won’t be the right fabric a few weeks
later when my mood is different. I
sometimes feel the fabric is choosing
me rather than the other way around.
This makes it sound like a magical,
mystical experience but I do feel that
colour is a magical thing and that my
relationship with it is very special.Tell us about your book, New
Patchwork & Quilting Basics?
Primarily it’s a basics book for
beginners. I have taught patchwork
and quilting to hundreds of new
recruits over the last eight years. I like
to think of it as inducting new recruits
into the cult of quilting. Up until now
I have only been able to do this with
eight new cult members at a time,
now I have access to potentially
thousands! But this book is not just
about basics. My vision is to get new
quilters started with simple projects
and then move them along to try out
a range of techniques. There are so
many different aspects to quilting and
it is this variety that keeps us all
hooked! Once they've tried a few
things there are more intermediatetraditional. When I go towards a more
modern style it often has a traditional
twist and when I design a traditional
quilt it always looks a bit modern!
I like to include a lot of content in my
designs, they are rarely simple and
easy as I like a challenge. I also love
hand stitching and especially
appliqué, so I often add elements
of hand work to my designs.What’s your favourite technique?
Needle-turn appliqué, although I am
more and more into embroidery
these days so that is a close second.
Basically, I prefer any hand stitching,
but time and my poor old hands
don’t always agree so I need to use
the machine to help with the creative
process. And actually, I absolutely
love free-motion quilting too!How do you tend to approach
colour in your work?
I choose colour in a completely
instinctive, emotional way. I look
through my stash and the right fabric
calls out to me. This will be the right
fabric on a particular day and perhapsAbove: Jo's 40 Layers
of Quilting design
for The Quilt Guild
combines all of her
top techniquesI suppose it is down to my particular
taste. I like a lot of fresh, bright colour
and I like designs to have some
intricacy, something to keep the eye
moving. I like detail and texture and
I’m always inspired by nature so
I think if an image pops up of some
brightly coloured leaves and some
hand stitching it probably screams
‘J o ’ w i t h o u t m e b e i n g c o n s c i o u s o f i t.Would you describe your style as
more modern or traditional?
I like to call it a ‘classic quilting’ style!
It is a mixture of modern andDESIGNER PROFILE