Meet Deb Karasik

San Francisco, California, USA

All photos courtesy of Jeff Karasik.

Hi Deb.  When did you start quilting? 

November, 2000….when my youngest daughter told me she was pregnant with triplets!

Why did you start quilting?

Isn’t hearing that your daughter is having triplets enough of an incentive?!

 


Who taught you how to quilt?

I’m totally self taught…I was actually afraid to take classes because my knowledge was so limited, I didn’t think I could!  So I taught myself…

Where do you live?

I live in San Francisco….and enjoy every little bit of fog I can have!

 


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

I have been married for 34 years to a darling, funny, amazingly supportive man, Jeff who still manages to make me laugh every single day.  I was blessed with two daughters, Sarah and Lauren, and now 4 grandkids: Alivia, Keila, & Devin (the 6 year old triplets) and Aaron a 3 year old ball of energy!

 


Do you have any pets? 

I am ruled by two cats, Devon Rex’s Elvis (no I didn’t name him…my husband did) and Mr. Minkee (because he feels exactly like minkee…with a curl)

 


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

Well…I don’t have much time for other hobbies besides my quilting, writing, teaching and lecturing!  If anyone has spare time they can afford to give me, I’d be eternally grateful!

 


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

Sculpting clay and sewing doll clothes.

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

Nope…I can’t draw a straight line.  My degrees are in English Lit and Ancient History…

Are you retired?  Or do you currently work outside the home?  What kind of work do you do? 

I wish…but no, I work full time in the Design Industry selling obscenely high end fabrics (some exceeding $4,500 per yard)…and no, that’s not a typo!

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

My secret desire is to be an opera singer…one teeny little problem; I’m tone deaf.

Where in your home do you quilt? 

I have a nice large sewing room with a charming little balcony in case I need to just stop and smell the ocean.

What kind of sewing machine do you use? 

Well…I use a Brother QC1000, a Pfaff 2044, sometimes my old Kenmore, and a Handiquilter HQ16 for quilting my quilts.



What is your favorite part of the quilting process?

That’s tough…it’s a toss up between the designing and the actual quilting.

What inspires you creatively? 

Most of the time it’s elements in nature, oftentimes the fabric itself, and sometimes architecture.  I just kind of get inspiration from everything in life I suppose…

Whose quilts inspire you?  Why?

Hands down, Caryl Bryer Fallert.  She pours her soul into her quilts.  Sometimes you can see her soar, other times you feel her grief.  When I grow up, if I had one millionth of her talent, I’d die happy.   She’s amazing.

What is your favorite season?  Why?

Fall.  I adore fall.  Not that we have much of it here in SF…but I know it’s out there!  The weather changes, the air smells wonderful and I love the colors…

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

Only 2.  I’m working on my first bed quilt (it’s on the HQ, half-way quilted) and a quilt for my next book.

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

Just one.  Sad, huh?  I’m a finish it kinda gal.  I hate stuff hanging around staring at me.

Please tell me a funny story about your quilting.

Several years ago, at one of our Quilt Guild retreats, I took my first class.  It was a class about making your own fabric so to speak.  I had a quilt in my bag I was working on (my first spikey quilt).  The teacher came by, saw it poking out and pulled it out of the bag.  She then walked to the front of the class, held it up and told the class ‘this student could really benefit from one of my color classes.’

I was mortified at the time, but in January, one of my quilts won Best Use of Color at the Road to California show…I laughed so hard you would have thought I was possessed.

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

Absolutely.  When the triplets were born (at 26 weeks) they were a pound or less each.  Suffice it to say, they were critical for weeks and weeks.  I sewed, and sewed, and sewed.  It kept me sane.  By the time they went home from the hospital, each baby had 8 quilts!  I really perfected my technique, that’s for sure!

Has quilting taught you any lessons of life?  Please share.

Patience and humility.  I spent the first year I was at this telling myself I couldn’t do anything NEAR what other quilters accomplished.  Then, I had an epiphany…so what?!  Seriously.  I just stopped in my tracks, re-evaluated what I wanted to accomplish or not, and ran with it. 

I guess what really lives with me everyday is, try it.  If it works, swell, if not, so what?  Some of my biggest faux pas have been other people’s favorite quilts.  Go figure.  But…try.  You will never know unless you try.

So what is your favorite quote or motto!

Go for it.

What is your favorite Bible verse?

Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. (I’m no Bible scholar, but it’s something like that…)

Do you quilt your own projects? 

I machine quilt all of my own things. 

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

I’m working on a replacement quilt called ‘Inner Light’.  It’s a replacement, because I made the original to be auctioned off at the MAQS auction in April at the Paducah show.

What is your favorite color?

Red.  No Purple…no…red.  Yes…definitely red….(sometimes purple…)

Do you belong to a guild or quilting group?  Please tell us about it.

I belong to the San Francisco Quilter’s Guild.  There are about 400 members I think… It’s a great group of unbelievable talent.  I’m always inspired by the show and tell part of our meetings.  We meet once a month. (wish it was twice!)  It’s great to bounce things off folks, see their wonderful work, and network.

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

It’s different with each quilt.  Sometimes I design one…color it and start sewing.  Sometimes I make a center couple blocks and build on it.  Every quilt is different….

Do you work from patterns? Do you innovate your own designs?  Or both?

All of my quilts are designed by me.  Not because I don’t LOVE what’s out there, but I figure if it’s been done, I can’t do it better, so I make my own.

