Meet Cynthia England

Dickinson, Texas

all photos courtesy of Cynthia England

This month I am honored to share an interview with Cynthia England.  Cynthia creates some powerful quilts…which win big awards!!  Please join me in finding out more about this talented quilt artist. 

 

Hi Cynthia.  Please tell us how you got started into quilting.

I always had been a crafty kid.  I was the kid that wanted the “make it” kits for Christmas…the plastic flower making kit, the macramé kit, the rock tumbler kit, anything to make with your hands.  I started quilting when I was 13 years old, so I’ve been quilting for 32 years!  When we bought our first house, I decided to make a quilt for the bed.  I thought it would be cheaper than buying…ha!

 

Where do you live?

Houston, Texas—Home of the International Quilt Festival!

 

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

My husband called my quilting “knitting” and he didn’t give it much thought.  He was not supportive at the beginning.  Now, his attitude has changed and he critiques my work.  It may have something to do with the fact that I am making money rather than spending all of his on fabric.  My children are used to my quilting.  It’s just something that mom has always done.

 

What kind of work do you do?

I am trained as a Graphic Artist and used to work at an Oil and Gas Magazine.  For the last ten years I have been designing patterns, teaching and judging quilting.  I travel nationally and internationally teaching.

 

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

Stained glass, reading, and gardening.  I use some of the same techniques in stained glass as I do in quilting.  You have to consider the lines and textures in the glass when working with stained glass.  I do the same with pieces of fabric.  We have a pond and I love to mess with the fish and water garden.  It is right outside my studio window and is a great source of inspiration.  Reading is my shut down process in the evening.

 

Have you ever quilted in another country?  Please tell me about that experience.

I taught in Taiwan and Japan last year and will be returning this year to Taiwan.  Quilters are universally nice and friendly.  They were very talented, very quiet, didn’t ask too many questions…Now, I am not sure if that was because we didn’t speak the same language or that my teaching skills were that wonderful!

 

What inspires you creatively?

Nature.

 

What is your favorite part of the quilting process?

Picking colors and the piecing.

 

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

I call my studio “the art room” because all kinds of art supplies are in it.  It is a room of about 600 square feet that we added onto the back of our house.  I have over 800 bolts of fabric.  We are currently looking for a new house with room to grow.

 

Whose quilts inspire you?

Ruth McDowell’s.  I love the variety of fabrics that she uses.

 

How many quilt projects do you have in progress right now?  Any UFO’s (unfinished objects)?

I have six projects in process, and five to ten UFO’s.

 

Do you quilt your own projects?

I quilt all of my show quilts.  I piece many, many samples of my patterns.  I have a couple of friends who help me machine quilt them.

 

Do you plan out your whole quilt before you begin or do you start with an idea and let it develop on its own?

Depends on how big the quilt is…with a wall hanging, I plan beforehand…on a large quilt I will make changes as I go.

 


What’s your favorite color scheme in a quilt?

Favorite color is blue-green.  I work with nature colors the most.

 

Do you collect certain types of fabrics, quilting tools, gadgets, or supplies?

I try to find strange colors.  I sell fabric kits for my patterns, so I keep a lot of fabric around.

 

What is your favorite brand of fabric?  Do you have a favorite designer?

I am in a batik stage right now.

 

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

Yes, I look at nature constantly thinking that it would be a great quilt.

 

Do you hand piece or hand quilt any of your work?

I hand quilt some, not as much as I used to.  When I hand quilt, I do not use a hoop or a frame.  I throw the pin basted quilt over a chair and place the back of the chair in front of me.  I pull the part that I’m working on over the back of the chair.  It holds it up and away.  I also quilt with two thimbles, one on each middle finger.

 

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

Quilting helps me deal with anything stress related.  It is something I can see progress on, a measurement of what I accomplished that day.

 

Is your best friend a quilter?

Yes.  Quilters are just nice people.

 

Do you have a favorite quote or motto?

Yes, my own…"Use your brain."  I tell myself that often.

 

Have any of your quilts won awards or been published in a book or magazine?

I have been honored with many quilting awards, including two best of show awards at the International Quilt Festival and the People’s Choice award at the American Quilter’s Society show.  One of my quilts “Piece and Quiet” was distinguished as one of the 100 Best Quilts of the 20th Century.

 


Have you developed any special quilting techniques or products?

I have developed a technique called “Picture Piecing”.  It is a freezer paper technique.  It looks like paper piecing, but isn’t.  I don’t sew through the paper, I sew next to it and I work from the front of the fabric, not the back. 

I have over 50 patterns and two books.  One of the books “Picture Piecing—Creating Dramatic Pictorial Quilts” explains how to take your own photograph and create a pattern using this technique.  There is a free pattern on my website that you can try. 

I have appeared on two quilt-related TV shows:

Simple Quilts—episode #655

Kaye’s Quilting Friends—March 2003

 



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

I wish I would have taken a beginning quilting class. 

Learn as many techniques as you can.  Don’t be afraid to mess up.

 

Do you have any suggestions for quilters who are trying to fit more quilting time into their day?  Are there activities that you skip so that you can quilt more?

If you want to do something bad enough you will find time—NO excuses!

I skip cooking and cleaning whenever possible.

I try to have handwork or cutting to do in the living room in the evening.

 


Cynthia and I did this interview some months ago and a few things have changed since then: 

 
Cynthia has moved, but not too far…just outside of Houston. 

 
They no longer have a pond, but her family does live next to a creek, so wildlife and nature are still a great source of inspiration.

 
Cynthia didn’t return to Taiwan this year, but she did teach in Mexico City.

 
Her sewing room has changed due to the move.  Now Cynthia has 4 rooms that are connected and her fabric collection has grown to over 900 bolts!!  (Go Cynthia!!) 


Learn more about Cynthia by visiting her website.

www.englanddesign.com

So who do you want for the next Real Women Quilt Featured Quilter?!!  I'm always open to your suggestions.  and let me know.


We are working on loading all the past Featured Quilters into our Featured Quilter Archive....sort of like our own little Hall of Fame!! 

Featured Quilter Achives!!