Meet Barb Lambrecht

Chattaroy, Washington, USA

All photos courtesy of Barb Lambrecht.
Click on quilt photos to enlarge.

Hi Barb.  Please tell us about your start into quilting. 

I started sewing when I was six making a doll dress.  It was slit up both sides because I didn’t knot my thread at the end.  I’ve actually only been quilting in earnest since 1992.                     

Why did you start quilting?               

My grandmother left me unfinished tops, even one my deceased mother made when she was 10 years old.

Do other people in your family quilt? 

I come from a quilting family.  I grew up with 30’s quilts that my grandmother, her 5 sisters and my great grandmother made in Mississippi.  The quilts outlived the people.  I have 2 cousins on the other side of my family who also quilt. 

Who taught you how to quilt?

I think I taught myself to quilt but my cousin says she taught me everything I know.  We laugh at that.

Tell me about your family.  What do they think about your quilting?

My family calls me “The keeper of the quilts”.  They all have quilts I’ve made for them.  My husband is my biggest fan.  He tells everyone I have a full time hobby and he is a famous quilter’s husband.

Where do you live?

I live in a beautiful part of the Pacific Northwest where Bluebirds nest in the spring and summer.  My place is in eastern Washington State about 20 miles north of Spokane.

Do you have any pets? 

I guess I can’t call the wild Bluebirds pets so I just have one dog, Bosco, who adopted us.  He is a husky-malamute mix that keeps me company and has the audacity to walk on any quilt on the floor!  I immortalized him in a quilt with my husband, Tom.  It’s called, “Tom and the laughing dog.”

What other hobbies do you have besides quilting?  How do these interests affect you quilting?

My other main hobby is birding.  I maintain about 20 Bluebird nesting boxes on our property and am influenced constantly by them and all the other birds and wildlife around our home.  Many of my quilts include Bluebirds and/or other birds.

Did you study art in college?   Do you ever wish you would have?

I was fortunate to have a wonderful art teacher in Jr. High, high school and college. My mother encouraged me to take art in school telling me she could teach me to cook and sew but art was beyond her capabilities.

What were your favorite arts and crafts projects as a child?

In Jr high I was challenged with an assignment to use a tear drop shape and a contrasting color scheme.  I made a mouse by drawing the tear drop on its side then added black and white to purple and yellow to make grey and gold to paint the mouse.  I got an “A” which boosted my interest and sent me on my way to loving challenges.

Are you retired?  From what? 

I taught Home Economics in a high school for awhile and worked in home interiors till I started quilting.  I quickly moved into the teaching part of quilting which I still enjoy doing.

Tell us something about yourself that you think would surprise us.

I don’t enjoy piecing or machine quilting.

Where in your home do you quilt?  What do you call your sewing space? 

I try to call my sewing room my studio but mostly I think of it as a work room.  It is on the north side of the house with lots of light and I love being in it.

What kind of sewing machine do you use? 

I sold Elna’s in the 70’s and still sew on one but I’m not feeling loyal to them any more.  I think whatever works for you is what you should use.

What is your favorite part of the quilting process?

The challenge of figuring out how I’m going to accomplish the idea in my head is my favorite part of the quilting process.  The whole process of construction is fun for me except the piecing and/or machine quilting if it needs that.

What inspires you creatively? 

I’m constantly inspired by nature and the fabric itself can inspire me also.  I love seeing what others do and wishing I had true insight into unique art.

Please list your favorite quilting books and authors.

I’m liking anything by Kaffe Fassett right now.

I am inspired by Judith Montano and like all her publications.

I also appreciate Mary Lou Weidman who wrote WHIMSIES AND WHYNOTS and EVERYDAY ANGELS.

CIRCLE PLAY by Reynola Pakusich is a great book, too.

What is your favorite season?  Why?

I love spring because everything is fresh and clean and colors are intense and new.  It helps that the birds don their breeding plumage also.

How many quilt projects do you have in progress right now? 

I have 2 that come to mind but I have a trigger memory so I know there are really more than 2 going on.

How many UFO’s (unfinished objects) do you have? 

I have a drawer full of UFO’s that I might or might not finish.  When I seriously start a project, I finish it while planning to start another one.  I have several going at once so I can do handwork on the run.

Has quilting ever helped you through a time of struggle or heartache?  Can you share about that?

I recently made a project while I was ill and at the same time dealing with the death of my father-in-law.  My mother-in-law gave me all of Dad’s old ties, so I decided to make a crazy vest for myself and a table runner for her. The stitching of the vest really was therapy for me.  Usually when I’m blue I don’t feel creative and work on something already in progress, so this was a challenge for me and it helped.

Has quilting taught you any lessons of life? 

I think mistakes are always lessons learned so I must be really smart because I’ve made my share of mistakes!  I did learn patience by sewing, though.  When I was 17, my dad told me if I didn’t quit yelling at my sewing machine he was going to take it away from me!

Do you have a favorite quote or motto.

1.  “A goal without a plan is nothing but a dream.”

2.  “Life is uncertain, eat dessert first.”

What is your favorite Bible verse?

John 3:16

Do you quilt your own projects? 

I love to hand quilt and do all my own.  I have a talented friend who completes large quilts for me and I reluctantly machine quilt my own small quilts.

