Martingale & Company – News and Extras

We recently interviewed Kathy Brown, author of Take 5.

How did you first catch the quilting bug?

I remember as a small child sleeping under a mountain (or so it seemed) of quilts at my great aunt’s home. Those quilts equaled comfort to me. Years later, being fascinated with color, I dabbled in all types of media. Then one day, by accident, I walked into a quilt shop and saw a sea of color in all the fabric bolts and quilts hanging around the shop—and instantly realized that I’d found my home. My love of color, blended with the comfort and joy of quilts, gave me the medium that I’d been searching for all those years!

You grew up in Baton Rouge, so you must have sampled some great food. What do you enjoy most about life in Louisiana?

Oh my goodness, the food here in Louisiana! From crawfish boils and cochon de laits to shrimp etouffee, jambalaya, gumbo, café au lait, and beignets, food is another art form in this state. Part of what I enjoy about Louisiana is of course the fabulous food, but there’s so much more. We have what we call joie de vivre, or a love of life, and that permeates our lifestyle. Our laid-back attitude, combined with strong ties to family and friends and a rich cultural heritage, makes for such a great life here.

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We recently interviewed Stacey Trock, author of Cuddly Crochet.

You’re quite an accomplished crafter for someone so young. How did you first get “hooked” on crochet?

Aw, thanks! I started crocheting when I was about six years old. My mom taught me, to give me something to do, and it just took off from there. I started coming up with my own designs and entering them in the county fair before I was 12 years old. I was really motivated by winning those little ribbons at the fair, so I kept going. In high school, I crocheted afghans during math class and, since I was a good student, I got away with it. I kept going, so I think I have about as many “crochet hours” as someone twice my age.

Your entertaining Fresh Stitching blog is filled with great tips, patterns, and stories. What do you enjoy most about blogging?

What I like best is reaching an audience. As a designer, I work from home, so I usually only leave the house (and talk to real-life people that aren’t my boyfriend) a couple times a week. Blogging (and reading comments left on my blog) gives me a way to connect to the outside world and keeps me from getting too lonely! I’m also continually (pleasantly) surprised by how much people enjoy my blog. I’ll go to my weekly sit-and-stitch, and someone will come up to me and say, “I just loved seeing your stuffed monster visit Philadelphia.” Hearing that makes me happy all evening long!

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We recently interviewed Sara Diepersloot, author of Simple Style.

First, can you tell us a little about the unique name Diepersloot?

It’s a Dutch name, pronounced “deeper-sloat.”

How did you first get hooked on quilting?

I’ve been sewing since junior high school, and I decided to try my hand at quilting when I was pregnant with my daughter. I took a beginning quilting class and made a baby quilt, and I was hooked.

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We recently interviewed Heather Willms and Elissa Willms, coauthors of Christmas Quilts from Hopscotch and Double Take..

As a mother-daughter team, you are co-owners of the Hopscotch Quilt Shop in Coaldale, Alberta. Whose idea was it to open a quilt shop, and what inspired that venture?

Heather: Elissa started the shop when she was 15. She’d been reading the Elm Creek Quilt novels and decided she’d like to open a home-based business, so she asked her dad for $1,000 to get started. Her dad and I saw that she had a good head for business. If the shop made money, she made money; if the shop lost money, her dad and I lost money!

Elissa rented retail space from our local hospital board, who gave her an excellent rental rate to get started. She took classes on the Internet in order to run the shop, and at first her store was open two afternoons a week and Saturdays. As the business grew, I became more involved, and by year three I was a full partner.

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We recently interviewed Carrie Nelson, author of Schnibbles Times Two. Read the interview.

How did you first catch the quilting bug?

I think the quilting bug stung me—and it was kind of wasp-like at first. I learned to sew at a young age and found that I liked making things. I particularly liked figuring out how something was made so I could change it, if for no other reason than to make it different than the original. I didn’t grow up around quilts, so the only quilts I saw were those in magazines. With the renewed interest in American art forms and crafts at the time of the bicentennial, I started seeing quilts everywhere. When I found myself living not far from a quilt shop in Texas, I started buying fabric, books, and patterns before finally getting up the nerve to take a quilt class.

It wasn’t an easy relationship, as my first couple of attempts at making a quilt were less than successful. Think “Ugly Block Contest” contenders. But persistence paid off, and when I learned how to rotary cut and machine piece, I finished my first quilt. That’s when I got hooked.

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We recently interviewed Cathy Wierzbicki, author of Twosey-Foursey Quilts and Geometric Gems. Read the interview.

You’ve explored many crafts over the years. What first sparked your interest in quilting?

My grandmother was, and my mom still is, very talented at needle arts. Gramma was a hand piecer, and my mom does exquisite hand appliqué. I admired the work they did, but it always seemed too time-intensive for me. Then my mother-in-law introduced me to strip piecing, and my quilting journey began in earnest! Since then, I’ve developed a love for all sorts of techniques, even appliqué.

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We recently interviewed Nancie M. Wiseman, author of Start with a Sweatshirt and The Knitter’s Book of Finishing Techniques.

How did you first get introduced to knitting and crochet?

I think most people would answer that their mother taught them, and in my case that’s true, but I also had an aunt who knit. My mother was mostly a crochet person, but she did both and whatever she did, I did. In the summer, my brothers and I would spend time with my aunt in a small town in the hill country of California. She and I would knit while my brothers fished and rode horses. By the time I was about age 10, I’d knit the plain part of socks and she’d knit the heels and toes.

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We recently interviewed Mary Hickey, the popular author of Comfort and Joy, Sweet and Simple Baby Quilts, and the recently released Warm Welcome.

How did you first catch the quilting bug?

In a college class on color and design, I saw some color plates of Amish quilts. I was smitten from that moment forward.

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Sherrill Kahn is the author of several books, including the best-selling Creative Embellishments. She recently gave us a terrific interview.

Creative Embellishments is your third book, and it’s been a best seller since its release. What gave you the idea to begin writing books?

I had always wanted to write a book. When I taught high school, I created many different projects for my students. I taught pen and ink, pencil drawing, watercolor, and colored pencil. We drew still lifes, hands, and leaves in creative ways. I thought I would write a book on drawing and shading, but ended up writing my first book about craft and painting techniques.

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