Robyn Pandolph:

"Cotton to Quilts - Coming Full Circle" By Lucy A. Fazely

As a young child, Robyn Pandolph couldn't appreciate that her grandmother's hand-made quilts were made from cotton picked and milled on her grandparent's farm. Thise same quilts, that she and her brother happily played on in the yard, are now highly prized by her and other family members.

Growing up in rural Texas, her mother taught her to sew when she was nine. Making Barbie clothes, pin cushions, dolls and Christmas presents taught her important needlework skills. In high school, she drafted and made her own clothes. At the University of Houston she studied architecture, not realizing what she really wanted was to be an interior designer. Marriage, followed by the births of her four children, kept her from finishing college, but put her on a path that later allowed her to follow her passion.

While raising a family she made money sewing bridesmaid dresses and then started her own business making custom window treatments. It wasn't until after her 30th birthday that Robyn started quilting.
She was drawn to the simplicity and beauty of Folk Art quilts. In an age when quilters were looking for faster and easier methods to create their quilts, she was drawn to the art of needle-turn appliqué. "I don't enjoy sitting down at a sewing machine," she admits. "To me, needle-turn appliqué is like painting a picture. It's relaxing. When everything else in the world is crazy, it is calming and reassuring."

In 1995 she started her own pattern company, Cabin Fever Quilts. Wanting to stand out from other pattern designers at Quilt MArket, Robyn realized that she'd have to use fabrics other than the lines offered by the major fabric manufacturers. When creating her "Folk Art Wedding Quilt" she bleached and over-dyed fabrics to create a soft, romantic look that has become her signature style. The quilt attracted the attention of Moda, who invited her to design fabric for them. "I was blessed to have something new that stood out," she said. In turn, she later also designed lines for South Sea Imports and Free Spirit.

Although life sometimes throws everyone nasty curve balls at one time or another, Robyn proved her resilience a couple of years ago. Her quilts, packed in suitcases for an upcoming trunk show, were stolen from her car and never recovered. The Monty Python song on Robyn's cell phone pretty much sums up this remarkable woman's outlook, "Always look on the Bright Side of Life." Although the loss of the thirty quilts representing twelve years of hard work was devastating, Robyn eventually viewed it as a chance for a fresh start.

It was about this time that Robyn started designing fabrics for RJR. Whenever her name is on the selvage, she feels a responsibility to the quilters who buy her fabrics to provide them with quality goods. "My fabrics for RJR are manufactured in Japan. I don't ever worry about the quality of fabrics RJR produces."

"Fabric designing is a beautiful, rewarding process," Robyn says. "It takes about a month to develop a new line." She often looks to her collection of antique French whole-cloth quilts and antique French and English textiles for inspiration. Her work schedule is not rigid. She prefers working in spurts, when the inspiration hits. "I'll work for weeks and get lots done, then focus on other aspects of my life for awhile."
Robyn describes Beach House, her latest line for RJR, as "light, romantic and fun." The line includes romantic florals, stripes, tonals and solids in pastel shades of blue, pink, yellow and cream. The line also includes and assortment of 108" quilt back prints.

Although Robyn loves teaching, having a full schedule of classes booked five years out was exhausting. She now books only four to six trips a year. She relates that, "Spending time with other quilters is the most enjoyable part of what I do. They teach me that we are all women, wives, ex-wives, mothers, daughters and grandmothers. We are not alone. We all experience the same problems and joys in this life." She believes that even in this modern, transient society the spirit of the old fashioned quilting bee of her grandmother's day still exists.

It is Robyn's hope that all quilters will allow themselves the freedom to express their creative side, instead of relying solely on kits and patterns. "It's disheartening to me that more quilters don't trust their own creative instincts." "Creating Your Own Folk Art Appliqué" is a class in which Robyn teaches students to "go beyond the boundaries of a pattern or kit." She feels that rules are made to be broken and would love to see quilters free themselves of self-imposed guidlines and the limited expectations of others.

Not one to slow down, Robyn is working on her next fabric line for RJR. Also in the works is a new website where her patterns, kits and fabric can be purchased online. Robyn looks forward to more travels with the new love in her life, Martin. His job in the oil industry takes them around the world.

When asked if she's more satisfied with her life than she had imagined she'd be, she replied, "I wasn't aware of the possibilities now available to me. It's more wonderful than I could have ever dreamed. I didn't leave Texas until I was 35. It has opened my eyes to a world way beyond quilting and I'm so very grateful."
Life has a way of coming full circle. Now Robyn is the adoring grandmother who will pass on a legacy of cotton, quilts and love to the next generations. Her quilts will take a place next to her grandmother's quilts... as family heirlooms.

Website: www.robynpandolph.com