About Nancy

I have been interested in creating, drawing and sewing since I was a little girl. I made dolls and doll furniture by hand before I was old enough to use a sewing machine. My mother did some quilting with her friends when I was young, and I remember playing under the quilt frame while she quilted. As I got older I experimented with all sorts of creative outlets including sewing, embroidery, drawing, woodcrafts and even pottery and stained glass. I also became very interested in interior design. I was introduced to quilting by a friend who was teaching a class on hand piecing and hand quilting. I was comfortable working with fabric because I had done a lot of sewing in the past, but that was my first experience putting together different fabrics to make up a wall hanging.

It didn't take long before I was having fun designing my own quilts. I was drawn to art quilts because I enjoy pulling together my love for all sorts of artistic expression into my quilts. When I first started designing quilts I was just making them for myself. So many people asked me where the designs had come from that I decided to try publishing a few pattern packets. I felt comfortable self-publishing my patterns because I worked for a printer all through high school and college, until I was married, and felt like I knew how to do it. I originally took four pattern packets and went around to my local quilt shops. They were all very enthusiastic and encouraged me to continue designing and to attend Quilt Market. I exhibited at my first quilt market in 1994 and that's when things really took off! I've been in business since the spring of 1992 and have loved every minute of it!

I love putting together different colors and have an ongoing fascination with different prints, textures and the unexpected results of the fabric combinations. I get my inspiration for my designs absolutely everywhere. Often times it will be something that is totally unrelated to quilting that will spark an idea.

My design studio is in the lower level of our home. One room is fitted out as my sewing and creating room. I have a big cutting table in the middle of the room. Then there is an area with my sewing machine. The room has two large windows for lots of natural light. Two big double closets are packed full of fabric. All my fabric is sorted according to color and stacked on shelves. When I am working on a project I pull out whatever catches my eye. The result is creative chaos. When I've completed my projects, I fold the fabric up and put it away to wait for another day. My office is upstairs where I do all of the computer work to prepare my books and patterns for publication and printing.