Sheila Frampton Cooper is a rising star in the national and international quilting world from right here in Southern California. Her quilt have appeared in many national shows including IQF Houston, Quilt National, Road to California, PIQF and AQS Paducah. She is a member of Dinner at Eight Artists.

Sheila says: "There’s a reason I call my alter ego “Zoombaby.” I love to drive fast and live intensely. My improvisational approach to art gives me that same kind of exhilaration. Whether I'm painting, drawing or piecing a studio quilt, moving head first into the unknown fuels my creativity. I relish all the surprising discoveries along the way as the journey starts to reveal itself to me. Never having had an interest in sewing or textile work before, I arrived in the quilting world by accident—though you might call it fate.

In January 2009 I went to donate some fabric to Project Linus, and when I left, a little voice started nudging me to do something, so I spent the rest of the year making and donating 30 quilts. Exactly one year later, I embarked on my first art quilt, “Life in the City.” My pieced quilts are bold and graphic, as I am inspired by color, line and shape. I love the bright, beautiful patterns of tropical fish and am constantly in awe of nature's palette. I also enjoy painting with thickened dyes, discharging, batiking and other aspects of surface design. However, my greatest passion is basic piecing with no plan, no sketch, and no agenda. It’s a huge challenge to navigate a complex vision from piecing alone, so to pull it off is incredibly rewarding.

My journey into the magical world of quilting has truly been a gift. My life has been enriched in ways I never could have foreseen going into it. I guess that’s what happens when you let your intuition be your guide.

Sheila will speak on “Creating from a Place of Trust.” She will share with us her insight into her creative inspirations and design process and how to remove those road blocks that impinge on our path to creativity.

On Friday, February 7, 2014 Sheila will teach a workshop, “Express Yourself 1 Piece at a Time.” This workshop will give you an opportunity to create a unique abstract quilt with little or no plan. Sheila will take you through color, value, design, composition, curved seams and much more as you bring your one of a kind quilt to life. She will help you with the challenges of improvisational design. Most importantly she will guide you to trust your instincts.