Currently living in Southern New Hampshire? Thinking about dipping your toes into the Foundation Paper Piecing world? Is this your first time hearing about Quiltworx and Judy Niemeyer patterns?
Donna Viau started teaching beginner quilt classes in Massachusetts 40 years ago, and has had a successful run at working with textiles for 45 years. She has a colorful background that started in grade school when she spent a year in Hungary, traveled to Sweden and learned lots about folk culture abroad before she even graduated high school. Donna has always been interested in color and art, and studied Graphic Design in college at Swaine School of Design in New Bedford MA. Studying graphics and color theory, along with learning to sew as a child – her natural next step pointed in the Quilting direction, and she has been able to perfect her skills over the last 4 decades. Always working a desk job during the day, and doing seamstress work on the side every evening (well into the night) – turned a corner when she started her own business called “The Masquerade Costumes & Quilts” in 2006. This gave her the time to dedicate her entire day to designing, crafting and creating her own work – as well as teaching others how to work on theirs.
Donna has traveled around the country – Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, Florida and Washington – to teach her skills and also teaches to private groups of 2 – 4 students in her small studio in Salem NH. She also teaches via Zoom all around the world, with some classes having students scattered from Hawaii & Alaska, California, Texas, Missouri, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Maine & New York to Australia! Even if you have never used a sewing machine before – she can get you started on a simple project, and lead you through the steps to create the masterpiece of your dreams. Foundation paper piecing caught her attention at the Vermont Quilt Festival in 2014, and led her on the road to a Quiltworx Certification. She is proficient in teaching over a dozen techniques that include: strip piecing lone star quilts, wedding ring arcs, prairie pinwheels, chain piecing NY beauty blocks, flying geese, Mariner’s Compass blocks, floating points, long points, leaf veins, how to insert a flange or piping, how to stack and cut foundation papers, use a template layout sheet, sew and press stacked seams, how to sew a wedding ring binding, how to shuffle template pieces, cut-out techniques, applique, reverse applique, curved seams, Y- seams and so much more!
Donna has a presence on YouTube with over 18,400 subscribers. She has several video series including “How To- Quilting Tutorials”, “Sewing tips and tricks”, “Fun Project Series”, and “Antique Machine videos”. She took on teaching via Zoom in May of 2020, and will often teach with 2 students in her studio and a few on zoom at the same time – quickly realizing that Quilters love to meet other Quilters from across the country! To enjoy some short entertainment “eye candy” you can check out her “Quiltworx Quilts” playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrTU05JyT-7RQDpzWacIKGXCL8Va8HCK_
The Masquerade is a “no judgement zone” and Donna embraces the perfectionist as well as the quilter who loves to say “better done than perfect” – as long as they are all having fun and enjoying the process, that’s all that matters! Quilting with Donna, you get personal attention and a chocolate reward when you conquer your battles and “get it done”. LOL Her easy going attitude and fun loving sense of humor will keep you in stitches – but her attention to detail and multi-faceted teaching approach will make sure you get the instruction that is right for you – on a personal level – so you will soon learn the confidence you need to be an amazing quilter.
You can reach Donna directly by calling or texting 603-275-0717, or visit her website to sign up for classes at:
https://themasquerade.net/product-category/class/
You can also follow her shenanigans by “liking” her FB page “The Masquerade Costumes & Quilts” or joining her FB group “It’s All About the Quilts!”
https://www.facebook.com/themasqueradenh
To see and subscribe to her You Tube channel, use this link:
https://www.youtube.com/c/themasquerade
facebook.comProject Album from the Quiltworx Facebook Page: Click on any image below to see more quilts by this Instructor!
