Quiltmaker Interviews

Excerpts from the Experts

Go "beyond the batting" and behind the scenes with Quiltmaker magazine as we interview today's top quiltmakers. What tips, tricks and techniques have they learned? How did quilting become their career? And what inspires their work? Just click a link listed below to find more information about your favorite quilters.

 Marta Amundson

In June 2001, Marta's quilt Swedish Design Sampler #3 won first place at the Museum of American Folk Art's international quilt contest "Quilted Constructions." More recently, Marta's "Just Call Me Frederick" design appeared in the September/October 2001 (#81) issue of Quiltmaker magazine. Read on to find out what inspires this quilt artist. More...

 Alex Anderson

Alex is the host of HGTV's Simply Quilts, as well as an author, teacher and fabric designer. Read more about this accomplished quilter in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Carolyn Beam

Learn more about designer and QM Associate editor Carolyn Beam in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Patti Carey

Get a behind the bolt look at life as a Marketing Coordinator in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Pam Clarke

Pam Clarke's Designs with Lines machine quilting technique speeds up marking quilt tops, using simple lines as a guide to create individual designs. Learn more about this machine quilter, teacher and artist in this interview Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Karen Combs

Quilts with a three-dimensional appearance are Karen Combs' specialty. This busy quiltmaker also designs fabric for Blank Textiles, Inc. and teaches across the U.S. Read more about Karen Combs in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Nancy Cornwell

Known affectionately as the "Polar Princess," Nancy Cornwell has been an avid sewer and designer for more than 40 years. More...

 Cori Derksen and Myra Harder

These two authors, pattern and fabric designers seem destined to quilt together. Read more about this dynamic duo in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Debbi Duckworth

A love of fabric runs through Debbi's family tree. Both her grandmothers and mother were excellent seamstresses. Debbi draws on her heritage for her work with United Notions/Moda Fabrics and when creating her own designs! Read more about this expert quiltmaker in this Excerpt from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Theresa Eisinger

Theresa Eisinger has found her perfect niche! As a graphic designer for Quiltmaker magazine, she combines her design skills and knack for math while doing what she loves--quilting! Read more about Theresa in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Diane Gaudynski

Diane Gaudynski's quilt work is shown internationally, and she has won numerous prestigious awards. Read more about this master quilter in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Sharon Hultgren

Sharon Hultgren has taught quilting around the world, written quilt books, produced quilting videos and developed quilting tools. Inner Circle, Sharon's quilt using her newest ruler, the Easy Circle Cut, appears in QM's All Time Favorites–Winter '06. Read more about this busy quilter in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Michael James

Trained as a painter, Michael James turned to the tactile appeal that fabrics and quilts had to offer in the 1970's. Michael's works have been widely exhibited all over the world, and he teaches courses in textile design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, lectures and leads workshops on color and design, and has authored many articles and several books on quilting as art. For more about Michael James, browse this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Judy Martin

Judy Martin, author of Piece 'n' Play Quilts, Cookies 'n' Quilts and many other quilting books, has created more than 900 quilt block designs during her career! Read more about this former QNM and QM editor in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Karen McTavish

Karen McTavish combines her passions for trapunto and wholecloth quilts with longarm quilting. Read more about this accomplished quilter in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Marti Michell

Marti Michell has developed tools, designed quilts and enticed people to quilt for more than 30 years! Learn more about this multi-talented quilter in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Linda Miller

Former "Flannel Queen" Linda Miller got her start making rag quilt patterns. Learn more about this versatile quilter and designer in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith

Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith have been collaborating on quilts since opening their quilt shop, the Great American Quilt Factory, twenty years ago. Read about their technique called Quilting in Sections in the July/August 2001 issue of Quiltmaker magazine. Lynda and Nancy's book, Divide and Conquer!: Quilt It Your Way, is published by Possibilities®. More...

 Freddy Moran

Freddy put art aside to raise a family of five sons. Now that she's done parenting, quilting feeds her creative side! Read how this lively lady got into quilting and what inspires her art. Freddy's quilt, House for Sale, appears on the cover of the May/June 2002 (#85) issue of Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Jo Morton

Jo Morton was started quilting in 1979 and hasn't put down her needle since! Learn more about this designer, author and quiltmaker in this interview from QUILTMAKER magazine. Read on...

