Interview with Patti Anderson - November 2007

Meet Patti Anderson, author of our new "EQ6 Pieced Drawing" book

by Penny McMorris

Q: Patti, we're so pleased to be working with you, and were excited about your book. Could you please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit about how and when you first got interested in quilting. Did family members quilt?

I come from a long line of seamstresses on both my mom and my dad's side. My mother did not make quilts but she was an exceptional seamstress. She made dresses for my three sisters and me, as well as making everything from majorette uniforms, to prom dresses, to doing alteration for others. My fraternal grandmother made more quilts than one could count. My first memory of a quilt is sleeping under one of her thick wool crazy patch quilts. I remember it being so heavy and that I couldn't sleep on my back because it hurt my toes. I've been sewing since I was nine years old. I did sewing and dressmaking as 4-H projects, but I never had a home economics class in school. My mother was my teacher.

It wasn't until after I was married that I started sewing more seriously, for myself and for others. I was a stay at home mom by choice and having two daughters I learned even more by making them dresses -- and more Barbie doll clothes than I can count! Georgia Bonesteel and her PBS show on lap quilting is responsible for my catching the quilting bug. It was such a natural transition for me, I can hardly imagine doing anything else now. Once my girls were older I began to make money with my craft. I made quilts on consignment as well as quilted items for several shops around West Virginia.

Q: How about EQ--how did you first learn about EQ and begin using it?

Oh my, that's a story you're going to love, Penny! I was awarded a grant from my county Arts & Heritage Council. I had to do my homework ahead of time, itemizing how I would spend the money. I wanted to design quilts, so I wrote my proposal on how buying a quilting software, supplies and lots of fabric would help me in my quest to pursue a quilting business. I found an Electric Quilt Company ad in a quilting magazine and I called for more information. Guess what? You were the one who answered the phone! You were so friendly and helpful, that I made my choice for Electric Quilt right then and there.

As for how I began using it, I studied the manual (remember that big gray binder?) and the rest I taught myself. I had this unusual and rather complex quilt I wanted to make and I needed to be able to lay it out so I could play with the colors. I jumped right in and created it. So even back then I was pushing the limits of what EQ could do!

Q: When you developed your Web site you began incorporating EQ lessons into it--and we've sent many users there when they wanted to know how to draw something specific such as the triangle log cabins. So thanks for those steps that have saved us so much time and thought, and which users have loved. These lessons were, in a way, the start of your teaching weren't they? I can't remember how you came to write your first book for us, EQ5 Drawing. Do you remember how that came about?

I love to share what I've learned about EQ. A lot of the mini lessons on my web site are a result of questions that were asked on the Info-EQ mailing list and of course all those challenges from Barb Vlack! It was great to have a place where I could illustrate an answer to a question. I've not had as much time the last few years to keep up with my web site. I hope to give it a complete overhaul soon.

As best as I can remember, I was asked to write EQ5 Drawing sometime after I began to teaching at QuiltUniversity.com. I was also a beta tester for the new versions. I can remember the day Dean called me on the phone to ask me if I would consider writing the book. After the initial euphoria (and some trepidation) of being asked, I said sure! I think the connection with the Info-EQ mailing list also deserves mention as well. I don't think I would be writing these drawing books today if it were not for that list!

Q: Now you're also teaching at www.quiltuniversity.com and have been for the past several years. I'm sure lots of readers who haven't taken classes there may be curious as to exactly what it's like to take one of your drawing classes online. Can you tell us how this actually works?

QuiltUniversity (QU) is one of the best things that has ever happened to me (next to choosing EQ of course). Creating a QU class is a combination of writing a book and teaching a quilting class in person. It's a lot of work, but I love teaching there. Carol and Roger Miller take care of all the hard work of maintaining QU -- none of the instructors would be able to do it without them. The discussion forums are where a lot of the action takes place and one of the best things is meeting quilters and EQ users from all over the globe. I have heard over and over that having access to ask questions of the teacher for an extended time is a real plus to on line learning.

Q: What QuiltUniversity classes do you have coming up for the rest of the year and into 2008? Do you know that far ahead?

I'm changing the direction a little with my new EQ6 classes. Currently my EQ5 classes lean towards specific EQ5 features, i.e. Tracing, WreathMaker and Advanced Drawing. My new classes will still include features of course, but will concentrate more on block design. I will begin with a PatchDraw class on Appliqué, and WreathMaker will be included as a part of the class. Other classes on the drawing board are an EasyDraw class on pieced block drawing and one for Tracing. Tracing is such an important aspect of EQ, it deserves a class of its own. Fran Gonzalez and I have put our heads together and we hope our new classes compliment each other more, creating a natural flow for learn to use the software.

Q: Your EQ6 Pieced Drawing book, which focuses on drawing pieced blocks with EasyDraw and Pieced PatchDraw will come out late this month. We've already got users anxiously awaiting it. I know because we get calls asking us when it's going to be ready. And we have an excerpt in this issue of the newsletter. How long did the book take to write?

I confess, I am not a good judge at all when it comes to planning how long it takes me to write book! I had an outline long before I began the bulk of the writing. Even though I rely on my outline, it's still very flexible. If an idea didn't work, I'd have to throw it out and try something else. Sometimes I would get a mental block (not something you can sew or write with!) and then I would wake up in the middle of the night with an inspiration. I'd say most of the book was written over a period of five to six months.

Q: Give us some more inside information. How do you decide which blocks you're going to step out and show how to draw?

Deciding what blocks to include is probably the hardest part of doing the book. In a nutshell, it's a combination of ideas and requests I glean from my students, the Info-EQ mailing list and the wisdom of the folks at EQ. Some of the blocks (especially in the Basic Pieced Drawing chapter) were used because they best suited the skill I wanted to teach. I have included more variations to try at the end of each exercise so users can apply the skills they've learned. To me, that's what it's all about!

Q: I find your writing style refreshingly straightforward and easy to understand -- pretty much as I think of you after meeting you several times. You've not wanted to travel and teach much, but seem happy to let your written words speak for you through your books and online. Is that because you're a bit shy? Or am I reading that in because you're quite calm and a bit quiet?

Ha! Yes, I have been called shy, and it's probably truer than I want to admit. I have always been a home-body as my husband says. I do travel around West Virginia to teach, but I really don't have the time or inclination to venture much further than my local tri-state area. Outside of quilting and EQ, there are other hats that I wear as well. I am very involved in my local church, I love to cook and garden and I love digital photography. It seems that lately when I travel, it's usually to see family or to go on vacation. This December I'll be a grandma for the first time, so I plan to see my new grandbaby as often as I can!

Q: Do you think that anyone can become an original designer? What would you say to encourage someone who said they "weren't talented and could never design their own blocks"?

My first thought on these questions is who am I to say? If I am an example, then anyone can be a designer -- ha! As I think about it more, I would say that many times people are designers at heart, but that they have not yet tapped into their creative potential. Take a class, join a quilting guild, and yes, even a quilter's mailing list -- you may discover hidden talents!

Q: I know your book is completely full of drawing tips, but is there one tip that comes to mind that might help someone who is just beginning to draw pieced blocks -- something to help them get started?

Find a block you want to make and then challenge yourself to draw it in EQ. Jump right in and don't be afraid of the software; it's only a tool that is there to help you.

Thanks for spending some time with us Patti. And now, back to the "drawing board" so we can get your book out!


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