Tell us about yourself.

Hi, my name is Kim Diehl, and I consider myself to be an accidental quilter!

In the late 1990's I was wandering through the parking lot sale of a local craft and hobby store and happened upon a pattern booklet for a quilt that I fell in love with at first sight. Purely on impulse I went inside and asked the ladies in the fabric department to show me everything I'd need to sew the quilt, and not knowing the first thing about quilting, I went home and taught myself each new step as I came to it. By the time I finished my quilt, I was hooked! I honestly feel that it was more like quilting found me than I found quilting, and looking back, not knowing the "rules" and teaching myself was actually a blessing because it enabled me to develop my own methods for both piecing and applique - I hit the ground running and never looked back. Never in a million years did I imagine that what began as a hobby and a passion would soon become a decades-long career. How blessed am I?

What inspires you?

With just the third quilt I'd ever made I was fortunate to enter and win a national quilting contest hosted by American Patchwork & Quilting magazine, and this opened the door for me to begin publishing my original quilt designs. Publishing in magazines led to books, publishing my "Simple" series of books led to traveling and teaching workshops, and I did this for ten years. Meeting so many quilters through my travels let me see first-hand what they liked as far as techniques, patterns, and fabrics were concerned, and it was often ME who learned from THEM. One day my phone rang and it was Henry Glass Fabrics, asking me if I'd ever considered trying my hand at fabric design. This was something I'd only secretly dreamt about, so of course I jumped at the opportunity, and still feel like I'm learning with each new collection.

Image: Mini quilts from one of Kim's previous Simple Whatnots Club (SWC) collections

My favorite quilts have always been scrappy, so right from the start I knew I wanted my collections to have the feeling of snippets and bits of favorite prints saved in my stash, and then gathered together to make a beautiful quilt. Each group of prints is designed to be interchangeable with collections that came before it, and also with collections that I have yet to imagine and design. Some of my prints begin as little doodles and sketches, others are inspired by nature, and I've even been inspired by random and unusual things like vintage tins, doilies, and ... tattoos!

Tell us about your fabric.

I try very hard not to have favorite prints, but I realized not long ago that there were a handful of prints in my stash that I was reaching for again and again in my quilt making because they were so versatile and helped perfectly round out my color palette. I gathered these prints together, gave them a little love and a few tweaks to keep them current (because I just can't help myself!), and they became my newest collection, Scrap Basket Favorites. This group of prints is truly my "dream team" when it comes to a balanced but scrappy palette, and since I've done the gathering, quiltmakers can jump right into the fun steps of cutting and stitching.

Image: Whispers of Autumn quilt pattern featuring Scrap Basket Favorites, available at Fat Quarter Shop

For quick-to-finish projects, there are a group of eight mini quilts offered through my Simple Whatnots Club 14, and these projects can be found through quilt shops that offer the prints to their customers (a list of participating shops can be found at HenryGlassFabrics.net). And because I realize that not everyone loves stitching minis, there is a six-part stitch-along project offered as well. Basically, I try really hard to encourage your passion for stitching and shamelessly be your enabler. What I really like about this group of Scrap Basket Favorites is that you can use it as an easy jumping-off point for nearly any scrappy quilt, and then add in a handful of your own favorite prints if you'd like to make the look all your own.

Image: One of Kim's favorite little table runners from a previous SWC collection

Image: Star Crossed quilt project from SWC 15 collection

What advice do you have for the new maker?

My best advice to anyone exploring a new creative craft or hobby is to give yourself the time to learn and grow, and don't be overly hard on yourself if a finished project isn't perfect. When I began my quilting journey, I didn't let mistakes get me down - if something didn't turn out quite as I planned, I simply decided that was one way not to do it and learned from the experience. With each new project you'll gain confidence and get better and better, especially if you love what you're doing!

Quilting friends can follow me and connect on Facebook @Kim Diehl, and through Instagram @kim_diehl_quilts.