an excellent teacher, I really only know of her through the free Craftsy 2013 block of the month class, but I learned so many things from her in that class that improved my accuracy and I like the fact that even though the class was labelled as all skill levels the quilt was one with many different size blocks that needed to be put together with fill strips--which is something you don't often see in classes which appeal to beginners.
Pasty Thompson- an excellent teacher- her free motion quilting using multiple colors of thread to enhance the wow factor has been fun to watch and I've learned a lot from her.
Amy Johnson- another excellent teacher- quilting with rulers on a domestic sewing machine
Edyta Sitar- an excellent teacher, she designs beautiful more traditional style quilts
Heather Thomas- she takes so many different approaches to art quilting, from dying her own fabrics, to adding metal, using painted batting, etc. I like her playful, exploratory approach.
Ann Peterson and Cindy Needham- two more great teachers, especially good at showing how to manage large quilts when quilting on domestic machines.

I could go on, those are just a few of the quilters who have either inspired me, taught me or both over the years. There have been many more.

Rob
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CaroB

Jan in VA is a favorite.

Esmerelde

Janet Clare.

I joked to my husband that when I "grow up" I want to be like her. I'm 31 XD

RuthiesRetreat3

Jenny Doan sounds exactly like my grandmother did. Same giggle, same voice, same inflections,same smile and could actually pass for a sister. I love just listening to her.

klswift

I admire Jenny Doan. Although she sort of fell into her situation, she made the most of it. She knew her areas of talent and delegated other areas to those best suited to it (her son handles a great deal of the business and marketing side). She literally turned a town around from a deathspiral into a thriving community. I often recommend her tutorials to beginning quilters not only because they are informative and short, but the fact that she will admit her errors and keep going. This is so important to a new person to help build their confidence. I think that if you had an opportunity to visit with her, it would be a normal 'real' experience.

AngeliaNR

Bonnie Hunter for me--I am a scrappy quilter.

Beachbaby12

Jenny Doan - she has given me the inspiration to try quilting skills I never thought I could do. Also, the tutorials are my biggest inspiration and since I'm a visual learner, it's better than a book for me. Jenny seems so down to earth and kind.

janjanq

Nancy Zieman Jenny Doan, Eleanor Burns, Jimmy Beyer.....hard to pick a favorite.

Cookie46

Without a doubt - Bonnie Hunter!!