As Art Director of Quiltmaker magazine, Erin is surrounded by beautiful quilts! With a BFA in Illustration, it's no surprise that designing is Erin's favorite aspect of quiltmaking. Designing unique pictorial quilts is a Erin's passion, and foundation piecing is her favorite technique. Erin's Tiny Town quilt design appears in the Winter 2004 edition of Quiltmaker's All-Time Favorites, and another of her popular foundation pieced patterns, Over By the Pond, is available at www.villagequiltshoppe.com.

Tell us about how you came to be the Art Director for Quiltmaker magazine?

When I was a little girl (about age 7), I knew that I wanted to work in the creative field. During high school, my classmates took Chemistry and Physics, while I enjoyed classes in watercolor, drawing and design. I went to Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) in Columbus, Ohio, where I studied color and design and received a BFA in Illustration.

After graduation, I worked in various creative positions around the country. After Bill and I got married, we settled in Denver, Colorado. While working as an art director in Denver, I got pregnant with twins and had to resign to go on bedrest. The next four years I stayed home raising Andy and Kellie. Although I love my children, I was itching to return to the creative adult world.

I've always enjoyed quilts; when I saw an ad for an Art Director at a quilt magazine, I knew that job was for me. In 1998, I was hired as Quiltmaker's Art Director. My first responsibility was to help create a new look. What a great place to work! I have a passion for my work and enjoy all aspects of my job whether it is art directing photography, creating the page layouts, designing quilts or sewing a color option or two for Quiltmaker.

What inspires your work? How do new ideas come to you in designing quilts?

The greatest joy in my life is my family. They have provided much of my inspiration in designing quilts through the years. You can see the progression of my designs starting when the twins were babies.

• One of my first quilt designs was Baby Shoes, in Quiltmaker's All-Time Favorites, Fall 2000. Those little shoes they wore were just darling.
• Ragamuffin, in QM Sept/Oct 2000, was inspired from my terrier dog muffin who was with us for 17 years.
• I designed Over By the Pond, first published in QM's All-Time Favorites, Spring 2000, the year my kids discovered bugs.
• Construction Zone in QM, Nov/Dec 2001, came from memories of Andy's first words "Ba Hoe".
• Rain Forest appeared in QM's All-Time Favorites, Fall 2002, after my kids studied the rain forest in school.
• Catch and Release in QM, May/June 2003, captures my husband's love of fly fishing.
• Wheel to Wheel from QM's All-Time Favorites, Fall 2003, depicts Andy's infatuation with race cars.
• O Holy Night, in QM Nov/Dec 2003, was influenced by my trust and belief in God.
• Friendship Twist, in QM July/August 2004, was inspired by a doodle off of Kellie's homework paper.
• Cardinal View, in QM Nov/Dec 2004, reminds me of watching those vibrant red cardinals in Ohio.
• Tiny Town, in QM's All-Time Favorites, Winter 2004, came from remembering Andy playing with building blocks and cars.