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| Rebecca Grace |
How Long Have You Been Quilting, Rebecca?
I made my first quilt over 20 years ago, when a quilting magazine caught my eye in the checkout lane of a grocery store. I didn’t know anyone who made quilts or taught quilting back then, so I was initially self-taught via books and magazines while working as an interior designer and raising two sons. More recently, I have enjoyed traveling to national quilt shows and taking workshops from internationally renowned teachers to expand my skills. I began longarm quilting professionally in 2020, and have enjoyed collaborating with other quilters to transform their quilt tops into beautiful finished quilts. In Spring of 2024, my family downsized and moved to Florida and I started working a few days a week for a wonderful quilt shop and Bernina/Babylock dealer, Flash Sew & Quilt.
Are You a Traditional Quilter or a Modern Quilter?
One of the skills that transfers directly from my interior design background is the ability to appreciate and design within a wide range of styles, whether my client's taste is very traditional, ultra-contemporary, or somewhere in-between. I'm comfortable working anywhere along that spectrum and I love the challenge of finding the best possible quilting design to enhance each quilt that comes my way.
I’m definitely a gadget girl -- my longarm machine is computerized, I design my quilts in EQ8 software and I dabble in machine embroidery. But I still do a lot of hand stitched applique, and I love piecing challenging vintage blocks involving curves, Y-seams, and old-fashioned templates. What really excites me in my personal work is when I’m able to learn something new, master a skill that used to be out of my reach, or extrapolate an historic quilt pattern or technique into the 21st century in a way that feels fresh and relevant to me. It is such an exciting time to be a quilt maker, with access to so many amazing tools, techniques, and gorgeous fabrics!
I’m definitely a gadget girl -- my longarm machine is computerized, I design my quilts in EQ8 software and I dabble in machine embroidery. But I still do a lot of hand stitched applique, and I love piecing challenging vintage blocks involving curves, Y-seams, and old-fashioned templates. What really excites me in my personal work is when I’m able to learn something new, master a skill that used to be out of my reach, or extrapolate an historic quilt pattern or technique into the 21st century in a way that feels fresh and relevant to me. It is such an exciting time to be a quilt maker, with access to so many amazing tools, techniques, and gorgeous fabrics!
