A Quilter's Life

Marlene (Baerg) Oddie is an engineer by education, a financial services systems professional by experience, a project manager by profession, and a quilter by passion. She believes in the KISS method and has incorporated this into her company name. I think Marlene was so wise when she first started quilting on her new longarm. She made quilts for charity so that she could test different quilting st...

Jo Westfoot is the owner of The Crafty Nomad.  She loves to sew and quilt and generally 'make stuff'!  She has a passion for free motion quilting and loves to share her skills with other quilters to help them improve their patchwork and to learn the joy of free motion.  Jo has been told that she’s good at breaking things down into manageable pieces that are easier to learn. Because of this her stu...

How many quilt brains do you have? Michelle Freedman describes her 3 quilt brains during our chat. I found it interesting that even after working all day for Maywood Studio as a quilt designer and a few other responsibilities, she is not ready to stop working on quilts when she goes home. Quilting is also her hobby and passion. So additionally she’s designing quilt patterns for her own business St...

Staci Wendland has been a maker for as long as she can remember.  If there’s a technique she hasn’t tried, it’s probably on her to-do list. Staci started a blog, Crafty Staci, to share her crafting adventures.  She finds that people who haven’t tried it before are occasionally hesitant to take that first step into making things.  Her goal is to guide and inspire them to jump in and not be afraid t...

Nic Vaughan is a quilt pattern designer from Perth, Australia, with a passion for hand piecing and vintage quilt blocks.  She discovered her life’s passion “late’ in life.  That hasn’t kept her from stepping out and putting her designs out there with a good dash of shyness and trepidation but also a dollop of courage!  Nic’s business has quite the catchy name - Craftapalooza Designs. Here are a fe...

Growing up with such a beloved quilt made by her grandmother, Beth Gude also wanted to make quilts for her children when they came along.  She’s been able to take her Instagram handle Gude Goods and keep that for her business name as she offers several quilting services to the quilting community. Here's the Birds for Beth quilt that her grandmother made. Connect with Beth Instagram: gudegoods Face...

Although Amanda Bauer’s mother dragged her into quilting, she is now so happy that she did.  Amanda designs beautiful quilts.   Amanda’s brand Quilt It List is all about exploring the world of quilting, learning something new and creating things. She believes we are happiest when we are creating, as opposed to simply consuming. Here's Amanda's favorite quilt And her helpers The following two photo...

Creating is so much bigger than switching on a machine and picking out some fabrics and thread. It’s life changing. The joy. The love. The inspiration. The nourishment. The healing magic of creating. This is the vision behind Meaning of Life Designs. It’s why Sarah Vedeler is always thinking of new patterns or techniques to keep the love and magic circulating. The details are amazing in Sarah's de...

Sheena Roberts has that wonderful English humor which makes life enjoyable.  I love that she takes it seriously to make sure you’re having a good time.  Her passion is teaching, and she loves working with people to support their learning, to challenge them, and to extend their reach so that they can create the quilt of their dreams. Here are a couple of Sheena's quilts Citus Jazz and Going Undergr...

Lori DeJarnatt loves the way quiltmakers made do with what they had. They didn't use fancy tools or the latest gadgets, but boy could they create treasures! She says even when the points were chopped off and the borders didn't meet exactly where they hoped they would, these quilts have stood the test of time for being practical and beautiful.  Lori calls them Humble Quilts. And it’s these quilts t...

Julie Luoma is helping people to make their dreams come true through the company she and her husband own, Off the Wall Quilt.  I meant to ask her about the video that her family made to advertise Off the Wall Quilt, but we got busy talking about so many other things.  So you’ll have to go on her website and check that out.  I enjoyed it so much!  Not only is it informational, it’s hilarious to wat...

As Tânia Mogari and I enjoyed making this episode of A Quilter’s Life, I was a bit chilly in the cold winter of North America and she was enjoying the sunshine of South America.  Tânia is a Brazilian quilter that found me through a Facebook post that Belle Brunner of Seams Sew Me had posted.  Tânia has been quilting for about 12 years and has had the opportunity to take several courses both in Bra...

Here's a list of 20 favorite quilting tools from the first 18 months of A Quilter’s Life podcast.   20 - Quick Clip is the tool that helps put the safety pins in when you're sandwiching quilts 19 - Applique press sheet 18 - Amity Quilting Gloves 17 - Quilter Select Rulers 16 - 2.5x12.5 ruler with a rotating cutting mat also 1x6 ruler  15 - five and dime ruler by Kansas Troubles 14 - Martelli...

