Tell us about yourself.

Greetings to all my fellow fabric fondlers!

I am an art quilter, designer and teacher who lives in the countryside of Northern Illinois, and I have been designing fabric for FreeSpirit since 2002.

I discovered quilting in 1980 when Nancy Crow's quilt was on the cover of Craft Magazine (now American Craft). One look was all it took. Quilting had everything I had been looking for: color, fine craftsmanship, engineering, scale and autonomy. I had been making cut paper designs and small paintings that looked very similar to pieced quilts, and I already had a sewing machine and a fabric stash, so I was on my way.

I quilted “in the closet” when my children were small, so I didn’t go to classes and learned the hard way, by trial and error. Sometimes I think that this isolation kept my voice clearer. But all artists and designers learn a lot by simply looking at other people’s work. At the same time, I was employed as a designer of decorative accessories--plates, vases, picture frames, etc. I studied lots of design work, especially from the Arts and Crafts Movement. The decorative arts have been a major influence on my work. That sense of formality is a definite characteristic of what I do.

Around 2002 an exciting new company was formed called FreeSpirit. The concept was to invite quilt artists to design fabric which would be marketed specifically to quilters. This was a dream come true for a girl who has a deep interest in fabric, pattern and “design for use”. So, I have been designing fabric for FreeSpirit from its early days. 

Bag sewn by Linda Teufel, By Annie’s Open Wide 2.0 Pattern

What inspires you?

As a fabric designer and an art quilter, most of my inspiration comes from nature, especially from Midwestern plants that I am very familiar with. I do a lot of sketching and collecting of patterns. Usually, an idea starts to brew from my surroundings, like a flower with intriguing characteristics. I don’t strive to represent the plant photographically, rather, I prefer to create a stylized or idealized version. After I have perfected the design by hand, I scan the black and white drawing into Photoshop to apply the colors and perfect the scale and repeat.

My current collection for FreeSpirit is A NEW LEAF. It celebrates our new freedom after the long isolation of COVID; it is a time of opportunity, a chance to recreate ourselves and our world. This is an optimistic collection of designs. But all my work leans toward the positive!

Tell us about your fabric.

Designing fabric has allowed me to create affordable “art by the yard” and enables me to get many more ideas out into the world. Fine quilt making is extremely time consuming. I can only produce a few art quilts every year. But I can draw dozens of fabric designs relatively quickly and share them with hundreds of fellow stitching enthusiasts. It’s a gift.

My fabric designs are usually large in scale and is beautiful straight off the bolt. So, it is natural to use it in large pieces and let the fabric speak for itself. Pillows, duvet covers, shower curtains, table cloths and all kinds of home décor projects are a fabulous way to use my FreeSpirit designs. Of course, you can cut it up for pieced and appliquéd quilts, too. My book Patchwork Sassaman Style (available on my website) will teach you how to handle these “big personality prints”. Bags, purses and backpacks are another excellent use for these pretty prints!

When I’m not stitching or designing, I am on the road teaching. I am a home body, so teaching forces me to go out and socialize. It takes me out of my comfort zone, in a good way. I’m always happy when I get to my destination and am thankful to experience new people and places. Meeting old friends and making new ones is the best part of the job.

In May, I will be hosting an English Garden and Design tour with Opulent Quilt Journeys (opulentquiltjourneys.com). We are going to visit gardens, museums and shops, with a special interest in the Arts & Crafts Movement. This will be awesome inspiration for stitchers and designers. Click here to learn more about the tour and sign up to join for this beautiful journey.

What advice or words of wisdom do you have for a new maker?

It is exciting that there are so many opportunities for designers and makers today. The internet links us all together to learn techniques, display our work and gather inspiration. I know that some folks are overwhelmed by the amount of creative people on Instagram and Pinterest, but I feel differently. I allow myself to go down the internet inspiration rabbit hole on Sunday mornings, and I get so inspired that I have to head straight to the studio to contribute my own energy to the creative wave. I also find it reassuring that there are so many “good folks” in the world when the news is always focused on the bad ones.