My family and friends have encouraged me to publish my designs, so I have been writing and publishing my own patterns for about 8 years, and teaching classes in them. My first class was in about 2002 at Sentimental Stitches in Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island where the quilt shop owner encouraged me to write patterns and teach classes at her store after she saw my original quilts. When I moved to Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia, I contacted Country Quiltworks in Montgomeryville, and the owners of it also were willing to have me teach classes of my quilt designs/patterns. Several other local fabric shops have purchased my patterns to sell, and I am now teaching at another fabric store. It is time for me to take the next step…so now I am with this website to exhibit my quilts, and selling patterns and quilted items on-line.

In 2001 I had a one-woman show of my quilts at Latimer Quilt and Textile Center in Tillamook, Oregon, my home town. It was early on in my designing, but I had about 25 quilts, table runners, wall hangings, and vests on display. I couldn’t make it to the official opening of my show as I was scheduled to fly from Long Island, where I was living at the time, on September 16…but flights were still not too frequent as that was only 5 days after the 9/11 tragedy. I did fly to Oregon on September 23 to see my exhibit. I really appreciated Latimer Quilt and Textile Center displaying my work for three months. I have entered the Hoffman Challenge three times and each of my entries made the traveling team…not a first, second, or third prize…but each made the team. I was extremely excited considering how many entries they get.
    
I spoke at the Boyertown Quilt Guild in Boyertown, PA in 2008, explaining how I go from the graph paper design to finished project. This process involves several steps, from picking the graph paper design (from the many I have) to make into a fabric project, to deciding on the scale I want to use, to deciding on which fabrics to use. The scale I end up using depends on the finished size I want, for table runner, wall hanging, quilt, etc. Most frequently I use 1½” for each square on the graph paper, but have done 1”, 2” and 1¼” per square.  After deciding on the size of the project and the scale I am going to use, I start going through the closet and plastic bins in my studio/sewing room to find fabrics that might work. Since I have quite a large collection of fabrics now, I generally find some to use and don’t have to go purchase some new fabrics, not that that would be bad. I am sure that my mood has something to do with the final decision for the colors of the fabric selection, and of course, the yardage available in the fabrics also affects what I choose. Sometimes I do have to change some of the design’s light and dark areas as I may not have enough of a fabric to complete the design as drawn…there is always room for change. Many times this creates a better effect than the original plan.

Email: MidnightOwlQuilts@gmail.com