Quilting Tips: 18 - Take a class.  Find someone that makes the kinds of things you want to make and take a class from them. 17 - Set up your sewing space to fit your needs 16 - Don't be afraid of color 15 - Use colors and techniques you like 14 - Don't give up 13 - There are different ways to do things, so find what works for you 12 - Leaders & Enders by Bonnie Hunter 11 - Use weight on ruler...

Jessica Rose faced her fear of being judged and put herself and her quilts out there into the quilting community. She says she loves flying geese and HST's as much as the next person, but something inside her knew there could be a different kind of quilting.  Modern, but also stylish and beautiful.  Jessica wanted to be able to keep her quilts out when visitors came over, not fold them up and hide...

Although sewing since childhood, Raija Salomaa didn’t get introduced to quilting until she was in her late twenties.  Quilting took over her life very quickly, and before long she was designing her own quilt patterns through her business Quilters' Treasure Chest.  Having taught quilting in the years past Raija is very aware of the need for precise, accurate, and easy-to-follow instructions. Hence...

Katrinka Poage and I recorded this episode a couple of weeks ago.  As I began editing this past week I received word that she was in the hospital as of the Monday before Thanksgiving in the United States of America.  I’ve had the opportunity to text with Katrinka this week and although all her plans for this week were changed, she’s still Thankful.  You’ll quickly understand why I asked Katrinka t...

It was exciting for me to learn that Dina Newbert, also known as the Quilt Concierge, has been listening to A Quilter’s Life podcast.  She is not only a quilter, but also a Quilt Judge and Lecturer. Dina’s aim is to help preserve the art of quilting by acknowledging excellent craftsmanship through Quilt Judging, programs and workshops; offering guidance that will leave participants feeling rewarde...

For those of you who have grandchildren, how important was it for you to come up with the perfect grandparent name for yourself?  Jerriann Massey figured out very unique grandparent names for herself and her husband.  Jerriann and I recorded this interview before the Quilt Festival in Houston, 2022, where she was heading to have her favorite quilt shown and also to have a booth for her quilt busin...

Cindy Brown had three great reasons to join Jane Mitchell’s quilt class.  It allowed her to meet new people, learn a new skill, and spend time with her daughter.  I’m so thankful that Jane encouraged Cindy to contact me so that we are able to hear Cindy’s story. Here are Cindy's quilts that she talked about. Quilt for her Mom. Quilts made for her Dad camper. Thank you so much Jane Mitchell for con...

Nervexcited.  I love how Hannah Cohen came up with this new word to describe her feelings.  I think we’ve all been nervous and excited at the same time and experienced nervexcited at one point or another.  I usually conduct these interviews over the phone, but worked it out to interview Hanna through a Zoom call.  I wish I could share with you the twinkle in her eyes as we discussed her story and...

Inventor, Author, Quilt Designer, Speaker, Instructor. So many titles to describe Sue Pelland. She has been blessed to be in the quilting world inspiring Applique Artists for over 35 years! And has so much to offer through Sue Pelland Designs. Her mission is to expand the vision of the quilting community by introducing them to Rotary Cut Applique. Sue has a unique applique approach that will disso...

I love that Jane Mitchell keeps a list of quilts she wants to do on her phone.  I just could picture myself looking through such a list and looking forward to the time that I’ll get to make each one.  As she makes each quilt she wants to conquer the pattern or technique and then she’s ready to move on to the next quilt. Jane wanted to share the pictures of the quilts she helped to finish for a gra...

Sally Luburgh is looking forward to retirement so that she can spend time in her quilt studio quilting, weaving, and working on a few other crafts.  She’s getting a little head start by opening Sally’s Quilting.  I think many of us will resonate with Sally when she talks about color. This is the quilt that got Sally started This quilt is the one she made with her friend that has both her weaving a...

Marsha Cowan and her husband, Izzy, found a business that they could work on together when they opened Be Sew Creative.  I love the relationship they have with their employees. Either they have the best employees in the world or they are the best people to work for.  I have a hunch that it’s a bit of both. Here's some pictures I took at Martha's quilt shop, Be Sew Creative, when I visited in Augus...