Cheryl Malkowski

Did I mention that I love fabric? Pretty much everything about it--from the colors to the texture. So being able to work with it designing and making quilts is the perfect way for me to spend my days. Every step in the process is invigorating and exciting for me.

Doodle quilting came about after hearing so many quilters exclaim that they're not artistic or they can't draw. I developed a class that would categorize the motifs and explain how to draw them, how they behave and how they work together to go along with my machine quilting classes.

My complaint about quilting motif books has been that they just have the drawing and say, "Here. Do this." But if you don't know how to draw the motif you either have to trace out the design or plan on doing something else. So I have included with every motif the words I say in my head while I'm making them. It's a scary little insight to how my brain works, but I think it's helpful. This is not a book filled with beautiful quilts and eye candy. It is a workbook with a plan and a goal in mind. Happy doodling!

The quilts in my recent book, Blocks to Diamonds, look really complicated, but the freezer paper piecing technique is super simple. If you can stitch a straight line, you'll be golden. And there are some pretty cool tricks in there for matching seams and making those stars lay nicely on the background.

Working with batiks is my favorite, and left to my own devices, I will almost always choose them. So when I'm writing a book with quilting projects, I make sure that other people make some of the quilts so there is some variety! My work with Timeless Treasures Fabrics allows me to see and design with batik fabrics before they are available. Best. Gig. Ever!

I live with my husband in southern Oregon, where I try to keep fit, (often failing dismally), cook, garden and play piano. Life is good!