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Dana Jones
Quiltmaker • Quilt Teacher • Quilt Designer
Author • Editor • Photographer • Artist
Journalist • Quilt Classes • Quilt Lectures
Fall Class Enrollment Begins!
Sign up now for fall 2025 classes. See information below, then go to Book Online and be among the first to sign up. Among these classes is a brand new class: Nature's Design. See below for a description of this design class.
I'll See You In September
I'll be taking a three-month hiatus from open-enrollment teaching on Zoom starting May 12 because I'm getting married August 2, and there's lots to do to get ready. My fiancé, Andy Fogle, was a high school classmate. We connected at a class reunion three years ago. He's the oldest of five boys so it will be a good-sized event, a mix of wedding and family reunion, all at our home in the Rockies.
I'll resume online teaching in September and will get those classes up here by the end of April so you can enroll then. In the meantime, I will continue to respond to all teaching and speaking requests from guilds, so keep those coming.
Dana Jones and Andy Fogle. Photo by Tom Nicol.
Detail of "My Flower, My Quilt,"
designed and pieced by Dana Jones
New Class!
Nature's Design
Nature perfects design, and you can learn a lot from what works in the natural world that you can use in your quilt designs. Learn how to use color, shape, line, texture, pattern, balance, focal point, negative space and more in this six-hour class.
The class will provide insight into where to find inspiration in our environment, and how to see realistic and abstract designs in trees, creeks, animals, flowers, rocks, even the essence of life — DNA. Nature's Design supports life from the microscopic to the universe and everything in between, and it can bring life to your quilts.
You'll learn how to see — really see — what's around you. There will be hands-on exercises, suggestions for home play activities to do between classes, and direction toward creating your own unique design for a quilt. Register now!
"Bird on a Branch," designed and pieced
by Dana Jones; quilted by Rita Meyerhoff
Register Now!
Demystifying Design for FPP
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Do you love foundation paper piecing?
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Do you want to design your own FPP quilts?
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Are you fascinated by how to create the appearance of curves with straight lines?
If you said yes to any of these questions, this class is a must for you. In just six hours, you'll learn the Insructor's Paper Police© rules that guarantee your success in designing everything from quilt blocks to complicated photographic images.
Exercises give you hands-on experience using these rules. Because the class is offered in two three-hour sessions a week apart, you have time between sessions to practice what you learn.
Class sessions will be recorded, and you will receive a You Tube link to the recordings within 48 hours after each session. You'll receive detailed full-color handouts that contain much of the material covered in class. And you'll have access to Instructor Dana Jones between classes and after the final class session via email, phone and one-on-one Zoom sessions.
The next workshop will be from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time Sundays, September 21 and 28, 2025. This is noon-3 p.m. Eastern, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Central, and 9 a.m.-noon Pacific. Register now!
A second class will be 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Thursdays, October 23 and 30, 2025.
Claim Your Inner Designer!
Find Your Design Sense
18 hours in six 3-hour sessions plus an optional critique session
September 7, October 2, November 6, December 5, 2025, and January 8 and February 5, 2026
If you’re ready to design your own quilts but aren’t sure where to start, this class will introduce you to the basics of design — balance, unity, variety, line, shape, value, color, pattern, texture and more — through in-class activities and at-home play projects between sessions. You’ll learn what appeals to you toward developing your design style. In this class, you will:
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Learn concepts of design you can use to design quilts and to adapt other people’s designs;
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Be stretched to try new ideas, some that may push you to a new place and some that will affirm your ability as a designer; and
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Become confident that you can design quilts unique to you.
The class will be six three-hour classes spread over five months, allowing time between classes to use what you learn, plus a final critique session for those who are interested. Register now!
Speaking ● Teaching ● Demonstrating — Oh My!
I'll be speaking, teaching, and demoing my FPP design techniques at International Quilt Festival 2025 in Houston, Monday, October 6-11 . Here's my schedule:
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9 a.m.-Noon Monday, October 6: "Winter Forest," a quick and easy foundation paper piecing table runner I designed.
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10 a.m.-Noon: Demystifying Design for Foundation Paper Piecing 20-minute demonstration as part of the Wednesday Sampler.
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9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday, October 9: "Will It Go Round in Circles," an opportunity to learn to inset circles while making a modern quilt I designed. You'll also learn how to make a flange around the circles.
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9-10 a.m. Saturday, October 11: "Color the World With Quilts," my lecture/trunk show that brings out your intuitive sense of color.
Sign up for any of these events through Quilts, Inc. Sign up on their home page to receive email notifications and be among the first to know when registration opens.
Clockwise from top: "Winter Forest," "Will It Go Round in Circles," and "Bird on a Branch," all designs by Dana E. Jones.
My Story on A Quilter's Life Podcast
I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Paula Chamberlain for her podcast: A Quilter's Life. Paula says:
"It's been said that every quilt has a story, and it's so true. And I also believe that every quilter has a story to tell. I wanted to hear about the wonderful people behind these beautiful quilts and thought you'd enjoy hearing about their lives, also."
Paula is a great interviewer. She makes you comfortable and eager to share. And she's an excellent editor. Check out my story. Then listen to the many other stories of quilters — some well known, some you'll be meeting for the first time. Paula's podcasts are great to listen to as you stitch. And she's always looking for quilters to interview. You can sign up to share your life on her website.
At left, "Don't Call Me Girl," by Dana Jones, quilted by Rita Meyerhoff. Above and below, blocks based on the Ohio Star block, designed and made by Dana Jones
Next Session Coming Fall 2025
Warp Speed
When "Warp Speed" debuted in January 2024, it was an instant success. In this fast-paced class, each student selects a quilt block then begins manipulating and warping it in a variety of ways until each has a design she/he/they like. This is done through a series of class exercises that begin with close study of the block followed by playing with various warping techniques, creating thumbnail designs, and selecting a favorite design to fine-tune into a quilt design.
Students go from head scratching to "Ah-Ha" moments that bring surprise and joy. This workshop celebrates the rich tradition inherited from quilting foremothers and fathers then propels participants to new designs uniquely their own.
The two-three hour sessions are filled with hands-on fun and discoveries that will take you from disbelief to pride in what you create.
