About
The Professional Quilter was first published in September 1983. Eleven years later, I purchased the company and resumed its publication. Today, The Professional Quilter provides key business information and networking opportunities to thousands of quilters around the world.
As an early subscriber to the magazine, I quickly realized its value. In fact, I was a typical reader, a professional quilter. I began quilting in January 1977, after watching a quilter at a craft show in Charlotte, N.C. After the first class, I bought a book of block patterns, went through my sewing scraps and proceeded to make umpteen pillows. I knew I was hooked. It wasn't long before I began teaching quilt-making, first in the adult education program in Connecticut where I lived at the time.
A family move to the Philadelphia area expanded my teaching repertoire to include shops and at home. I also decided to devote myself to quilt-making full time. I began selling original design quilts and quilted clothing at juried and non-juried craft shows. I joined a small crafts cooperative and then was juried into The Creative Hand, a fine crafts cooperative, where I was the only quilter. It was a great learning experience.
We operated a full-time store in a mall, so I picked up a lot of business skills. My focus on contemporary quilts led to a number of commissions. After another move to Harrisburg, Penn., I left the cooperative, continued to teach quilt-making and eventually went back to graduate school, earning a masters of journalism and worked as a journalist. In addition to articles on quilters, I found work in another field quilters enjoy - food. I regularly contributed to a daily paper in Pennsylvania and also was responsible for the publications for the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association. In April 1994, I purchased The Professional Quilter and began to redesign and expand the publication. After 10 years and two more personal moves to Connecticut and Maryland, we just finished another redesign.
While I don’t find as much time to quilt today as I used to, I love working in our industry. What I do combines my love of fabric and quilting with my training as a journalist. Our industry is filled with caring individuals, and it's rewarding to provide information to continue its growth.
Morna McEver Golletz
Publisher/Editor
The Professional Quilter