We were very pleased to have
National Quilting Association certified judge,
Holice Turnbow
as our judge
for the NBQA Spring 2008 Quilt Show.
To learn more about Holice, see below.

Holice Turnbow

3 Pinehaven Rd.

Sturbridge, Ma 01566

508-347-3428

I began quilting in the early 1970 when I was asked to teach needlework and quilting for a county recreational program.  National exposure followed in 1978 when I served as a consultant to the West Virginia Department of Culture and History to organize a quilt show in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Service’s issuance of a commemorative stamp recognizing quilting as a folk art.  I also served on the planning committee for the First Continental Quilting Congress held in Arlington, Virginia in 1978.  These two events resulted in invitations to lecture and teach at quilting events across the United States and in Canada which began my career as a quilter.

I lecture and conduct workshops in many quilting techniques with emphasis on those subjects related to the development and use of quilting designs.   This is an outgrowth of my work with The Stencil Company for which I design quilting stencils and with two companies for which I have designed whole cloth quilts. I have taught regularly for the Original Sewing and Quilting Expo.   There are 8 events a year with my teaching five or six classes at each event.  Classes have related more to basic quilt making, both hand and machine, than advanced quilting.  Statistically this is 24 events for 3 years with approximately 20 students per class for a total of 1440 students in the three years.  I have also taught and lectured for local quilt groups and quilt shops as well as national conventions. 

My experience in whole cloth designs began in 1992 when I was asked by Spartex, Inc, a South Carolina fabric company, to develop and design whole cloth patterns that could be preprinted onto fabric.  A series of designs were introduced initially with others to follow.  Significant in these designs were a series based on quilts in the quilt collection of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. C.  I researched whole cloth quilts in the collection and selected those which had artistic and commercial appeal to quilters.  I worked from photographs and slides since the quilts were unavailable for direct work.  Queen size, wall hangings, pillows and crib quilts were the first products available in the fall of 1993.  A second series of designs were introduced in the fall of 1994.  These first designs were a combination of my own, other whole cloth designers and the collection from the Smithsonian.   More recently, I have provided a series of designs for Benartex, Inc which has also been produced as pre printed products.

I have written for various quilting magazines and appeared on Public Television.  My Public  Television appearance have been with Kay Wood’s “Strip Quilting with Kaye” and “Quilting for the 90’s”  I also appeared on 13 segments of another TV series “Heirlooms by Design” which was shown in the Alabama area thru the CBS cable networks.  I have also filmed 6 shows on QNN representing The Stencil Co. 

I am the former co-curator of The Hoffman Challenge with Betty Boyink.   The Challenge continues to be a national contest of quilted wall hangings, clothing and dolls.

I have served as quilt consultant to a number of companies.  Notable among these have been Stencil House (A Canadian company producing quilting stencils), Talon, Inc (a producer of threads) and Benartex, Inc., (a New York fabric company).

I have designed and made garments for two invitational exhibits.  They were “Statements” which was sponsored by P and B Fabrics and The Fairfield Fashion Show.

I have also designed and made quilted items for various other special exhibits and quilt challenges.  I currently have a piece traveling with the exhibit “Men of Biblical Portions”.

I am Quilt Judge and Teacher certified by the National Quilting Association.

Recent judging experience:

Central Oklahoma Quilters Guild Show                                    

Northern Quilters Watertown, NY                               

Charlton Sewing Center EQ16 Challenge        

Plano Texas Quilters Guild

Machine Quilters on the Waterfront – Duluth, Mn

Machine Quilters Showcase (two times)

Pennsylvania National Show

Blue Ridge Va Quilters Guild (two times)

Rose Hill Manor Quilt Show (Hagerstown Md – two times)

Western Maryland Quilt Guild (three times)

NJ State Guild Show (most recently)

Jackson Mills Annual Show (WV)

Additional shows:

Southern Maryland Quilters Guild

Bell Grove Plantation Show in Virginia

Another show at a Plantation House in Virginia

Minnesota State Quilters Guild Show (two times)