Judy Martin, author of Piece 'n' Play Quilts, Cookies 'n' Quilts and many other quilting books, has created more than 900 quilt block designs during her career!
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Excerpts from the Experts
Interview with Judy Martin
Judy Martin has made a 35-year career out of offering quilters the patterns, tools and guidance in how to do their very best work. As a former staff editor for both Quiltmaker and Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, Judy authored countless quilting articles, and in 1987, left the magazines to start her own publishing company, Crosley-Griffith. Learn more about Judy on her website, www.judymartin.com and in this interview from Quiltmaker magazine.
How did you decide to make quiltmaking a career?
I had been making quilts for a few years before I had my first full-time job. The jobs paid the bills but failed to deliver any real satisfaction for me. Within six months of graduating from college, I was quitting my second job in order to sell quilts at the local farmers' market. (I supplemented my quiltmaking income with other work from time to time.)
In 1979, I decided it was about time to settle into a career. I read What Color is Your Parachute? to assess my job skills and interests. I learned that I was well-suited to being a quilt designer/author (surprise, surprise!). It hadn't occurred to me that there were jobs in that field until my issue of QNM arrived in the mail. Bonnie Leman wrote in her editorial that they were short handed. I dashed off a resume, and the rest is history.
What led you in that direction?
I spent most of my free time since I was nine either reading, drawing, or sewing. I was an accomplished seamstress by 8th grade. I made my first quilt as a college freshman simply because I wanted a new bedcovering. I could never look at fabric the same way since then without envisioning quilts. I had to become a professional quiltmaker to support my fabric-buying habit.
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