Sandra Mollon spent over 25 years making traditional quilts and was ready to try something new. She already drew inspiration for her appliqué quilts from photographs, so it was natural for her to try raw-edge appliqué. Now she is always trying to push herself to explore more difficult subject matter including reflections and transparency.
How did you get started designing quilts? Always an artist, or was there a “moment”?
I started as a traditional quilter in the late 1980’s, first learning to piece, then appliqué, both by machine (fused, satin stitched edging) and turned edge hand appliqué.
I spent the next 25 years mostly making making traditional quilts, and then decided to try designing one. That quilt, “Seasons of Life” won a purchase award in 2019, and is in the National Quilt Museum in Paducah.
Having spent so many years making traditional quilts, I just felt like I needed to try something new. I saw that other people were creating fused, raw edge quilts, and I understood immediately that because they didn’t have the worry about turning and hand sewing down every edge, they had more opportunities for intricate design.
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I had already been using printed photographs of leaves, fruit, vases, birds, etc., to help me draw out the appliqué patterns for the traditional quilts. I had years of using media and hand-dyeing experience by then. I pulled all of that together and tried to make one. By the time I finished the first raw-edge quilt, I loved it, and then worked to refine my technique, always trying to push myself to try more and more ‘difficult’ subjects like reflections and transparency.
What techniques do you use to create your art quilts?
Photo derived raw edge fused collage quilts, using both hand dyed fabrics and commercial batiks and some mixed media (ink, color pencils, oil pastels) to add shading and line. Everything is machine quilted.
Tell us more about the planning that goes into making your art quilts.
Mostly I consider what images inspire or challenge me. I never repeat making the same image, that would be boring. So when I see something that inspires me, I save that image for later. Sometimes I work in a series to continue exploring a technique.
Derived from a photo by Ken Miracle.
Do you use a sketchbook, journal, or technology to plan or keep track of ideas? How does that help your work develop?
Just a file of ‘favorites’ in my digital photographs. I never make anything that doesn’t interest me. I need to feel something about the image, or feel at least that it is challenging.
I don’t always know how I’ll interpret things like clouds or water into fabric, and it is the challenge that keeps me coming back to the studio.
Derived from a photo by Rick McGrath
Describe your creative space.
I have a studio in my home. I moved into my house a few years ago, making sure that the space was adequate for my needs—tables, machines, storage, etc.
Scraps. Saver? Or be done with them?
Save, laugh out loud. I have large storage drawers for all of my fabric, sorted by color. Some of the pieces can get pretty small, but in my work, small pieces can be useful.
Derived from a photograph by John Slot, with his permission.
How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
I sometimes have overlap, depending on deadlines for samples, etc. But I prefer to work on one piece from start to finish. While it is in progress, I have the next two chosen so I almost never have a gap in the work flow.
Which part of the design process is your favorite? Which part is a challenge for you?
I love the fusing process, I find the quilting more physically challenging, especially for larger pieces.
Tell us about a time when you truly stretched yourself as an artist.
I was a biology major in college, and loved art but never thought of myself as artistic, although I remember I was always someone who loved to make crafts and sketch when I was young.
Quilting filled that need to create. Becoming an art quilter was particularly fulfilling, and eventually I did feel I could call myself a textile artist. It took a long time to get there.
How has your work evolved over the years? Is there a common thread (pun intended!) across the years?
That is the wonderful thing about making quilts. You can start with very simple piecing patterns and basic fabrics, move onto more intricate quilts and of course, build up your ‘stash’, and if you are lucky, find your own artistic voice in the process.
Derived from a photo by Sarah Entsminger with her permission.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Never compare yourself to others. Be yourself.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?
People used to ask me, “How do you have the patience to do this?” I would reply, “Long lines at the grocery store require you to be patient, as do traffic jams. Making art is my happy place, why would that require me to be patient?” When you enjoy the process, and enjoy the results, you are always motivated. It just comes naturally.
Published in an article in American Quilter Magazine, Jan. 2021.
Do you approach your work differently for entering juried shows?
Truthfully, yes. Work for juried shows tend to be more involved or larger, but the basic process is still the same.
How do you keep track of your work and shows that you’ve entered? What works for you?
I sometimes have to go back and check my labels on the back of the work, to remember more of the exact years I made them. I have photographs of all finished work, as well as photos in process that give me a more detailed timeline if I need one. Most show pieces take at least three months, the larger pieces take more like 6.
Derived from a photo by Gayle Fairchild Slot
Where can people see your work?
I have a website with an online gallery of work, and have exhibited at local art galleries, and had 5 pieces at Visions Museum of Textile Arts this year. I have a traditional quilt in the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, and will have another in the rounds of competition later this year.
Interview with Sandra Mollon posted May 2025
Browse through more art quilt inspiration on Create Whimsy.