Who is Kathy Doughty?

Kathy Doughty says she often looks back on her youth and thinks of the simplicity of green grass yards in Ohio. Cowboys and Indians, hide-and-seek, cards, and coloring filled her days. She liked nothing more than climbing a tree, taking aimless walks in the woods, or going for long bike rides. Sewing was not on her list of favorite activities! She moved several times - from Ohio to New York and back again - before heading off to college in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, where she was surrounded by more wilderness. Upon graduating she left the wild for a different kind of wild - the East Village of New York City during the punk rock era. She worked in advertising, fashion, and marketing for ten years. While living in the city she was often grateful for the foundation of green grass of her youth, she says. Then, she married and moved with her husband to Australia in 1990, where she was able to give her sons the foundation of green grass and a simple, practical life. Her three nearly adult sons are fully Aussie, having grown up playing cricket and rugby.

In 1993 she made her first quilt and instantly fell in love with the "American"-style quilt. It connected her to her childhood and her home so far away and simple pleasures. She spent years making squares until she discovered triangles. Then she found an array of lively shapes and skills that took her into more complex quilting patterns. She enjoys that there is a lot to learn in quilting, and she says she will always want to fine-tune and add skills to the basics that she still loves. She connects with the idea of traditional quilts made modern by the influences of today. She says the many artists with whom she has worked over the years have opened her eyes to the principles of design, color, shape, and line; they include Sue Cody, Marg George, Brigitte Giblin, Wendy Williams, Rosalie Dace, and so many others. Now she wishes to share the added depth she has found as she has grown in her love.

In 2003 she opened Material Obsession and found the companionship needed to make life complete, people who share this patchwork passion with her! The shop is a place where quilters are encouraged to experiment with textiles, design, and method. It is a creative environment that is all about the discovery of adding layers one at a time. She hopes to extend that environment via this book.

Courtesy C & T Publishing