With her new book Fearless Design for Every Quilter, author Lorraine Torrence can definitely be described as fearless. Her long career as an artist and passion for fabric have inspired award winning designs that consistently push the limits of quilts and wearables. 

Fearless is a powerful word, but after reading my Q&A session with Lorraine Torrence, I think you will agree she is deserving of no less.

What and when was your first experience as an artist?

At the age of 7 I drew a picture I saw of Abraham Lincoln in a magazine. I decided then that I wanted to be an artist.

What inspired you to make a career of your art?

I’ve always wanted to be an artist in some capacity. I was an art major in college and went on to graduate school to receive an MFA in Sculpture at the University of Washington in 1971. Six months before I graduated, I made my first quilt. I have not made another sculpture since the day I graduated, but I have made quilts and wearable art consistently since 1971. It’s what I’m good at and makes me happy.

What is your favorite aspect of your artistry and your artistic community?

I love teaching and have been inspired and fulfilled by the long-term design class I’ve been teaching quilters since 1998. Seeing their growth and development as artists is thrilling and gratifying. Being surrounded and dependent on color and fabric in all I do is also how I get a perpetual “rush”. Of course, the community of quilters and textile artists I am immersed in is a great source of friendship and inspiration.

What is your favorite design or completed project and why?

Garment: My 2006 Bernina Fashion Show Garment, “Reigning Wool” because it was successful in color, unity, composition and impact and was done in yummy wool pastels.

Quilt: My 2006 Shifting Perspectives quilt, “Thunderclouds Approaching” because of its color, interest in the shifting of the image, interesting border and impact.

Thunderclouds Approaching

I’m starting a new garment pattern line in 2010 for young sewers (more hip, easier-to-sew, fashions) and this year starting a new product line of “Bright Ideas for Wearables”, technique leaflets as companions to my garment patterns.

What would you like to create that you have not tried yet?

I have always been interested in various surface design techniques – particularly airbrushing – but have not had the time to devote to exploring them fully. I will try to make the time to do this soon.

What memorable moments can you share about your travels or teaching experience?

In 2001 I taught for the New Zealand Quilt Symposium. In one of the classes, I had planned to teach the students a nifty cutting method using tape on the ruler as a reference. The method was quick and convenient, but used large amounts of fabric and usually produced lots of left overs. Just before I started the demonstration, I realized that all of the students had brought only fat quarters and I remembered that all the quilt shops I had visited displayed half bolts of only 3 meters of fabric. Fabric in New Zealand was almost all imported and was very costly. I realized at that moment that this technique was not appropriate in a country where these students, albeit avid, had to use techniques that were highly efficient in their use of fabric. I scrapped that part of the class and showed them how to do my design idea using templates that made use of every single bit of the fabric.

To learn more about Lorraine, visit her website at www.lorrainetorrence.com