Schweinfurth Art CenterAuburn, NY (Feb. 4, 2026) – Five-day workshops at Quilting by the Lake, the Schweinfurth Art Center’s annual two-week art quilt conference in Geneva, NY, are quickly filling up. People interested in attending the conference, which runs from July 19 through Aug. 1, should register soon at quiltingbythelake.org.

Here are this year’s workshops for the first week of the conference, July 19 to 25:

Photo Inspired Art Quilt Collage with Deborah Boschert: Students will create an original art quilt collage inspired by personal photos that they bring. Rather than copying an image, we’ll use photographs as source material for exploring color, pattern, shape, and composition. Boschert will demonstrate a variety of printmaking techniques, including freezer-paper stencils, foam stamps, and expressive handwriting.

Narrative Quilting: From Figures to Feelings with Luke Haynes: Students will learn how to bring the self into their work through both technique and emotional exploration. Haynes will teach his signature portrait method and demonstrate how to create human figures through raw edge appliqué. Through material choice and experimentation, attendees will create projects that hold both narrative form and honest feelings.

Color Unlocked: Exploring the Power of a Limited Palette with Thickened Dye with Carol Soderlund: In this immersive course for fiber artists, we’ll explore the expressive potential of working with limited palettes of thickened primary Procion MX dyes plus black and gray. You’ll learn how to mix a broad spectrum of hues, tints, shades, and neutrals, and swatch directly on cloth.

Totem of Life with Jane Sassaman: In this workshop, we will stylize some of your favorite characters in nature and arrange them into an interlacing appliquéd fabric collage, a colorful and graphic Totem of Life. Come to class with a chosen theme, then collect photos and prints of candidates for your composition. We will simplify and exaggerate each object so they can be made as graphic fabric shapes for appliqué. 

These are the workshops for the second session of the conference, July 26 to Aug. 1:

Organic Appliqué with Kathy Doughty: This workshop is all about considering the importance of contrast used to create line and shape, light and shade while making interesting fabric choices, easy appliqué methods, and design elements. Those new or unsure about appliqué will build confidence and acquire skills while those more experienced with appliqué will enjoy tweaking what they know to be more personal. 

Light & Lacey: Mixed Media Fiber Art Collage with Valerie Goodwin: Explore the potential of intricately cut surfaces created with the Silhouette Cameo electronic cutter. Create lovely collages using shapes such as map elements, floral motifs, and/or geometric patterns and shapes using opaque and sheer fabrics. This popular machine can provide precision cutting that leads to beautiful detail.

 New York Flora: Machine & Hand Embroidery with Water-Soluble Stabilizers with Amanda MacCavour: Discover the innovative world of water-soluble fabric embroidery in this workshop that combines traditional hand embroidery with modern machine techniques. Working from botanical drawings, found specimens, and personal photographs, you’ll develop a cohesive series of embroidered works using a limited color palette. 

Make Your Mark: Creating Unique Fabrics with Soy Wax Resist, with Kevin Womack: Discover the joy of transforming plain fabric into something uniquely yours! This beginner-friendly workshop invites you to explore soy wax batik using simple tools — metal and silicone objects with interesting textures — to make expressive marks and patterns. You’ll also learn easy silkscreen techniques.

Intuitive Color Quilt Stories in Abstract Piecing with Sherri Lynn Wood: You will be guided to create abstract patchwork characters based on color, shape and rhythm, and incorporate them in a single narrative quilt. Learn to express color intuitively by tapping into your heart centered relationship with color, through memory, emotion and environment. Learn freestyle piecing techniques with simple shapes and strips.

All of the workshops are taught by internationally known fiber artists. Both sessions also include the option for five days of Independent Studio, where you bring your work and have the space to spread out and complete projects.

The workshops and independent studios meet 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday on the Hobart and William Smith Colleges campus in Geneva, NY. On campus housing and meals are available, or attendees can stay in a nearby hotel or rented house.

For more information and to register, visit our website at quiltingbythelake.org.

About the Schweinfurth

The Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center is a multi-arts center that opened in 1981 thanks to a bequest from Auburn-born architect Julius Schweinfurth. The art center's programs include more than a dozen exhibitions each year and educational programs for children and adults, which feature local, national, and international artists. For more information, link to schweinfurthartcenter.org.

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