In this feature, Sam shares her creative journey, design philosophy, and why she’s passionate about supporting new quilters and pushing for change in the quilting industry. Her work celebrates bold colour, language, and storytelling through stitches.
By the Make Modern team
Why not treat yourself to a subscription?
Subscribe now and dive into the latest issue!
For Sam Hunter, sewing is more than a hobby or business—it’s been a part of her life from the very beginning. “I grew up sewing with my mother, stepmother, and grandmothers from an early age… I took a proper quilting class in 1989 after flailing around on a couple of earlier quilts and was pretty quickly smitten.”
While she’s been quilting for decades, her business began in 2010 after graduating with an MFA in Fiber Art and struggling to find a job. “I started designing patterns as an act of desperation… and here we are, 15+ years in business, over 100 patterns designed, a book written, and relationships with fabulous biz colleagues all over the world.”
It’s no surprise that Sam designs most of her quilts herself, and she does most of the making herself too. “I love the excitement of choosing the fabrics and cutting out a new quilt. I love saturated colours, bright and deep, not greyed out. I often work things out digitally in Adobe Illustrator, which enables me to see quickly if I’ve got my values out of whack. I love doing the binding by hand on quilts that will become gifts – it’s the last part of me and my caring that I can add to the work before it leaves to hug its new owner.” There is one thing, however, that Sam is more than happy to outsource. “I’ve never particularly enjoyed machine quilting, and have never been so relieved as the day I decided to trust my favourite longarm artists with the job. In my eyes, the story is pretty complete once I’ve designed the top, but the longarm artists see an entire other layer of art that is seldom visible to me. I’m happy to pay for that!” she says.
Today, Sam is best known for her approachable quilt patterns, creative design philosophy, and advocacy within the quilting industry. “I think it’s important to support and nurture our ‘newbies’ in a way that allows them to grow forward into their quilting practice with confident wins along the way.”
From vibrant colour palettes and architectural lines to her passion for text and activism through fiber art, Sam’s work is both diverse and deeply personal.
Sam also shares her industry insights and creativity beyond quilting. She hosts the RevCraftBiz Podcast, where she talks with colleagues and industry professionals about business and creativity. You can follow the podcast at www.revcraftbiz.com or find it on any podcast service.
In addition, Sam runs bespoke textile tours in Europe through www.embroideredjourney.com, offering quilters and makers the chance to experience inspiration abroad.
About the Author
Sam lives in Portland, Oregon, USA, but is English by birth. She has a grown son and daughter-in-law, and is fair to middling at keeping houseplants alive. She’s been passionate about art her entire life, and has degrees in electronic engineering, sculpture and fiber. A maker to her core, when she’s not making quilts, she loves baking, lettering and paper engineering, embroidery and travel. For more information, visit her website at www.huntersdesignstudio.com
This excerpt is part of a full article that was originally published in Make Modern Issue 50.
Latest Posts
A lil news from our team 😿
This isn't our usual newsletter. We wanted to share some news with you directly from the Make Modern team ...
