AY: Are you still quilting, and if so, are you a part of a group?
JC: I’m always quilting, but my fictional characters are much better quilters than I am. Most of my quilting groups are online
at this point. It’s difficult for me to go to an in-person group because of the demands of juggling my family and work, which
now requires a lot off traveling. But we all still meet up at quilt shows.
Nothing replaces the warmth and friendship of being together in person, but you make do with the Internet.
AY: Has any of the feedback you’ve received from the novel surprised you?
JC: It’s been very gratifying to hear from readers with MS. Many were inspired by Grace to find a way to express themselves
artistically, and they’ve been able to stick with it. I was just trying to tell one woman’s story―I didn’t foresee that it
could help other women. Thanks in part to the Internet, women who have read my books have reached out to me to share their
own stories. It’s been very inspiring.
AY: I understand you’re designing quilt fabrics?
JC: Yes, I am! I come up with the concepts―each fabric line is inspired by a character from a novel, and I work with Red Rooster
Fabric, who executes the actual design. My quilting readers like to re-create the quilt that the characters in the book create,
so I have a series of prints for “The Cross Country Quilters” based on the challenge quilt the characters made together. You
can see it on my website, elmcreek.net, under “gallery.” The Pattern for the challenge quilt is available in my book, “Elm
Creek Quilts,” published by C&TPublishing.
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