Quilt Designer Sonja Callaghan

Sonja Callaghan

Sonja Callaghan 1. Is quilting something you do in your spare time, professionally or both?

Both. Although now it seems that all of my time is spent designing and developing patterns for my own store and for Quiltmaker Magazine. A long time ago, I made a promise to make a quilt for each of my nieces and nephews. As of next month I’ll be five babies behind and two years late on a wedding quilt!

2. How did your passion for quilting manifest into a blog?

I think in the beginning as I was exploring the myriad of different quilting techniques, I thought it would be a good way to chronicle and document my projects and progress. I quickly noticed a need for quirky and cute paper pieced patterns and decided to offer my own designs online as well.

3. What’s your quilting style?

At the moment I would say whimsical and quirky, leaning towards the modern side of quilting. However, I have a whole slew of soft impressionist and bold abstract designs brewing in my head.

4. Who do you quilt for and why?

Even though I’ve given about 80% of my work away in swaps or as gifts to close friends and family, at the end of the day I quilt for me. Deep down I have an artist’s heart, and I love to just infuse my handiwork and designs with my joy and passion.

I’ve been thinking lately about the times I’m the most prolific, and have come to the conclusion that it’s definitely therapeutic. The computer design work satisfies the sudden impulse to create a cute character, or try a new idea and I will know right away whether it will work out in fabric. Sewing up the pattern for the first time is such a fun moment for me. I’m always giggling away any stress as I see my character come to life in my hands.

5. Tell us a little bit about you as a person? Are you a mom? A wife? A trapeze artist on the side?

My hubby often describes me as that crazy woman with the two-week attention span. Mind you it’s an all-out, learn absolutely everything I can, immerse myself entirely kind of attention.

We have two beautiful and equally nutty children and when I’m not playing Suzy homemaker or mommaratzi, I’m either outside planning my next sure-to-fail gardening move, obsessing over photography techniques, or deciding what our next family adventure should be. Definitely something involving planes, trains and passports, and if we can throw some wildlife into the mix, all the better!