Try to keep up with Karen Eckmeier! She has written five books, teaches classes, and creates award-winning quilts. She works on one piece at a time. Her favorite part? The quilting, or as she says, doodling on fabric!
How long have you been quilting and designing? How did you get started?
I started quilting and designing at the age of 30 with absolutely no sewing experience and a $50 sewing machine. My husband and I had purchased a quilt at a craft fair and I was mesmerized by the hand quilting. I taught myself how to sew, just so I could create a quilt top….and then get to that stage where I could add all of those beautiful little hand quilting stitches.
When was the first time that you remember realizing that you are a creative person?
As soon as I could hold a pencil I knew that drawing and some form of art was for me! I started art lessons with a local artist at the age of 6 and continued with art courses in high school and college, but majored in languages instead!
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Why Quilted Lizard? How did that name come about?
Over the years I realized that I had a collection of anything with lizards…..earrings, t-shirts, pins, etc. At one point I thought it would be fun to include them in my quilts. Whenever I did, it just so happened that I would get a blue ribbon. Lizards were ”lucky” for me. So when it came time to name my business I thought I would keep a lizard as my mascot.
Where do you find your inspiration for your designs?
Nature, gardening, taking photographs, traveling, music, a piece of painted fabric, words and phrases all inspire me.
Do you do series work? How does that affect your approach?
Yes, I work in a couple of ongoing series. One is my Happy Villages fabric collage series that I started in 2003.
The other series uses my Wiggles & Waves topstitching technique for curves. I began experimenting with topstitched curves in 1998 and just finished a new piece in that series this January 2025, entitled “Water Waves.”
The pieces produced with my topstitched curves are generally abstract in nature, however the same technique is used to create my Accidental Landscapes, which are pictorial. I had not intended to create landscapes, but they appeared “accidentally” over the years – so I went with that idea and figured out how to write the guidelines for others to create a landscape accidentally also. It’s a fun process and I have been teaching this since 2002!
Do you plan your work out ahead of time, or do you just dive in with your materials and start playing?
Values, colors and the approximate finished size are planned ahead, then it’s playtime!
Do you use a sketchbook, journal, or technology to plan or keep track of ideas? How does that help your work develop?
My sketchbooks are my daily journals of ideas and current projects. When I am looking for a new idea, I go back to the old sketchbooks and see if there is a common theme/squiggle/shape that repeats itself over the pages. If so, that is my clue to my next project. This approach really works for me!
How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
I prefer to work on one project at a time, which keeps me focused with all of my energy flowing into that piece. My wall quilts usually take about 3 months from start to finish. Upon finishing, I need a little breathing spell afterwards to fill up my “creative bucket” before I start on a new project.
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?
Sunken Citadel is part of my Happy Villages collage series. I knew I wanted to make an underwater city for several years, but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon a piece of silk I had handpainted that the idea finally materialized (pun intended!). Once the theme and colors were selected, I dove right into the collage process. I had an idea of the overall layout, but it changed several times during the process.
Which part of the design process is your favorite? Which part is a challenge for you?
This may sound funny for an artist to say, but the colors are the hardest part for me. My eyes see values better than color. According to the eye doctor I’m color deficient. So my challenge is to be sure to start with a range of lights, mediums and darks and the colors usually fall into place (most of the time). Don’t worry, I really do see colors, but in my own way!!
I LOVE the quilting part, because it is like drawing. Quilting is my doodling time with thread instead of pencil.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?
I try to get involved with activities that are not related to quilting. This helps clear my mind and at the same time open it up for new ideas. My favorite escapes are hiking, gardening, taking photographs, baking, cooking, painting fabric, reading historical fiction, viewing other art mediums at local shows (pottery, watercolor, rug hooking, etc…).
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received on your creative journey?
To “play” and not worry about what others think. Fiber artist Nancy Crow said in a week long improvisations workshop, that a true artist should get lost in the journey and not worry about the end product. She probably said it much more eloquently, but that’s what I remember. It really turned me around in my approach to my art and enjoying the process.
Interview posted February 2025
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