When a buzz goes through the crowd and people are saying “Freddy is in the house!” and if you happen to be at a quilt show or festival…you know immediately that the “Freddy” they are talking about is a “she” not a “he” and that she happens to be a hip, “out-of-the-box”, quilt designer and teacher.

Freddy Moran was in the house at the Pacific International Quilt Festival held a few weeks ago. It is actually hard NOT to notice her…she is vivacious and fun, usually wearing polka dots of some sort and has big red glasses. She strolled by the booth where I was demonstrating a cool way of making pillowcases and I asked her if she would like a demo. She did. So I did. Then she graciously let me have my picture taken with her.

Freddy is one of a kind. And so are her quilts! Quilting is her passion, as she stated in the dedication of one of her quilting books, “Freddy’s House”. “I feel everyone needs a passion in their life. I think having a passion keeps us active, alive and interesting and interested in other people and places.”

Freddy uses brilliant, vivid colors and she always uses black and white in her quilts. Although she has lots of favorite fabrics including polka dots, geometrics, squares, circles, triangles and stripes…using black and white in her quilts has become her signature. And she buys lots of black with white fabric, white with black fabric, and black and white in equal amounts fabric. Black and white provides a place for the eye to go after scanning the abundance of colors offered in the quilt.

And colorful her quilts are! This is NOT your average grandma quilt! Freddy has an incredible sense of color and action all of which gives us a visual treat. And to think that this mother of five sons did not even start to quilt until she was sixty years old…

Oh yeah, I love her too because she says, “Red is a neutral”. And I love red.

Have you made any Freddy quilts or taken any of her classes? I am interested to see what you think when Freddy is in your house!