 Julie Mullin

Julie Mullin combines her training as an illustrator and love of the natural world when designing quilting designs, and urges other quiltmakers to look at the beauty of the earth around them in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Debbie Mumm

Debbie Mumm entered the quilting world with a pattern design venture more than 20 years ago. Since that time, her business has grown to include publishing, fabric design and licensing programs for many types of products. Learn more about Debbie in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Paula Nadelstern

Known for her complex and beautiful kaleidoscope quilts, Paula Nadelstern is an author, teacher and quiltmaker from the Bronx, New York. Read more about Paula in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Nancy Odom

Quilt designer, author and teacher Nancy Odom has nine books and over forty patterns in publication. Read what pulled Nancy into a quiltmaking career, and where she finds inspiration in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Claudia Olson

It only takes two traditional blocks to create a complex quilt. Claudia Olson's book, 15 Two-Block Quilts, deconstructs the process of creating two-block quilts, and provides 15 projects to put the process into practice. Learn more about this quilt teacher-turned-author in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Sharon Pederson

Learn how the author of Reversible Quilts: Two at a Time, available from That Patchwork Place, innocently introduced herself to quiltmaking -- and what inspires her work today -- in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Piece O' Cake

Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins share their insights on creating a quiltmaking career in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. Don't miss their applique secrets in the July/August 2002 (#86) issue of Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Heidi Pridemore

Learn how this quilt designer uses her graphic design background to create patterns for fabric companies in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Lesley Riley

Best known for her Fragment series of small fabric collages, Lesley is also a nationally known quilter and mixed-media artist with a passion for color and the written word. Read more about this inspiring quiltmaker in this interview by Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Joyce Robinson

Joyce Robinson is a graphic artist, quilt artist and quilting teacher who loves to create original and unique quilts from simple shapes. Joyce's "Magnolia Maze" appears in the January/February 2006 issue of Quiltmaker magazine. Read on to find out what inspires this prolific designer. More...

 Anita Shackelford

Learn what inspires this very busy award-winning quiltmaker, author and instructor in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Janet Jo Smith

Read about artist, author, editor and attorney Janet Jo Smith in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Anita Grossman Solomon

Award-winning quilter, designer, author and teacher Anita Grossman Solomon is credited with developing an innovative foundation piecing technique! Read how Anita puzzled out the Make It Simpler way of paper piecing in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Marla Stefanelli

Marla Stefanelli has worked on many different magazines--Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, Quiltmaker, and Sew News--in many different roles. Read more about this versatile stitch-woman in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Heather Thomas

Well known in Colorado as a teacher of a class called "Language of Color and Design," Heather Thomas uses color as a basis for creativity. Learn more about Heather in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Ricky Tims

Ricky Tims is internationally known for his innovative quilting techniques, as well as for being a Texas musician, quilter and teacher. Learn more about this intriguing artist in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Gail Valentine

Twenty years ago, Gail Valentine fell in love with quilts and quiltmaking. Read what inspires the designer of the Pot O Flowers quilt, which appears in the March/April 2002 (#84) issue of Quiltmaker magazine, then visit her website to see more of her work. More...

 Mary Lou Weidman

Trained as an artist, Mary Lou Weidman traded her paints for traditional quilt patterns in the early 70's. Today, Mary Lou is known for her colorful folk-style story quilts. See a sample of Mary Lou's playful approach to quiltmaking in the September/October '01 (#81) issue of Quiltmaker magazine, or check out her collection of playful pattern books available in your favorite quilt shop.More...

 Jean Wells

Jean Wells, owner of The Stitchin' Post quilt store in Sisters, Oregon, a town famous for its annual outdoor quilt show, is the author of several quiltmaking books. Read what inspires this prolific quilter in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Erin Wilcoxon

As Art Director of Quiltmaker magazine, Erin is surrounded by beautiful quilts! With a BFA in Illustration, it's no surprise that designing is Erin's favorite aspect of quiltmaking. Read more about QM's own art director/pattern designer in this online interview. More...

 Colleen Wise

A science and engineering background shines through Colleen Wise's graphic work. Learn more about Colleen and her technique of creating dimension in her quilts, in this interview by Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Joen Wolfrom

Joen Wolfrom's use of color and her innovative techniques have attracted wide interest from quiltmakers and art collectors alike. She travels around the world teaching and lecturing in contemporary quilt and textile art techniques, color, and design. Joen's newest book, Color Play: Easy Steps to Imaginative Color in Quilts, is featured in the Gizmos and Gotta Haves column appearing in the May/June 2001 issue of Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Joen Wolfrom

Internationally known quiltmaker and teacher Joen Wolfrom has authored several books, including Color Play: Easy Steps to Imaginative Color in Quilts and developed the 3-in-1 Color Tool for C&T Publishing. When Joen began quilting in the late 70's, she found that even a technically perfect quilt didn't guarantee visual beauty. Read more about Joen's colorful quiltmaking journey in this second interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Kaye Wood

Simplifying the quilting process is Kaye Wood"s specialty. She shares her passion for quilting through her television show, her line of tools and her lectures and classes around the world. Read more about Kaye in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Sharon Yenter

Co-author of Blended Quilts from In The Beginning, Sharon Yenter shares her experiences of being a quilt shop owner, author, fabric designer and teacher in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine. More...

 Darlene Zimmerman

You'll find Darlene Zimmerman's helpful tips for creating quilts in the '30s style, plus her vintage-inspired pattern for Fan-cy Dancing in the May/June 2002 (#85) issue of Quiltmaker magazine. Read what inspires this quiltmaker and fabric designer in this Excerpt from the Experts. More...