Superior Threads

Bob Purcell is President and owner of Superior Threads. He worked in Japan for 10 years and speaks fluent Japanese. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a Masters Degree in Business Administration in 1984. His background is in product development, customer service, and quality control. Bob taught for many years at a private school and also at the college level. Since 1999 he has educated thousands within our industry and has had many articles published in various industry magazines. He got involved in the thread business to support his lovely wife's very healthy quilting addiction.  And he knows all the places she hides her fabric.

Discovering that the best quality thread comes from Japan resulted in trips back to Japan and Superior Threads was born. Now she designs quilts to go with her threads.

Cindy Needham has been a quilter for over 38 years with the first 25 as a hand quilter and the past 15 as a machine quilter.  Passing on her love of quilting and design through teaching is a dream come true. 

Her book, Wholecloth Linen Quilts, was published by AQS in June, 2007 and features her work on antique linens.  She has had numberous articles and features in Quilters Newsletter Magazine, American Quilter, Machine Quilting Unlimited, The Quilter, The Quilting Quarterly and others.  She also self publishes her handbooks known as The Classroom Collection.

Cindy was the Featured Artist at Road to California 2008, Featured Artist at Machine Quilting Expo in Providence, Rhode Island in 2011, and the Featured Artist at Machine Expo in Portland, Oregon in 2012.  She was the featured guest on "The Quilt Show" Episode #202 in 2008.  She was nominated for Teacher of the Year in 2009 and received the Machine Quilting Teacher of the Year Award for 2010. 

Her love of design has led to unique opportunities to design stencils and she has had several designs featured in industry publications.  She has taught machine quilting and design for the past 13 years and is honored to have been asked to join the teaching staff at Sisters, Quilt Camp in the Pines, Asilomar, Houston and Road to California. 

She and her husband of 34 years, Kent, live in Chico, California where he patiently supports her quilting passion. She has two daughters and two granddaughters all of whom life close by.  "My husband and two dogs patiently put up with and support my quilting obsession which has overtaken our lives and our home!"

View Cindy's Teaching Schedule

Kathy Ward has been quiltmaking since 1985, teaching since 1986, and judging since 1991. She has been sewing since the age of three, and quiltmaking has been a natural transition. She feels that fabric is a wonderful medium, and the creative possibilities are endless! She is a Florida native, and especially enjoys making quilts that emphasize the beauty of this state. Kathy is active in The National Quilting Association, having served as president as well as several other board positions. She is also a participant in the state organization, Sunshine State Quilting Association, as well as the Palm Beach County Quilters Guild. She has taught, lectured, and judged locally, regionally and nationally. Judging has included shows from 10 items to 400 items, so her experience is extensive and varied. Teaching includes hand and machine classes, though machine applique and quilting are two of her favorites. Creating unusual looks with a variety of traditional materials is the newest of her many interests. Of her many awards, the one that is most special to Kathy is the 1996 Teacher of the Year by the Professional Quilters Magazine. The National Quilting Association certified Kathy as a Beginning Quiltmaking Teacher in 1988 and Judge in 2001.

Anita Zobens is an enthusiastic machine quilter. Anita's passion for thread and her inquisitive mind have earned her a post-doctorate Degree of Threadology (class of '08). Also known as "The Thread Lady", she has been participating in quilting and embroidery events across Canada since 1997. Her company, The Cotton Mill Threadworks, specializes in threads for the fibre enthusiast, and meeting stitchers from every region has been a constant source of delight and inspiration. When not on the quilt show circuit, Anita loves to share her knowledge of machine quilting and threads by teaching classes and providing demos. Now that their three children have left the nest for educational pursuits, Anita is often accompanied on her road trips by her husband John, who never tires of hearing yet another interesting fact about thread.

Julie Woods graduated from East Sydney Technical College in Australia in 1972 as a qualified Teacher of Fashion. Quilting has been a passion for the past 25 years. Julie is a member of the Quilters Guild of NSW (Australia) and is an Accredited Teacher and Quilt Valuer through the Guild. She is a respected judge and has judged at many exhibitions throughout Australia and has had many of her quilt projects published. Her interest in quilting has led to her quilts being successfully exhibited in Australia and overseas. During a visit to the IQA show in Houston, Julie met Bob and Heather Purcell and thus began her interest in Superior Threads. She has continued her passion for using these products since that time. Such is her interest in quilting and Superior Threads that she has established her business, Julie's Superior Threads, with Julie conducting quilting classes and exhibiting threads throughout Australia. Julie recently attended the an intensive training seminar conducted by Superior Threads in St George, Utah and earned herself a post doctorate Degree in Threadology. She is very proud to have been recognised as a Superior Threads Educator for Down Under. julie@juliessuperiorthreads.com.au

Annie Unrein, a quilter for over 30 years, has been designing patterns and teaching quilting classes since 2000.  Her quilts and designs have been published in Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting, Quilt, Quilter's Newsletter, and Memory Makers magazines.  Annie's goal is to write patterns that are easy to understand with complete instructions to guide you every step of the way.  You can find more info at her website:  www.byannie.com.

Annie has been working with Superior Threads throughout the country for several years and has also taught classes at all of the Superior School of Threadology seminars.  Two of her favorite products are Charlotte's Fusible Web fusible thread and the newest Superior Threads product, Texture Magic.