Hi! I’m Bonnie Kempke, and I’m a quilter, just like you.

I am entirely self-taught and only recently took my very first quilting class to learn to translate a standard pattern to the Accuquilt cutting system.

In addition, I am an “accidental” digital correspondent on quilting (aka blogger, Facebook group creator, online mentor and content creator).  But more on that elsewhere.

My interest in quilting began as far back as I can remember. My first quilt was hand pieced and hand quilted…it was a double wedding ring.  I was too young and too new to quilting to know this was supposed to be a difficult quilt.  It took me two years to complete the quilt.  Being too new, too young and unaware that the pattern was considered difficult actually worked in my favor because I had no concerns about the ability to create this quilt. I still have and use that quilt today.

Although, my interest in quilting was often interrupted by work, I tried to put in time with my sewing machines whenever I could. My work as a systems engineer working on Department of Defense projects often took me to another state or another country for the installation phase.  This meant that quilting was very often on hold for months at a time!  But, whenever possible in my travels, I sought out fabric stores and shops that might cater to quilting.  These ventures added to my learning about quilting and what was possible.

Often my intermittent quilting turned out like child’s play and there were even a few times that I swore off quilting because it was too stressful trying to keep everything coming together properly.  While I was learning to quilt, decades ago, we had no YouTube and I had never heard of a guild. Therefore, I had to decipher my problems on my own and figure it out or quit.   I am certainly not a quitter!

In the midst of one of these stressful times ripping out almost an entire project, I asked myself “Why did this section of the project turn out perfectly, yet this section I just finished is entirely off?”  I realized that in working on the first section I was learning the pattern and taking my time.  This second section, I thought I knew what I was doing and my precision and care went out the window.  I determined right then I had to “figure this out” permanently and I began applying the same principles that I used as a systems engineer to my quilting processes.  Yes, here is the word that matters PROCESSES.

As I identified the “processes” that worked for me, I began helping other new quilters learn to sew and to quilt. Without realizing it, I had become a natural mentor to others. I really enjoyed seeing others conquer the same difficulties that I had once had!

Finally, now that I am retired, I am free to pursue patterns and skills that I rarely had the time to pursue previously. And here I am, quilting on a thread and ready to share my journey with you. 

I hope to inspire you on your creative journey and to be inspired by you while I share my thoughts, lessons learned, and tips from my studio. 

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you come back soon!