Create Whimsy
Inspring makers and sharing their stories
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!
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...
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...
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....
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...
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,...
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,...
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...
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,...
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?"...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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!...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
