Events, Talks & Workshops

AORC Annual Juried Show 2013

April 25-June

Luminosity was juried into the show and can be seen in The Box Gallery on the third floor of Summit Artspace, which happens to be only a few feet from my studio. Come see Luminosity and all the other art quilts, two birds with one stone! Don't forget May Artwalk is this Saturday, May 4, from 5-9 p.m. Start at Summit Artspace, then take Lolly the Trolley to all the other art stops on the Artwalk footprint in downtown Akron.

Talk & trunk show: Calico Hearts, Ravenna

May 14, 2013

Title: If Quilters Ruled the World. Details TBA

Talk & trunk show: Honey Bee Quilters, Medina

May 16, 2013, 6:30 p.m.

If Quilters Ruled the World talk and trunk show -- 6:30 p.m. at the Medina County Library, 210 S. Broadway, Medina. Link: Little Red Quilt House

Talk and trunk show: North Coast Needlers, Rocky River OH

Aug. 13, 2013 -- 7 p.m.

A talk and tunk show at the Don Umerly Civic Center titled: If The World Were Ruled by Quilters.

Pet portraits workshop: North Coast Needlers, Rocky River OH

Aug. 17, 2013, 9:30-4

Workshop will also address whimsical, not realistic, people portraits, for those willing to try.

Kaleidoscope & Q 2013

March-April 2013

My art quilt titled Q was juried into the show.

Dancing Threads, Textile Art By Connie Bloom: Malone College

Jan. 10-Feb. 28, 2013

At Everett Cattell Library, 2600 Cleveland Ave., Canton.

Two day event: Heart of Ohio Quilt Guild, Newark, OH

April 16-17, 2013

Tuesday: If the World Were Ruled by Quilters talk and trunk show. Wednesday: Fabric oil painting workshop. Canceled

NEORQC 2013 Winter Getaway three-day event

Feb. 15-17, 2013

A three-day workshop at Quail Hollow Resort

Akron Art Museum Holiday mART

Noon-9 p.m. Dec. 6, 2013

I will have small works of art for the holiday shopper. My artwork was featured on the promotional materials.

Berea Mill Stream Quilters, 9-19-12

If The World Were Ruled by Quilters: How to Unleash Your Creativity talk, trunk show

Double T Quilt Club of Cuyahoga Falls, 6-21-12

Talk: The Sensitive Creation of a Memorial Quilt and a visit with all the other quilts.

Chagrin Valley Quilt Guild, 6-9-12

An overflow pet portraits workshop at Cotton Pickers in Chardon. Learn More...

Chagrin Valley Quilt Guild, 5-12-12

Pet portraits -- How to bring your animal to life in cloth, the first of 2 workshops, at Cotton Pickers, Chardon. Learn More...

Kaleidoscope 2012

Nov. 16-Dec. 31

Lily the Wonder Whippet was juried into this highly competitive regional competition that used to be at the Akron Art Museum under the name the May Show. Click on photos to enlarge. Learn More...

Ohio Long Arm Quilters-1-21-12

A tour of my studio at Summit Artspace and a lecture on the third floor. Visitors are welcome -- we'll have a few extra chairs.

Leadership Akron, 12-7-11

An overview of my metamorphosis from reporter to quilt artist at my studio at Summit Artspace

Reflections of Nature Quilt Show, Rocky River, Nov. 12-13, 2011

I was a judge and delivered several inspiring speeches about taking risks in order to grow at Rocky River Nature Center.

History of Craft Class, University of Akron, 11-9-2011

An hourlong lecture for professor Donna Webb's students.

Association of the UA Retirees, University of Akron, 9-14-11

My talk and trunk show included slices of life from my current career as a quilt artist and my former life as a newspaper reporter and columnist.

Women's Art League, 9-10-11

A talk and trunk show for other women artists at the Woman's City Club on Exchange Street.

Akron Art Museum, 8-4-11

My talk: That's No Potholder, Buster: How Contemporary Artists Are Changing Public Perception About Quilts.

