Sarah J. Maxwell

About Sarah J Maxwell -- Midway through college, Sarah J Maxwell moved into her first apartment and one of her first possessions there was a pink dogwood quilt her mom sent along to serve as a bedspread. It was appliquéd in the 1930s and presumably from one of the popular kits of the era. Sarah grew up in the Lake of the Ozarks, where the dogwood blossoms always signaled the start of spring, so the quilt was a welcome reminder of home.

A few years later, married to Joe and expecting their first child Megan, Sarah got the nesting instinct so familiar to expectant mothers. Inspired by the treasured Dogwood quilt, she bought a "Teach Yourself to Quilt" book, cut out squares with scissors, and pieced and quilted her first quilt.

Local quilt guilds provided opportunities for classes with teachers from across the United States and the world of rotary cutting and computer design opened up. In the years since, Sarah has designed and made countless quilts. Her quilts have been regularly featured in both McCall's Quilting and McCall's Quick Quilts for the last several years. In addition, her work has been featured in American Patchwork & Quilting, Quilts & More, Primitive Quilts & Projects and many other magazines. She has also designed numerous quilts and projects for Marcus Fabrics.

Sarah has co-authored four books published by the Kansas City Star Quilts, each reflecting interest in history as well as quilting. She has a fifth book in the works now with Kansas City Star Quilts and C&T Publishing. She is also the co-owner of Homestead Hearth, a destination quilt store in central Missouri.

Now that Shannen, her second daughter, has left home for college, Sarah is excited to turn her attention to fabric design. Her personal stash encompasses a huge array of fabrics from batiks to 1800s reproductions, from woven plaids to bright, contemporary florals and geometrics. Hoping to meld her love of antique quilts and reproduction fabrics with a more contemporary aesthetic, Sarah's designs will meld the best of the past and the present.

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