Who is Barbara Shapel?

Barbara Shapel was born in Boise, Idaho and moved to Washington in her early twenties. She made clothing during her school years, and then explored other areas of artistic interest, including embroidery, photography, and stained glass. Since learning to quilt in 1993, she has focused exclusively on fiber art.

Initially, Barbara created many traditionally-styled quilts. As her skills grew, so did her confidence in her ability to create unique, non-traditional designs. Today she enjoys the challenge of integrating the quilting line and making it an important part of the overall design of a piece. She also works to create two-sided quilts where the back is a reflection of the front and offers the viewer a different perspective of the same piece.

Barbara is an award winning quilter having won Best of Show in the first juried quilt show she ever entered. Her work is in many private collections and has appeared at a number of shows and locations.

In 2005, Barbara retired from Clark College, located in Vancouver, Washington, where she taught computer software application classes for almost 20 years. She now focuses full-time on creating fiber art and teaching others the joy of quiltmaking. She lives with her family in Washougal, Washington.