Judy Martin
Judy Martin made her first quilt in 1969 and published the first of her 28 quilting books in 1980. She was a Senior Editor and quilt designer for Quilter’s Newsletter and Quiltmaker magazines from 1979 through 1987. Her most recent book, Red, White & Blue Star Quilts, was published by C&T Publishing. Before that, for 34 years, she and her husband self-published her books. Judy has had countless articles published in a wide variety of quilting magazines. Her work has appeared in more than thirty books by other authors. Judy’s quilts have been the focus of solo shows in The National Quilt Museum, the Iowa Quilt Museum, AQS Shows, and other venues. She has taught and lectured nationally.
Judy Martin is best known as a quilt designer. She has published 1273 original block and quilt patterns to date. Judy’s familiarity with traditional blocks informs and inspires her designs. Her early designs often combined elements of two or more traditional blocks. Her more recent work often includes superimposed images and dimensional effects, but it is still rooted in tradition. Judy works loosely in series, exploring variations on her own designs over a period of years.
Her favorite designs are stars and Log Cabins. Judy nearly always makes scrap quilts and frequently adds pieced borders. Judy often uses multiple block types and custom setting elements to create secondary patterns in her quilts. Her goal is to create designs that sparkle with a wholly new idea yet remain relatively simple. She says she isn’t done yet, so you can look forward to more designs from her in years to come.
