Lorelai Kuecker is a bundle of energy, always learning and trying new techniques. She started quilting when she found a box of her great-great-grandmother’s fabric scraps and hasn’t stopped. Now she is exploring new grounds with fitted quilted garments that are out-of-this-world.
When did you first realize you are a creative person?
For as long as I can remember, I have needed to be constantly working on a project of some kind. Sometimes this meant spending hours making fuse-bead creations, other times this meant creating a hotel in our basement out of cardboard boxes (don’t ask me how the gondola worked)!
Boredom has always been my mortal enemy. Usually, my solution to this boredom is to create things, leading to a wide array of hobbies ranging from rainbow loom, to knitting, to baking.
How did you start sewing and quilting? Was there a moment?
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I’ll start my answer to this question with the answer to the commonly asked question, “Did your mother/grandmother quilt?” Neither my mother nor grandmother quilted, but they both knew how to sew. I have been sewing since I was five, when my grandmother and I would sew straight lines on her machine after school.
Not too long after this, my mom and I began to make projects to enter in the Missouri State Fair. We would sew dresses, bags, etc., but I was never too happy during the sewing process. Why? Because my mom had to guide me through every step of the process (because I was so young). Call it only child syndrome (and you’d probably be right), but I have always preferred making things independently.
When I was eleven, I found a box of scraps in my grandmother’s basement that my great-great-grandmother, who was a quilter, had cut. I decided that I could sew a quilt using nothing but this box of scraps and my fifth-grade math skills. While I don’t recommend this method, as it took five times longer than it should have, I was really proud of the outcome, and I gifted the quilt to my father (the original cutter’s great-grandson) for Christmas.
From here, one of my mother’s clients, an amazing quilter named Janice Kroone, caught on to the fact that I was dipping my toe into the quilting world, and (in true quilter fashion) decided to pull me in! She gifted me a box of patriotic fabric to make a Quilt of Valor for my mother, who was in the United States Army. Once again, relying on my fifth grade math, I pieced together a quilt.
Up until now, my family and I thought this was just another one of my hobbies. This thinking ended when I used a longarm for the first time. Janice invited me to her house to use her longarm quilting machine to finish my quilt. Now originally, I thought a long arm was a term for a sewing machine with a really long arm. But, as she opened the door to her sewing room, I began to see a huge, steel, twelve-foot machine. She showed me how to load the quilt, then I watched her quilt for about five to ten minutes. At this point, my creative restlessness began to kick in and I asked if I could try using the machine. Let’s just say she didn’t get the machine back for the next four hours!
I gifted my mom the quilt for Mother’s Day and told her all about the next five quilts that I planned to make. Once we discovered how much it would cost to send each quilt to a long-armer, and we knew that long-arming was my favorite part anyway, we decided to invest in a used long-arm machine! To this day, my parents and I have no one to credit but God for the decision to invest in this particular hobby, as I had so many that didn’t stick, but I’m so glad that we did!
In July of 2021, I began quilting client quilts to pay off my longarm, and thus, Pigs in a Blanket Quilting was born!
What have you done to develop your skills?
The simplest answer to this question is that I never let myself get too comfortable. This may sound like a bad thing, but it has really helped me to challenge myself and develop new skills.
For example, when I finally got the hang of traditional piecing, I tried paper piecing. When I felt good about my paper piecing skills, I learned free-motion quilting to quilt them. When I got better at free-motion quilting, I began to use it to make quilted bags. If I ever think about a project and say, “Well this should be pretty easy,” I think of ways to make it harder.
This method not only helps me to grow in my field, but it leads to new ideas and designs in my work. Sure, it may have caused a few late nights, but that’s what coffee is for!
Which came first: quilts or garment making?
A couple of years into quilting, the quilted jacket trend started to grow. I began to see all of the beautiful jacket creations that others were making, and I wanted in! The first clothing projects that I made were two upcycled jean jackets that I added quilted panels with appliqued cats to. My mom and I wore these to a veterinary conference.
