Aurifil 2016 August Designer of the Month Angela Walters

I’m Designer, Author, Radio show host Pat Sloan.. Our August Designer is Angela Walters of Quilting is my Therapy.  The first time Angela and I had a chance to chat was at a trade show. It has been exciting to watch her grown as an artist and designer.

Angela has a wonderful series of articles called ‘The Business of Machine Quilting’. If you are looking to create a business quilting for others, I recommend you read her series.

I chatted with Angela 10/8/12 and 5/14/12  on my talk show CLICK to Listen or subscribe by Itunes

Let’s get to know  Angela!

Where do you live and what is your favorite spot there?

I live in a small town named Kearney in Missouri. It’s just outside Kansas City and I love it! I get the feel of a small town but live only 10 minutes from a Super Target….it’s a win/win. My favorite place is in my garden in my backyard. I have a chair and love looking at all the flowers….even though there isn’t as many as there should since I tend to spend more time quilting than weeding!

When was your FIRST quilt sighting? 

When I met my husband, I didn’t know I would fall in love with him and quilting! When I came into the picture, Jeremy’s Grandpa had been making quilts for several years. He began making quilts after retiring from working on the assembly line. I asked him to show me how to make one…..little did I know what it would all turn into

Did you have a Career before this?

I like to joke that I have a degree in fast food with a minor in french fries. I met Jeremy when I was the store manager of a Burger King. I had worked in fast food since I was a teenager and I really enjoyed being around people…..and, if I am being honest, I really liked the food as well! That’s why it cracks me up when people ask if I have any formal art training. Everything that I have learned has been through trial and error as well as a lot of YouTube videos!

Have you had a Light bulb moment?

All the time! But I’d have to say that my light bulb moments are more like a string of twinkling Christmas lights. When working on a quilt, a fabric design, or anything else, there are a series of small ideas that lead to a bigger finished project. More often than not, most of the things that I come up with are the result of being easily amused.

What does your studio look like? 

Well…..my studio is kind of a work in progress right now. After working from home for over a decade, I finally bought the building of my dreams. It’s an old building in an historic downtown area of Liberty. The front of the building is the Quilting is My Therapy quilt shop and the back of the building will soon be my studio.

But as most renovation projects go, I still have a lot of work to do. So my “studio” is currently in the middle of the quilt shop. I don’t mind it at all, talking with the quilters that come in is one of my favorite things to do!

Do you have a great storage tip?

I am hopelessly unorganized even though I desperately want to be. One small thing that I recently found is that I like to use a letter holder to organize my machine quilting rulers. I like how it keeps them close and makes them look pretty!

What are your 3 favorite colors of Aurifil thread?

I only get to pick three?? Since I am a machine quilter, I collect thread the way some quilters collect fabric! My three favorite colors (at the moment) are Light Pink (2420), Variegated Green (4661) and Steel (2620)

What is it about Blue that inspires you and your block?

Since I love the color Blue, all shades of it are inspiring to me. I love the beautiful deep blue of a dark sky and the teal blue of a pool. But since I live in Kansas City, royal blue is a favorite of mine because of the KC Royals!

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DOWNLOAD the Aurifil Aug 2016 all roads block

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Just for fun:

• Right or Left Handed? – I am right-handed and I actually machine quilt one-handed. I think it would be amazing if I could switch between hands, just think how much more quilting I can do!!

• Favorite Childhood tv show?  Actually, neither! We have two horses and I love feeding them treats and brushing them. I don’t ride them though, I am too scared that I would break an arm or something!

• Favorite Childhood tv show – Actually, neither! We have two horses and I love feeding them treats and brushing them. I don’t ride them though, I am too scared that I would break an arm or something!

• My favorite snack changes all the time? I tend to have an obsessive personality so I will eat the same thing for a few weeks and then change to something different. But if I were forced to pick one, it would be red wine in a plastic cup and a bowl of cheesy popcorn..yum!

• Color you always loved – The color that I have always loved is kind of anticlimactic…….it’s grey. There is something so cozy about it. But since it might not technically be a color, my second favorite is blue. Which is why this block challenge was so fun for me!

Visit Angela at

• website:  www.quiltingismytherapy.com/ & Location to her shop in Liberty Missouri
• Blog: quiltingismytherapy.com/homepage-test/my-blog/
• Facebook: quiltingismytherapy/

I am having so much fun with these blocks, using a totally different colorway. This month I decided to do what Angela did and keep it two colors, also I did a step out photo to see those corner units..   click over to my site, which is also where you enter YOUR block in our Monthly Challenge .. you could win a box of my thread next month!

ENTER YOUR Challenge BLOCK HERE

Are you on Facebook? I have a fantastic quilt group with the most incredible show and tell going on! You should see it! JOIN me HERE … I’d love to meet you!

******* JOIN our Aurifil Family  *******

EACH MONTH we will pick one random winner that has made a block.. that person will receive a special Aurifil thread prize! Winners are all contacted email

For more Aurifil project photos visit our FLICKR PAGE  HERE

Our RANDOM picker this month selected “Cathy’s Scrappy Block”!  She has WON a BOX of Aurifil thread! Such gorgeous blocks entered .. see all the great versions HERE

REMEMBER – The Photo entry is moved to my website where more people can enter, right HERE

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