I have been sewing for years and years. As a very small girl growing up in Duluth, Minnesota, my sister and I were always making something. Fabric is just one medium I love to play with. As a teen, clothes were #1. When I married and later a baby was on the way, I switched to baby blankets, clothes and home decor. Once it was determined I wasn't going to be blessed with a baby girl (which is not a sad thing at all), I had to find a way to express my creative side.  I made fancy bags with a thousand pockets for little cars and a play mat with a road on it to drive them around, tried to solve the Lego storage issues, sleeping bags for stuffed animals, etc.  Then one day my Mom-in-law, Nancy, told me about the quilts she was making. Bam! Shazam! Zippity Doo Dah... I was hooked!

 

I worked for 22 years as a database analyst in the direct mail industry.  But I always wanted to do something different.  On my birthday in 2013, I woke up knowing that I had to follow my dreams.  That was the day The Fat Quarter Gypsy was born.  I started out designing quilts, which I still love to do.  But then in April of 2015, I had this idea for a springy thread catcher.  Once the Fat Quarter Pop Up came to life everything changed and my business took a design turn towards dimensional products.

 

Susan Emory and I began working together in 2017.  She has incredible graphic design skills.  I do not.  Susan started helping me create the line of animal themed pop ups.  I have always loved the Swirly Girls patterns.  As a matter of fact, on my first trip to International Quilt Market in 2013 I had a celebrity sighting... it was Susan.  How funny is that!  I pointed to her and told my sister, "That is Swirly Girls... Oh My Goodness!  I LOVE their patterns!"

 

So, in 2018 when Susan asked me if I would purchase her pattern line, I jumped at the chance!  Best of all, Susan will remain a Swirly Girl designing fantastic new patterns just like always!