The Quilter on Fire Podcast

My guest today is is Gail Heller, the owner of Erie Quilt Art Inc. based in Calgary, Alberta. Gail spent years working as an intensive care nurse and then a manager in the medical industry before shifting her focus to the quilting world. She started out representing fabric lines and eventually established a wholesale company that distributes top tier quilting and sewing products to businesses across Canada. In addition to managing the business, Gail is a quilting teacher and certified Aurifilosopher and she supports and mentors quilting businesses and shops across Canada.

Find Gail's website here: https://eriequiltart.com/ anf follow Erie Quilt Art on Instagram. 

Quilter on Fire Website - https://quilteronfire.com/

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My guest today is David Taylor. He's known around the world for his stunning pictorial appliqué quilts featuring birds, animals, and nature. The closer you look, the more incredible they become. Every feather, every shadow, every detail is created with fabric and thread. And behind all that award-winning work is a funny, down-to-earth teacher who believes quilting should tell a story and make people feel something. GO LOOK AT THE QUILTS IN THE GALLERY ON HIS WEBSITE (I don't often use all caps.)

David Taylor Quilts website: https://www.davidtaylorartquilts.com/

New England Quilt Seminars: https://newenglandquiltseminars.com/

Quilter on Fire Website - https://quilteronfire.com/

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My guest today is Marilyn Armand, founder and creative force behind Le point visible, a modern quilting studio based in Quebec's Eastern Townships.

Raised by her grandmother and aunts, all talented seamstresses, Marilyn grew up surrounded by fabric, creativity, and the traditions of making by hand. Today she's one of the few quilters recognized as a Professional Artisan by the Quebec Crafts Council and she has built a thriving business creating contemporary quilts, wearable art, and custom textile pieces from reclaimed and sustainable materials. Her work has been featured in publications including House Beautiful, The Globe and Mail, Elle Canada, and more. 

Marilyn’s Instagram caught my eye because she's taking an art form that has deep roots in women's history and bringing it into modern homes in a beautiful and meaningful way.

Le point visible modern quilts website: https://lepointvisible.com/en

Quilter on Fire Website - https://quilteronfire.com/

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Today I’m chatting with quilt artist, teacher, and author Cindy Grisdela. I recently met her at QuiltCon interviewing her about her quilt that was accepted into Quilt National 2025. 

Cindy is known for her bright, modern improv quilts and her relaxed approach to creativity. She creates freehand curved quilts without patterns or templates, and her work has been shown in galleries and quilt exhibits across the U.S.

She’s also the author of Artful Improv, Adventures in Improv Quilts, and Freehand Curve Quilts, where she encourages quilters to let go of perfection and have more fun with colour and design.

Her work just feels happy. Her quilts are bold and artistic, and full of personality.

Cindy's website: https://cindygrisdela.com/

Quilter on Fire Website - https://quilteronfire.com/

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My guest today is award-winning quilter, teacher, author, and machine quilting expert Catherine Redford.

Originally from England and now based in Illinois, Catherine is known for her beautiful machine quilting, innovative techniques, and her ability to teach complex ideas in a really approachable way. 

You may know her from her book Modern Machine Quilting, her appearances on Quilting Arts TV and TheQuiltShow.com, or from the many workshops and lectures she’s taught across the quilting world. 

Whether you love piecing, quilting, embroidery, or handwork, Catherine believes there’s room for all of it—and that quilting should bring joy, not pressure.

Find her website here: https://catherineredford.com/

Quilter on Fire Website - https://quilteronfire.com/

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My guest today is Cecilia Koppmann! She is an internationally recognized textile artist, teacher, and colour expert based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Cecilia has been creating and teaching textile art since 1998. 

What she's especially known for is her incredible understanding of colour. Through hand-dyed fabrics, art quilts, workshops, and lectures around the world, Cecilia helps makers see colour in a completely new way. She has taught throughout North and South America and Europe, served as a juror for major textile festivals, and she spent 14 years bringing patchwork and quilting into homes across Latin America through television. 

Her work has been exhibited around the world, including Houston, Birmingham, France, Brasil, and the Excellence in Fibers Show San José Museum of Quilts & Textiles in California just to name a few. She has presented major solo exhibitions and retrospectives of her work. You know if you. Hear the word retrospective they’ve been at the top of their game for a while. 

Find her website here: https://ceciliakoppmann.com/en

Quilter on Fire Website - https://quilteronfire.com/

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Stephanie Organes is a graphic and surface designer with a background in advertising, which lends itself so well to being a quilter and pattern lover. She’s known for her soft colour palette, very pretty details, and joyful storytelling in her fabric designs. From sewing quilted accessories for her children and starting her brand called Pretty Please to designing multiple collections for Andover Fabrics, she’s built a creative business inspired by her family culture in Mexico City and her love of nature.

Find her website here: https://www.stephanieorganes.com/

Follow her on IG here: https://www.instagram.com/prettyplease.mx/

Quilter on Fire Website - https://quilteronfire.com/

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My guest today is Tara Evans of Tara Lee Quiltery. She is an artist who didn’t just find quilting—she claimed it as her medium after years of creating in all kinds of ways. From painting to photography to raising four kids, her creative path has been anything but straight—and I love that. Now she’s known for bold, graphic, modern quilt designs that really stop you in your tracks. With over 30 quilt patterns designed and in her shop, and a passion for originality and inclusivity, she’s bringing something fresh to the quilting world with her bold designs, and meaningful storytelling. 

Check out my interview of Tara at QuiltCon in front of her quilts at QuiltCon: https://youtu.be/5uR_s3fHXXY?si=lv3zeTE50GGDvr8B

Find Tara's website here: https://www.taraleequiltery.com/

Quilter on Fire Website - https://quilteronfire.com/

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Today I’m sitting down with Abigail Vargas, a contemporary textile artist based in Winters, California, whose work is vibrant, thoughtful, and deeply rooted in storytelling.

Abigail creates quilts inspired by nature, science, and family to name a few—often combining contemporary fabrics with vintage and repurposed materials to add layers of meaning and texture to her work. Her quilts have been exhibited at shows like QuiltCon and Quilt National, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles as well as international exhibits in Taiwan. 

Abigail brings together so many influences—modern art, folk art, collaboration, even science—and turns them into quilts that feel emotional and alive. I first saw her work at QuiltCon when I interviewed her for Quilt National and I was instantly drawn into her quilt Bumblebee Jasper to look at every detail. She’s also the creator of the collaborative Exquisite Quilt Project, inspired by the Surrealist “Exquisite Corpse” game, where multiple artists contribute without seeing the full design ahead of time. 

Abigail Vargas Designs - https://www.avargasdesigns.com/

Quilter on Fire Website - https://quilteronfire.com/

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My guest today is Karla Overland from Cherrywood Hand-Dyed Fabrics, a company with a beautiful history that started over 35 years ago. From humble beginnings, Cherrywood has grown into a globally recognized name, known for its rich, luminous colours and that signature soft, almost suede-like texture. Karla Overland is the colourist who creates and maintains 200 formulas for gorgeous colours. She is also a quilt designer, pattern designer and graphic designer. Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics is known worldwide in the quilting industry, and employs ten women in Brainerd/Baxter, Minnesota.

Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics - https://cherrywoodfabrics.com/

Quilter on Fire Website - https://quilteronfire.com/

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Free Quilter on Fire Holiday Table Runner VIDEO

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