Memory Makers, Hudson, 7-11-11

An irreverent but informative and inspiring talk, plus art quilts and time to talk about them.

NEORQC 2012 Getaway, Feb. 25-27, 2011

I was chosen to teach Fabric Oil Painting at the three day weekend. The Getaway was a victim of the bad economy and was canceled.

Medina County Art League, 11-22-10

About 50 artists attended the meeting, where I shared quilts and stories and information about how to get a foothold as a professional/emerging artist in Northeast Ohio.

Dancing Threads: Textile Art by Connie Bloom -- Malone College, Canton

Jan. 10-Feb. 28, 2013

My work will be displayed at Everett Cattell Library, 2600 Cleveland Ave., Canton.

Kaleidoscope 2012

Nov. 16-Dec. 31

Lily the Wonder Whippet was juried into this highly competitive regional competition that used to be at the Akron Art Museum under the name the May Show.

Don Drumm Studios: Out of Their Minds

Oct. 6-27, 2012

A number of my art quilts were featured in the annual fall show at Don Drumm studios.

AORC Annual Juried Show 2012

My white art quilt, Cross-Pollination, was featured in the show.

Fresh Art 2012: Fresh & Springy Annual Juried Exhibition at Summit Artspace

*Award for Sun Soup, a 4-foot piece featuring hand dyed and hand painted elements with extensive freehand drawing. Was featured in the ABJ (photo only). It has been sold.

AORC Annual Juried Show 2011

*Award for my Tree Series piece called "Just Friends." It has been sold.

Kaleidoscope 2011

Centered was juried into the show. It can be seen in my studio. About 36 inches square.

Fabric Art at St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Nov. 16-Dec. 31, 2012

A retrospective of my work spanning 15 years.

If the World Were Ruled by Quilters

Feel trapped in your quiltmaking? Doing the same all over again? I explain how to unleash your creativity and free yourself from the quilt police. An inspirational talk riddled with quilt humor and a trunk show full of fun and color.

That’s No Potholder, Buster

OK, so how do you get respect in the world of art, especially when you’ve been known as a reporter and columnist for three decades? There’s no quick answer, but there are a few absolutes that apply to all artists, and Connie will lay them out for your organization. She will also talk about the rocky road she took from reporter to artist and how other quilt artists are faring across the country, even in these lean times. There are a few who are making an astounding $100,000 a year -- and that means the public’s perception of the quilting arts is changing dramatically. (Given to Medina County Arts League, Nov. 22, 2010)

The Sensitive Creation of a Memorial Works: Celebrating Life After a Death

The making of memorials is a complex, spiritual and physical process involving in depth interviews with the family, restoration of decades old fabrics and waiting .... for messages, signs and clues on what to do. This talk is appropriate for groups interested in the afterlife, spirituality, memorials, genealogy as well as memorial quilts.

A Day in the Studio, a one day program for quilting enthusiasts

Quiltmakers often spend long hours in the studio, alone. Their friends and family may not be quiltmakers themselves, so certain questions are never answered, such as: Are my quilts “good”? Do they qualify as art? What are their strong and weak points? Was my use of color effective? How could I have made them even better? What techniques should I employ to push my quilt making to the next level? Am I using the right tools? Can I paint on my quilts? Do I have to stitch by hand? Do I have to use a machine? What if I hate the quilting? What if I hate piecing? What if I hate (fill in the blank). Learn More...

Fabric Oil Painting

Make your own Monet with dry ingredients. This technique does not use any paint, just fabric and thread. But it makes your quilts look like impressionist paintings. See photos here. Learn More...

Painting and printing on fabric

You will be using textile paints to color and pattern your own cloth. Get out the kitchen utensils and sink stoppers for stamps. Use a dental syringe to write. The finished fabric will look great all cut up in your quilts. Here are some photos. Learn More...

Hand embroidery on needle felting

Hand embroidery on needle felting with a Jack and the Beanstock sized needle and perle cotton. It's easy but you can get powerful results, especially when you add beading. We'll do it all in this class. Learn More...