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When I was five years old, my mother sat me at the sewing machine and began what was to become a lifelong passion. By the time I was a teenager, I was spending all my babysitting money at the fabric store and sewing all of my own clothes. In College, I taught myself to quilt and was soon spending more time cutting out squares than studying for midterms. That served me well, however, when, as a young mother in search of home business, I began selling my quilts in country stores. The quilts sold well, and soon my sister and I were sewing night and day to keep up with the demand. (You probably know my sister, Barbara Brandeburg, from her quilt pattern business, Cabbage Rose). It didn't take me long to realize that I loved designing new quilts more than copying old patterns. I decided to publish my original designs and in 1993 Black Mountain Quilts was born, named after a mountain near my home in southern California. I peddled my first four patterns to my local quilt stores, eight months pregnant and pushing a baby stroller! Next, I rented a booth at the wholesale trade show Quilt Market, where I sold my patterns to quilt stores across the country and the world. Within a year I published 12 patterns and my first book, Patches & Posies. Nine years later, I have published 12 books and 27 patterns, with more continually on the way. On the personal side, I am married to a wonderful man, Mark, and have four young children. I continue to design and publish from my home, where my work is squeezed in between changing diapers and doing the laundry. My favorite part of quilting is that it allows me to play with fabric and color. I also love home decorating and gardening because they allow me to design with color. I feel very fortunate to have found a way to work at home with my children and fulfill my creative talents at the same time. Nine years ago, my husband was hesitant to invest our family saving in those first four patterns. Now I think it's safe to say that he's glad we did! All my best, Teri Christopherson |
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