How has your quilting changed over the years?

Uh…well…I’ve gone from making easy spikey quilts, to insane spikey quilts and now I’m trying to do insane spikey quilts done easily!  I have embraced challenging designs, I’m more versatile with color and pattern and my quilting is improving.

What’s your favorite color scheme in a quilt? 

For a long time, I’ve been into primary brights.  But lately I must be getting mellow, because I’ve been playing with colors that I’m not comfortable with.  But I have not yet succumbed to pastels….

Do you enjoy machine quilting?

I adore it.  It’s my zen place.  I quilt pretty densely…but not as much as folks like Sharon Schambers or Diane Gaudynski…but….that’s not to say I won’t in the future.  I adore tiny motifs…making them up…just quilting, quilting, quilting. 

Do you prefer to piece or appliqué your quilts?

Don’t even mention the ‘A’ word.  Mine looks like a used tissue sewn to fabric…ick.  I piece everything.

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

Not really…I have the attention span of a gnat, so I go from one project to a completely different one.

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

I’m a batik junkie.  I admit it.  I embrace it…and I refuse to get help for my affliction.  Tools…love gadgets.  Love em.  I don’t really ‘collect’ them…but I love to discover everyday things that work with quilting.  A perfect example is my ‘portable iron’ aka a wallpaper seam roller.

So tell us about your favorite tools or gadgets.

I cannot live without the Add a Quarter™ Ruler or my Add and Eighth™ ruler.

They’re the next best thing to sliced bread!

Do you daydream about quilts while you are doing other things?  Are there certain activities that seem to lend themselves to this daydreaming?  Please explain.

I always daydream about quilting.  The littlest thing can trigger it.  (I told you I had the attention span of a gnat…)

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

I don’t do any hand piecing…I’m awful at it.

Have you developed any special quilting techniques or products?

Apparently, the way I taught myself to paper piece is different from other folk’s techniques.  But it works for me.  It’s fast, it’s fun and totally addicting!

Have you written any quilting books? 

Yes.  I co authored ‘QuiltMavens Perfect Paper Piecing’ with Janet Mednick, and I’m working on a solo book right now!  I don’t have a title for it yet…but it should be done next year.

Have you ever entered a quilt show?  How was that experience?

Many, many shows. I enter for the silliest reasons.  First, I like to see my quilts hanging in show halls (I don’t have a lot of large walls to hang quilts on) and most importantly, I adore the judges’ critiques.  I find them to be one of the most valuable tools at my disposal to improve.  It’s changed my quilting immensely. 

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

Yes, I’ve been blessed to win my fair share of awards for my quilts.  I’ve been in a couple of other quilter’s books, and in magazines like Quilter’s Newsletter.

The best honor I received, was the Best of Color…it just reaffirmed that it’s ok if I have color choices outside the realm of normal!

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

I teach a lot of classes, but all are based on my paper piecing designs.  My favorite class to teach is my beginner class ‘Autumn calls/Rolling spirals’.  I always get students that start with...’I don’t know why I am taking this class, I can’t do this.”   Then...after about 15 minutes, I start to see the light bulbs come on all over the class room, the giggles start and they all get excited at the fact that they CAN do it and it’s fun!  I adore that.

 


Is your best friend(s) a quilter?

Of course!!!  Both of them are!

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

Absolutely.  Do not be afraid to take classes.  There is so much amazing knowledge out there that teachers are excited to share… go for it!

Do you make quilts to satisfy a creative need or are your quilts always made for a specific purpose or person?

99% of my quilts are for self indulgence…the other 1% are for gifts.  Boy…that sound so greedy doesn’t it?!

Is there anything else that you would like to share about your quilting?

I feel so blessed that folks look at my quilts and like them.  I could take or leave the comments that I hear about me being mentally unstable in order to attempt some of my quilts…but what can you do?! 

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?  Is your family supportive of your need to quilt?

I think it’s a discipline thing.  I have a routine that my family has really gotten used to.  I come home, sit and chat with everyone for about half an hour, think about dinner (and hopefully don’t have to make it) and then spend a couple hours in my sewing room working.  I don’t skip too many things….but when I’m working on major projects like my current book, I do need to focus on that for a certain number of hours a week.  But I adore the process, so it’s not a chore.


And after working with Deb’s quilt photos and descriptions, I just had to ask her…

How do you make your quilts so quickly??...Especially with having another job?  Do you become obsessed when you start a new quilt?  Do you not require sleep?  Do you call in sick??  Have you taught your machine to continue sewing while you catch a few z’s?!!  What is your secret, Girl?!  Quilty Girls want to know!!
Really Pam, it’s no secret.  I just seem to sew fast.  I've got paper piecing down, you know?!  I can sew really fast.  (it IS just straight lines afterall!)

I actually tease my guild when I have something for show and tell.  I tell them things like, 'This is a 12 minute block; add it up....this quilt only took about 4 hours to piece!’...  And when I teach my workshops, they time me!  And yep…I do make a lot of blocks in under 15 minutes per block.  I sew fast.

Remember:  Busy hands are happy hands! 

Deb, thank you so much for taking time from your speedy sewing to chat with us!!!  It's a treat to get to know you!  You are delightful and your quilts are spectacular!  We can't wait to see more of them. 


If you would like to know more about Deb, please visit her website or you can chat with her and other Quilty Girls on her Yahoo group.   

http://www.quiltmavens.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DebKarasikQuilts/



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