About the Designers

	Tamra Lyne, owner of I Love 2 Quilt designs, began quilting in 1995. A quilt made by her grandparents during the depression was what inspired her to take her first quilting class. One day while looking through her grandmother's cedar chest she found a beautiful 1930's Dresden plate quilt. Her grandmother shared that when she and Tamra's grandfather were engaged they had no money for dates, so they would spend time together working on their quilt. The quilt was fascinating to Tamra because her grandmother could tell her about every scrap of fabric in it. The quilt is all the more charming because you can actually tell which of the blocks her grandfather worked on. What a priceless family treasure! Tamra was inspired to make a quilt of her own to hand down, and that quilt has turned into a lifetime passion. Tamra, a former quilt shop owner and teacher will launch several new patterns this fall. She has recently completed her first instructional DVD, "Stained Glass in Quilting 101" This comprehensive DVD set covers in depth three different methods of stained glass quilting. "Stained Glass in Quilting 101" is co-written by another great designer featured on our site: Mary Edwards of Mary's Creations. Tamra is passionate about color, and she enjoys all styles of quilting, especially using embellishments and dimension in her quilts. She says, "They have never made a Batik, Bead, or Button I did not like!"
	Renee Hansen began quilting and designing at the age of 12 when she made her first quilt out of the fabric in a free wallpaper sampler book. The quilt fell apart the next week, but her love for designing and quilting has never waned. She started her company, Quilting Daze, five years ago because of a quilt shop owner's suggestion and a cute snowmen print. Being a homeschooling mom of two doesn't leave much time at the end of the day, but the time is never better spent than at the sewing machine with a favorite fabric.
	Liz Lois has always loved color and design, and began making doll clothes at an early age. After she got married, she made curtains, chair covers, and lots of clothing, making her first quilt in 1970. She continued taking crafting classes, but did not take her first quilting class until 1981. In order to support her newfound "habit", she began sewing for friends and family, and eventually joined a quilting guild (after winning a first place ribbon at the Walworth County fair for a quilt she had made). She now runs a quilt shop in East Troy, WI.
	Teresa Popanz began quilting around 1987 after watching Eleanor Burns of Quilt in a Day on PBS. She made it look like so much fun! She is mainly self-taught but did (and still does) take occasional classes from some very talented teachers. In 1995, she bought a Gammill longarm quilting machine and began drafting her own quilt patterns, being inspired by the quilts she would work on for customers. By 2005, she was publishing her own quilt patterns, under the Twin Turtle Quilts label.
	Pat Riley's love of quilting has been a work-in-progress for over 25 years. What was once a hobby is now a business: she has owned a quilt shoppe for six years, and loves it. Once she opened her shop, she found herself continually making changes to existing patterns and placing revisions in with the quilt kits. This led her on to developing her own patterns. She now has over 20 patterns and always has new ones rolling around in her head.
	Karen Thompson started designing quilts professionally in 2007, has been designing her own quilts for over 20 years and making quilts even longer. Karen’s roots are in traditional designs since she grew up watching and helping her grandmother make quilts. She used her love of textiles as point of inspiration for many projects while earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Art at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Karen is currently working on a series of large and small quilt designs. Incorporating her many interests, such as travel, cooking, and floral design provides a constant source of inspiration for her quilt designs.