If there was a day when sewing and quilting weren’t a significant part of Donna Ward’s life, she can’t recall it. Sewing from a young age, she completed her first quilt at 18 and by her late 20s was teaching quilting.
“I have been sewing all my life and can remember making a hand pieced hexie quilt when I was about 10 out of fabric scraps. Sadly that project never got finished, but I completed my first quilt when I was about 18. In 1987 I was asked to teach a few people how to make a quilt, so I set up a class at home in the afternoon while my new baby was asleep. From there, I started teaching at an adult education program and also worked at some of the local patchwork shops,” Donna recalls.
Teaching for others eventually led her to start her own quilt store. “When the adult education programs were winding down, I looked for a room where I could primarily teach and found a space suitable for a shop as well. In 2006, I opened Donna’s Quilt Studio with my daughter, Ashleigh. In 2017, we moved the studio to the basement of my home in Hamilton, New Zealand, where we sold fabric and accessories, and I offered a long arm quilting service.”
Today, Donna no longer has the studio and shop. Her business has shifted focus and is now known as Donna’s Quilting Service, where she provides long arm quilting for customers. While she has slowed her pace a little, quilting is still an important part of her life.
Even with quilting as her business, Donna’s passion for creating quilts has never faded. “I pretty much love all the processes from designing, cutting the fabric and sewing it back together, to the quilting itself. I love to do it all.” Known for her foundation paper piecing and free motion quilting, Donna describes her style as “traditionally based but with a modern flair,” often incorporating bright colours, modern prints, Essex linen, and vintage-inspired fabrics.
