Gualala Arts Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961
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Gualala Arts invites textile enthusiasts and curious creatives to a two-day quilting workshop led by acclaimed San Francisco fiber artist Lorraine Woodruff-Long. Titled Reimagined Artful Quilts from Everyday Cloth, the hands-on session will run Wednesday and Thursday, October 15–16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fees are $100 for guild members, $125 for GAC members, and $150 for non-members, sign up at GualalaArts.org or the Gualala Arts Front Desk by October 13.
The workshop offers a fresh take on quilting by encouraging attendees to transform repurposed clothing into expressive, improvisational quilts. Woodruff-Long will guide participants through techniques such as “deboning” garments to harvest usable fabric, embracing imperfection, and making intuitive design choices. The focus is on process, play, and personal storytelling through cloth.
Supply List
- 7+ (or more) men’s dress shirts from thrift stores, castoffs, etc.
- Range of darks, mediums and lights
- Cotton, poly or blends –stick to wovens and no knits fabrics
- Seam Ripper (for popping off buttons)
- Rotary cutter/cutting mat
- Container for removed buttons.
- Sewing Machine
- Neutral thread
- Acrylic ruler (whatever you like to use)
- Small Design wall (24” x 24” piece of batting or white flannel)
Lorraine Woodruff-Long—known in the quilting world as @quiltinginthefog—is a self-taught artist whose vibrant, socially conscious quilts have appeared in exhibitions across the country, including the de Young Museum in San Francisco and the International Quilt Festival in Houston. Her work often explores themes of identity, justice, and memory, using recycled materials and bold color palettes to create immersive visual experiences.
Raised in Houston and educated at the University of Texas at Austin, Woodruff-Long served in the Peace Corps in Kenya before settling in San Francisco. Her journey from marketing and nonprofit work to full-time fiber artist was sparked during the pandemic, and she now teaches quilting at City College of San Francisco Extension and SCRAP-SF, as well as online and at guilds nationwide.
Her quilts have earned awards and recognition from Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), QuiltCon, and the Pacific International Quilt Festival, among others. She is also a contributor to the 2021 book Stitching Stolen Lives: The Social Justice Sewing Academy Remembrance Project.
With a deep reverence for the legacy of women quilters and a passion for color and movement, Woodruff-Long’s workshop promises to be both inspiring and transformative. Whether you’re a seasoned quilter or a newcomer drawn to the tactile joy of textiles, this is an opportunity to explore the art of quilting through a fresh, improvisational lens.