Spotlight: Linda Fjeldsted Blust, Fiber Artist
Linda Fjeldsted Blust has loved creating with fabric since her grandmother taught her to sew. But like many creative people, especially women making art with textiles, Linda was urged to...
Spotlight
Join us for conversations that shine a spotlight on artists and makers who inspire us to live creatively every day. Their insights and experiences offer new ways to think and new ways to work.
Browse through our Spotlight interviews to learn about our featured artists: what inspires them, the work they make and how they create it. Linger on these pages, then visit their websites for inspiration!
Fiber Artists
Spotlight, Michele Pollock, Paper and Stitch Artist
Keeping her mind and heart open to the creative possibilities during life's challenges keeps artist Michele Pollock on the hunt for new ways to express herself. When a neurological disorder...
Spotlight: Deborah Weir, Fiber Artist
Without formal art training - but with an innate need to create, Deborah Weir started her fiber art career when she saw textiles displayed as fine art in the 1970s....
Art Quilters
Spotlight: Laura Wasilowski, Textile Artist
When you see a Laura Wasilowski quilt, you can't help but smile. Her whimsical pictorial art quilts use wool, as well as her own hand-dyed fabrics and threads, to depict...
Spotlight: Geraldine Warner, Fiber Artist
Fiber artist Geraldine Warner had never quilted, but knew she wanted to somehow paint with fabric. Working mostly with silk, she immerses herself in every part of the creative process,...
Spotlight: Sue Beevers, Fabric and Quilt Designer
While most people are content with just one or two creative pursuits, a few people seem to create nonstop. Sue Beevers doesn't think it's unusual that she quilts, spins, weaves,...
Modern Quilters
Spotlight: Audrey Esarey, Modern Quilter
Like many creatives, Audrey Esarey dabbled in many artful activities while growing up. But it wasn't until she went to a quilting class with a woman who would later become...
Spotlight: Jacquie Gering, Modern Art Quilter
Jacquie Gering begins each quilt with an idea, but lets inspiration lead throughout her process, sometimes taking the work on unexpected, but welcome, turns. Known for her use of clean,...
Spotlight: Sylvia Schaefer, Modern Quilter
Can art and science get along? Of course they can! With a Ph.D. in marine science, Sylvia Schaefer approaches quilting from a scientist's point of view, always asking, "What if?"...
Embroidery Artists
Spotlight: Sharon Boggon, Crazy Quilt Artist
Sharon Boggon may have been born stitching - she doesn't remember being taught, she has just always created with needle and thread. And we reap the benefits of her years...
Spotlight: Sarah Godfrey, Embroidery Artist
Taking her cues from nature, Sarah Godfrey renders the world around her using needle and thread. As an embroidery artist, Sarah stitches on sheer fabrics, adding a level of challenge...
Spotlight: Brian Haggard, Embroidery Artist
Brian Haggard has a gift for seeing vintage items and reimagining them combined into a cohesive work of fiber art. He artfully blends old with new to create an entirely...
Crazy Quilters
Spotlight: Jenny Clouston, Crazy Quilter
Jenny Clouston is happiest and most content when she is stitching by hand: crazy quilting, flower embroidery or English Paper Piecing. In embracing the process, she feeds her creativity and...
Spotlight: Valerie Bothell, Crazy Quilter
Valerie Bothell found crazy quilting over 20 years ago and has never looked back. Intrigued by the infinite combinations of fabrics, colors and stitches, every new project is a fresh...
Spotlight: Kathy Seaman Shaw, Crazy Quilter
Give Kathy Seaman Shaw a plain seam, and she will transform it with fancy stitches and beads. Kathy is a prolific crazy quilter, constantly designing new embroidery combinations and sharing...
Machine Quilters
Spotlight: Jacquie Gering, Modern Art Quilter
Jacquie Gering begins each quilt with an idea, but lets inspiration lead throughout her process, sometimes taking the work on unexpected, but welcome, turns. Known for her use of clean,...
Spotlight: Jenny Lyon, Quilter and Garment Maker
With good instruction and practice that brings you joy, successful free motion quilting is at your fingertips. Ask Jenny Lyon how she knows - she wrote the book, after all!...
Spotlight: Sue Nickels, Quilter, Author and Teacher
Meticulous attention to detail is a hallmark of Sue Nickels' quilts. Inspired by traditional quilts, Sue, often collaborating with her sister, Pat Holly, freshens the designs with nods to current...
Fused Applique Artists
Spotlight: Sue Bleiweiss, Textile Artist
Sue Bleiweiss started quilting after an injury put a stop to her weaving passion. But with traditional quilting, there is this "following directions" thing, and that just didn't work for...
Spotlight: Valerie Goodwin, Mixed Media Fiber Artist
As an architect, Valerie Goodwin is well-versed in key design principles. Bringing this formal training to her work as a fiber artist, Valerie creates art quilts inspired by maps. Her...
Spotlight: Frieda Anderson, Fiber Artist
Frieda Andersen is a self proclaimed "Investigator of Ideas". With a formal education in Art History, she has always been interested in making things - using her hands and mind...
Hand Applique Artists
Spotlight: Kathy McNeil, Appliqué Quilt Artist
Meet award-winning appliqué quilt artist Kathy McNeil! She began her creative journey as a young child, then later discovered the possibilities of making pictures from fabric. Her most challenging piece...
Spotlight: Nancy Lee Chong, Appliqué Artist
Nancy Lee Chong, Appliqué Artist and Instructor from Snohomish, WA, found her singular passion for stitching and teaching the art of needleturn appliqué, and has never looked back! The only...
Spotlight: Catherine Redford, Fiber Artist
With a love for stitching happy things, fiber art by Catherine Redford is sure to keep you smiling. She does a bit of everything: embroidery, appliqué, crazy quilting, modern quilting,...
More Spotlight
Spotlight: Bill Volckening, Quilt Collector
Bill Volckening is proof that if you pursue what you love, good things follow. Now regarded as an expert on vintage and antique quilts, Bill got his start when he…
Spotlight: Natalia Bonner, Quilter and Author
At the age of 8, Natalia Whiting Bonner entered her first tied quilt, made from drapery and upholstery scraps, in her local fair. She won $1, and that pumped her…
Spotlight: Timi Bronson, Quilt Artist
Timi Bronson began sewing and creating as a young child. It wasn't until she tagged along to Paducah with her mother and sisters that she discovered art quilts and knew…
Spotlight: Anna Katrina Gibson, Multidisciplinary Artist
Anna Katrina Gibson is compelled to make art and always has been. Largely self-taught, Anna is now enrolled at Portland State University working toward a degree in Art Practices. She…
Spotlight: Chelsea Rose Bell, Fashion Designer
Chelsea Rose Bell is owner and designer for rosie + belle. The company name comes from the combination of her middle and last names—Rose and Bell. She uses the alternative…
Spotlight: Toyosi Shusi, Fashion Designer
Toyosi Shusi chose to study chemical engineering, but her passion for fashion led her to take classes in apparel and fashion design, ultimately winning the Bernina Fashion Fund and a…
Spotlight: Dorothy McGuiness, Basket Artist
After 31 years of exploring the woven form, Dorothy McGuinness has mastered the art of diagonal twill. With it, she creates forms and structures not normally found in the basketry…
Spotlight: Sherry Shish, Quilt Designer
Sherry Shish has been a crafter her entire life, starting with hand sewing when she was younger, then expanding to crocheting, knitting, needle felting, paper crafts, and finally quilting. And…