Candi Lennox didn’t grow up around quilting and first discovered it almost by accident when she signed up for a beginner class. What began as a simple winter hobby slowly grew into a daily creative practice and a passion for improv quilting. In this interview, Candi shares how her style evolved and why she trusts intuition in the studio.
You’ve said quilting was “accidental” at first — what led you into it?
I don’t come from a family of quilters. In fact, in 2007, when I first thought of quilting, what I envisioned was fabric in a hoop and handwork. It seems silly now, but my grandmothers, mom, and aunts were knitters and cross stitchers, and I didn’t know any quilters growing up.
My husband and I spent three months in Boise, Idaho, during the late fall and early winter months of 2007. I saw a quilt shop near the grocery store advertising beginning quilting classes, and I thought what a perfect indoor hobby for the cold weather.
I am thankful for the extra care and attention the Quilt Crossing staff and my first quilt teacher, Nancy Doan, gave me. I am not even sure I would have been considered a beginner at that point, as I didn’t own a single item needed for the class, and each class session handed me a surprising twist that challenged what I even thought quilting to be at that time.
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When did you first pick up a needle and thread and know quiltmaking would change your life?
2007 was the first time I did any sort of stitching. I knew I enjoyed the tactile nature of quilting, and I envisioned it as a hobby that I’d enjoy when I had nothing else to do. Fast forward to 2020, quilting became a lifestyle and a practice that I intentionally make time for in my daily life.
What inspires you each day to go into your studio?
All the projects that are on the design wall and under the needle. I am drawn to the meditative practice of stitching and addicted to partaking in the transformation of fabric and thread into quilts.
Do you start with a plan, a feeling, or a random spark?
Yes, all of it. My plans are rarely fully formed, but often it’s a desire to see what happens if I combine certain colors, shapes, or ideas together.
What’s your definition of a “modern quilt”?
I’ve been a part of the Modern Quilt Guild since its early days, and I suppose my definition is influenced by their guidelines, which have certainly evolved over the years. But to me, quilting style labels are not important.
I don’t start out trying to make a modern quilt- it just so happens that my aesthetic aligns with what is referred to as modern quilting, and I do consider myself a modern quilter. But I believe it is more important to create authentically what resonates with the maker than to create just to fit a certain style.
What do you hope someone feels when they pause in front of one of your quilts?
I just hope that they pause and look, and what they feel is up to them.
Describe your creative space.
My favorite room in the house!
My space is a second master suite in our home. It has French doors, high windows, and a walk-in closet that holds my fabrics. The furniture in my space is a mixture of pieces my husband built for me and some Ikea furniture.
Design walls and quilts fill the walls, and it’s in a constant state of use, and it shows! I have two sewing tables, each with a sewing machine that is in use for either piecing or machine quilting at any given day.
I find I am more likely to create daily if I have project options and my room is set up to facilitate having these choices.
What’s your process when a piece isn’t going the way you imagined?
I embrace the twists and turns in any project. I enjoy seeing surprises unfold as I create. Sometimes things are better than I imagined, and sometimes they are not, but they are always learning opportunities and a spark for future projects.
How do you balance intuition with structure?
I lean heavily on my intuition, and structure at this point is just second nature, and I don’t have to think about it much.
When I first started, I had to consider structure first, but as I honed my skills, my structure considerations became part of my intuition, if that makes sense.
Can you tell us what it felt like to have your work accepted into QuiltCon?
Having my work accepted into a juried show is always a wonderful feeling! And seeing my work hanging in shows is always fun and rewarding!
QuiltCon holds a special place in my heart because I am a proud member of the Modern Quilt Guild from its early days, and the show is put on by my people, for my people, and it feels like a community gathering.
What’s the kindest piece of advice another quilter ever gave you?
To trust my instincts.
Looking back, how has your style changed since you started?
There were two markers that changed the style of my quilting.
The first was an improv piecing workshop with Sherri Lynn Wood in 2017, and the second was the virtual quilting classes that became so popular during the Covid lockdown. I knew in 2017 that improv quilting gave me the joy and freedom I craved in quilt making, and the access to teachers via Zoom helped me strengthen my improv quilt-making skills and find my voice.
When I started quilting in 2007, I made a few quilts a year using patterns from popular modern quilt designers. After my 2017 workshop, I started making quilts without a pattern, but was still very regimented in my making, using some math to figure out sizes.
After 2020, I started moving away from math and block-based quilts and embraced composing on the design wall.
Where can people see your work?
I share updates of my work-in-progress and finished quilts on Instagram @candipursuits.
Rapid-fire fun:
Favorite quilting tool right now? Design Wall.
Music, TV or silence while you work? Silence or music for designing and piecing. Audiobooks for machine quilting.
One piece of advice for someone just starting to quilt? Learn the basics of quilt making, and when you understand the rules, break what doesn’t feel authentic to you.
Interview posted March 2026
Browse through more modern quilt inspiration on Create Whimsy.