So tell us what more about your handwork.

I don’t hand piece anymore.  I hand pieced and hand quilted my first quilt for someone.  When I gave it to her I never saw it again, ever.   That was so disappointing…so now I machine piece and machine quilt things I make for others.  I do love to hand quilt projects for myself.  I like the sound of the thread going through the fabric and I like the process of creating something by hand.

Tell me about a project that you are working on right now.

I am currently working on a hand appliqué project called “The Night Before Christmas”  It is a project I’ve had in my head for years and finally got around to starting in January 2006.  It is a huge rendition of Santa, the sleigh and 8 not-so-tiny reindeer.

Do you belong to a guild or quilting group?  What are the advantages of being in this group?  Any disadvantages?

I am currently president of Washington State Quilters—Spokane Chapter which has about 450 members this year.  We meet 4 times a year and have a huge quilt show in October.  It is advantageous to be able to bring in national speakers and I’m inspired by all the talented members.  The only disadvantage is sometimes it is hard to meet people and especially hard for me to remember their names!

Do you work from patterns or your own designs? 

Several years ago I decided to stop doing other artist’s work and to do my own.  I usually start with an idea and make a drawing.  It might or might not turn out the way the drawing is, but that’s fine as far as I’m concerned.

Occasionally I do buy a pattern or book but if it is appliqué I draw my own designs.

How has your quilting changed over the years?

I hope it has improved.  I think it has as my stitches are smaller than they were in the beginning.  I love doing my own designs now.

What’s your favorite color scheme in a quilt?

I prefer bright natural colors.  I’m challenged by fantasy themes and I really dislike country colors.  Pastels constantly challenge me.  The one time I challenged myself to use pastels, I had to add some darker shades to satisfy my eye.

Do you work in a series with your quilts?  Please explain.

The only series I’ve done is when I was told by my cabinet installer that he wanted a picture quilt for payment on a job he did for me.  I decided to make him “The Cabinet Maker.”  After it was done a friend asked if I was now going to do “The Butcher,” and “The Baker.”  I did.

Please tell me about your favorite quilt shop.  What makes it special?

My favorite quilt shop is in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.  It is called Bear Paw Quilting and they carry the whole line of Kaffe Fassett fabrics.  They are so friendly; it is just a pleasure to go into their cute shop.

Do you ever hand-dye your fabric?

I did hand-dye fabric once in a class and decided I’d leave that to others to enjoy…I hate to get my hands dirty and that was just too messy and time consuming for me.

Do you daydream about quilts while you are doing other things?  

I always daydream about quilts while gardening or walking alone.  I also daydream with my friends about quilting.  We come up with some outrageous ideas brainstorming together.

Have you developed any special quilting techniques or products?

I sat up till 3 am once figuring out how to make an isosceles triangle piece of fabric fit onto a paper pieced pattern.  I teach the technique which finally came out in the AQS magazine in April 2006.  I did it in 1995!

Have you ever entered a quilt show? 

I enter quilts in shows constantly.  I like the experience of watching people from the sidelines look and comment on my quilts.  Sometimes I tell them I made it and sometimes I don’t.  My favorite experience was when I was standing behind some people looking at a quilt titled, “Yippin’, Yappin’, ‘Yotes”  They were scratching their heads saying, “What’s a ‘Yote’?  I guess they couldn’t tell the difference between my domestic dogs and the coyotes howling at the moon.

I don’t like to enter judged shows when the judges don’t give any praise before they criticize my quilts.  I think there are always redeeming qualities in anyone’s art.

Have any of your quilts won awards or been published in a book or magazine?  Please share about your favorite honors.

I did a project for Mary Lou Weidman’s two books which she used. One of them is on the cover of EVERYDAY ANGELS.  I also did a quilt for Terrie Kralik which is on the back cover of A FOREST OF QUILTS.

I did win a prize for best traditional quilt in 1998 at The Great Pacific Northwest Quilt Show in Seattle, WA.  That was my 15 minutes of fame!

Do you ever teach classes?  What is your favorite class to teach?

I teach appliqué, paper piecing, embellishing, and crazy quilting, but appliqué is my favorite.

Do you have any tips or advice for beginners?  What do you wish you would have known when you started quilting?

I’d advise them to take a class or a few classes.  I can always learn something in a class.  I wish I’d known how small my stitches are supposed to be.  The first thing I did had stitches big enough to throw a cat through!

Do you use any tools or gadgets to achieve a ¼” seam allowance?  Any other favorite tools or gadgets that you just can live without?

I use a ¼ inch foot and paper piece.  I can’t live without a short bamboo BBQ skewer for needle turn appliqué.

Do you have any suggestions for quilters who are trying to fit more quilting time into their day? 

I am very organized and I like to do housework, laundry, run errands and grocery shop once a week.  I walk everyday in the morning and get all other stuff done so I can quilt in the afternoon and evening. I use my weeding for exercise, too.   I don’t watch much TV but if I do, I appliqué at the same time.  I get it all done and still have time to be creative.  My husband is supportive because he has activities that he does, too…And we still find time to do things together.




Thanks Barb for sharing your story with us!!  Your quilts are beautiful, and I for one would love to come visit you and all your Bluebird friends!!  Best wishes and continued success to you.



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