I made a couple more upcycled projects, but this seemed too easy. So, of course, I decided to create a more fitted jacket. I found a vintage Butterick jacket pattern and, instead of regular fabric, I used quilted fabric! I wore this creation, along with an upcycled skirt, to my very first Quilt Market in Houston, and the reaction was huge!
I finally thought to myself, “Why can’t skirts and dresses be quilted too?” This is where the craziness came from.
Do you have a dedicated space for creating? If so, what does it look like?
I use our basement as my sewing room. What began as a folding table with a sewing machine, cutting board, and my mom’s old iron from college, is now a full-fledged studio! The basement used to act as my dad’s office, but now he pretty much has a corner with a desk and a computer. The rest was overtaken by my quilting obsession!
Scraps. Saver? Or be done with them?
I am 100% a scrap saver. My parents always say that it’s the German in me. It drives my mom crazy, but I cannot throw away anything bigger than 2”. After all, I do so much small paper piecing that even the tiniest of scraps are useful! Unlike most quilters who sort their scraps by color, I sort mine by project. This has become very useful in my career as I can look at my photos and see what fabrics I used in what projects and easily locate the scraps.
What plays in the background while you work? Silence? Music, audiobooks, podcasts, movies? If so, what kind?
I always listen to TV shows while I work. As can be seen in most of my work, my mind is a crazy place. If I left myself in silence, I would end up starting so many new projects that I would never finish anything!
Usually, the shows that I watch are light-hearted sitcoms like, “The Big Bang Theory,” or “Friends.” I also listen to a lot of Disney channel shows. This kind of TV is comical with minimal drama and has easy-to-follow plots that I don’t have to focus too much on.
How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
If any quilter tells you they work on one project at a time, they’re either lying, or being held hostage and trying to signal for help. I usually have one big project going on at a time (like a show quilt or a garment), and then a bunch of smaller projects (like quilt tops to longarm, or wall-hangings). Typically, I work on one project per day, so I don’t lose focus.
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?
I get a lot of my design ideas by visiting quilt shows. Not only do I get to see the new quilting trends and ideas at these shows, but the huge number of quilts creates a real-life Pinterest (which I also use when I can’t visit a show).
Any ideas that I get from these shows morph into original creations through many (and I mean many) happy accidents. By the time a vision of mine goes through design and execution, it never looks like the original plan. This is because I try to alter the plan when I make a mistake, instead of re-doing the process whenever possible.
For example, I had originally planned to install an invisible zipper into the dress that I made for this year’s QuiltCon, but the waistband seam created too much bulk for the zipper to go over. Instead of finding a large zipper or trying to trim, thus hurting the stability of the piece, I added a modesty panel and loops for a corset back! In the end, this element became my (and everyone else’s) favorite part of the dress!
In addition, I had originally planned to make several layers to the skirt on this dress but, due to time constraints, I could only make one. Looking back, I think that multiple layers would have been too busy, and I love the short, fashionable look of the garment! This illustrates how my original inspiration can morph into a completely different end result.
Which part of the design process is your favorite? Which part is a challenge for you?
I enjoy all parts of the design process, but my favorite and most challenging part is designing the garment structure. In retrospect, this might be my favorite part because it’s the most challenging.
While there is plenty of inspiration online for garment designs, and plenty of inspiration for quilt designs, quilted garments is a very new field. The majority of ideas that can be found on the internet at this point are loose-fitted jackets, which are gorgeous, but not my specialty.
It is thrilling to know that I am creating entirely new concepts, but at the same time, everything has to be figured out through trial and error!
Your quilted garments are amazing. How do you design them? What is your process for making them?
When I’m designing a garment, I usually start with either a skirt or bodice idea in mind, then design the rest of the garment from there. Next, I create the pattern pieces. I used to do this by flat pattern drafting, but now I am so excited to have a dress form to drape with! Then, I design the quilt patterns within each garment pattern shape. The long arming designs are decided much less formally. Most of the time, I load the items onto the longarm and decide how to quilt them one space at a time.
