I met a fun high-energy quilt designer/teacher while attending International Quilt Market last month and I just have to expose you guys to her—her name is Luanne Corts Spafford, from “Itza Lulu Designs”.
She was a “rookie” at market, this being her first year as a vendor, but she has been hanging out at a sewing machine since she could “sit up straight”!
This New York native and mother of two, had been a dressmaker for “umpteen” years who crossed over to quilt making when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and was looking for a more “portable” project to take to her chemo and doctors appointments. (Her first quilt she made using a bunch of 6” blocks.)
And “voila” a quilter was “born”…and the cancer was “put to rest”! Lu went on to quit her job, and began working at a quilt shop in Florida. Soon she began teaching the art of quilting. (I can only imagine she can be quite an entertaining teacher in the classroom!) She soon was publishing her original patterns, which she keeps quick and easy because she likes to start new projects! (I knew I liked her right away…because we are both “A.D.D” quilters and have to move quickly to the next project before getting bored!)
She has been teaching now for 12 years and has 16 patterns published.
“I love to teach, and I have learned through that process that most quilters are like me…show me, don’t tell me and so my patterns are written that way!” says Lu.
Check out her designs on her website…she has some great quilts using the 6” squares—wonderful for using up scraps. She has several reversible quilts and a cool log cabin quilt with that is a “twist” on the traditional pattern.
Look for more designs coming soon as she becomes an empty nester this fall and has plans to quilt, travel and teach…”Look out world, I’ve been set free!” she declares.
She’s a “LuLu” for sure!
(Photos of Lu teaching a "schoolhouse" lecture series at Quilt Market in May 2006 and photos of "Itza a Baby" reversible quilt and "Coral Reef", a log cabin quilt with a unique piecing method. And shown below...Lu as shown on the last day of Quilt Market...and she survived!)
She was a “rookie” at market, this being her first year as a vendor, but she has been hanging out at a sewing machine since she could “sit up straight”!
This New York native and mother of two, had been a dressmaker for “umpteen” years who crossed over to quilt making when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and was looking for a more “portable” project to take to her chemo and doctors appointments. (Her first quilt she made using a bunch of 6” blocks.)
And “voila” a quilter was “born”…and the cancer was “put to rest”! Lu went on to quit her job, and began working at a quilt shop in Florida. Soon she began teaching the art of quilting. (I can only imagine she can be quite an entertaining teacher in the classroom!) She soon was publishing her original patterns, which she keeps quick and easy because she likes to start new projects! (I knew I liked her right away…because we are both “A.D.D” quilters and have to move quickly to the next project before getting bored!)
She has been teaching now for 12 years and has 16 patterns published.
“I love to teach, and I have learned through that process that most quilters are like me…show me, don’t tell me and so my patterns are written that way!” says Lu.
Check out her designs on her website…she has some great quilts using the 6” squares—wonderful for using up scraps. She has several reversible quilts and a cool log cabin quilt with that is a “twist” on the traditional pattern.
Look for more designs coming soon as she becomes an empty nester this fall and has plans to quilt, travel and teach…”Look out world, I’ve been set free!” she declares.
She’s a “LuLu” for sure!
(Photos of Lu teaching a "schoolhouse" lecture series at Quilt Market in May 2006 and photos of "Itza a Baby" reversible quilt and "Coral Reef", a log cabin quilt with a unique piecing method. And shown below...Lu as shown on the last day of Quilt Market...and she survived!)
comments
gina cool blog
Posted by: brooklyn | June 18, 2006 12:25 AM
gina cool blog
Posted by: brooklyn | June 18, 2006 12:25 AM