One of the things I love about being a professional quilter is that I get to travel around the country and meet and talk with other quilters. I enjoy doing lectures and workshops, but the best part is always sitting over lunch or dinner (or a drink) and talking about quilts. Doing this has afforded me many chances to spend time with some truly wonderful and extraordinary quilters and listen to what brought them to quilting.
About the Designer
Thomas Knauer holds Masters of Fine Art from both Ohio University and the Cranbrook Academy of art. Before he started designing fabric and quilts he was a professor of art and design at Drake University and the State University of New York. He began quilting in 2011 after leaving academia due to health concerns. He has designed fabric collections for Andover and Kokka. His most recent book, The Quilt Design Coloring Workbook, was published by Storey in 2016, and he is currently working with EverSewn and HandiQuilter to expand the quilting tradition. This essay was originally published in Quilters Newsletter in 2015.