To make the garments, I piece my quilt designs a little bit larger than their corresponding pattern pieces. Then I long-arm them, then I cut them out. From there, I piece the garment!
While most fashion designers would look at the garment construction as a relatively short process compared to design, I spend days to weeks sewing together these outfits. Between the cutting, serging, and hand-stitched elements, these projects make for time-consuming endeavors. Finally, I finish the garments usually by binding or hemming.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
The best piece of advice that I have received from many people, but mainly my mom, is to not be shy. Though I’ve never been an extremely shy person anyway, sometimes it’s hard as a teenager to confidently introduce yourself, and your business to adults in the industry. I just have to remind myself that I have worked hard to be where I am and, more importantly, quilters don’t bite (well most of them)! From my very first Quilt Market, to the present, my confidence has improved immensely both inside of quilting, and in other areas of my life.
You have a longarm quilting business, create amazing detailed quilts and garments, and I assume you are still in school. How do you manage your time to accomplish all you do?
The simplest answer to this question is that I spend a lot of my time working. In a typical week, I work ten to twelve hours a day, seven days a week. This may sound crazy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! My parents can attest to how crazy I get if I’m bored.
I usually work on schoolwork for the first three to four hours of the morning, then quilt until five to nine at night depending on my extracurriculars (with breaks of course). I also get to travel to so many different quilt shows, which breaks up the time a bit. Lorelai: 1, Boredom: 0!
What’s your next challenge? What do you hope the next year will bring?
I have so many exciting projects on the horizon! I am about to release my very first pattern! I am coming out with a fabric line with Northcott that will debut at this year’s International Quilt Market in Houston, and I’m working on a book with Fox Chapel Publishing to teach other young artists to quilt!
This summer, I’ll be teaching classes on the new youth floor of the Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival, and I am speaking at the American Quilter Society show in Branson, Missouri, as well as several guilds across the US. As for my creations, I’ve got a garment planned for this year’s H&H Americas show, so keep an eye out!
Do you approach your work differently for juried shows?
In a word, no.
You might think that this means I let loose on all of my projects, but, in reality, this means that I treat every project, big or small, as though it is being harshly judged (by myself usually).
I am a perfectionist in every way, and I have a certain standard that I hold myself to when I’m working.
Every once in a while, I’ll try to convince myself that something is okay to let slide (and some small things I do let slide) but, in the end, I fix the problem. While this creates a lot of extra work, I am very proud of all of my creations, because I know that I have truly done my best!
How do you keep track of your work and shows you’ve entered? What works for you?
There are two main ways that I keep track of my work: a small scrapbook with physical mementos, and social media.
When I started my business, my mom and I made a scrapbook holding things like thank-you notes from clients, and copies of early business cards to have some concrete memories of the beginning of the company.
However, we keep track of experiences and accomplishments through the storyline that is social media. I have had a Facebook page since I started my business and, more recently, an Instagram page. Anytime I scroll through these pages I can remember all of the shows, quilts, and experiences I’ve had throughout my quilting journey!
How does it feel to win first place at QuiltCon?
Winning first place at QuiltCon was thrilling! I knew that I had won some kind of award, because they email you so that you know to be at the awards ceremony, but I had no clue that it would be first place! Not only that, but it was my first time at QuiltCon!
They put my quilt at the start of the aisle, which was a perfect spot so that I could meet all of the amazing artists that stopped by and share my story with them! Even better, I got to see all of the talented (and very tough) competition in the youth category by other young artists!
Where can people see your work?
My work can be viewed on my Instagram @pigs.in.a.blanket.quilting, Facebook @pigsinablanketquilting, my website pigsinablanketquilting.com and of course, quilt shows! As previously mentioned, I visit quilting guilds and events to not only show some of my work but talk about my story!
Interview posted March 2025
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