Which aspect of your quiltmaking career do you enjoy most? And which do you find most challenging? Are there plans in the works for more fabric designing, books, patterns for sale?

I really enjoy being able to travel and teach. I feel very blessed to be able to share my love of quilting with others by teaching and lecturing. There is a particular communication when quilters meet for classes and guild meetings that is very uplifting. And I really love the wonderful satisfaction of completing another quilt. It's exciting to see ideas on paper come to life in a quilt. One of my challenges is writing instructions. I don't feel particularly good at it and it is difficult to put into words the motions that our hands so easily do. So it is something that I am always trying to improve. My family and I have grown very fond of three meals a day and running water, so yes I am working on new designs for fabric and quilts.

If you could offer one piece of advice for quiltmakers today, what would it be?

I know first hand the frustration of not having the right tools for quilting. I would encourage every quilter to purchase the best tools you can afford. Learn how to use them properly and take good care of them. You'll enjoy the process so much more and your successes will multiply.

---Nancy

Quilt designer, author and teacher Nancy Odom has nine books and over forty patterns in publication. Her Azalea Summer quilt pattern appears in the July/August 2004 (#98) issue of Quiltmaker magazine.