A word from Susan Varanka:

From as early an age as I can remember, I loved everything about fabrics; feeling its different textures, enjoying its colors, and, true to my Ukrainian heritage of handwork and decorative arts, actually using it. It was not until 1982, however, that I discovered quilting. Within six years I had begun designing my own patterns and was sharing the art of quilting through teaching, at first from my home and then in local recreation centers and quilt shops.

When Fairfield Processing Company selected my 1991 quilt Stormy Evolution as the model quilt for its full-color advertisement on the back cover of several national quilt magazines, I was ready to reach that wider audience. Susan's Quilt Creations was launched, and Stormy Evolution became part of a line of designs which currently has 13 different patterns in print.

My original patterns, designed to encourage creativity at all skill levels, involve both appliqué and pieced work with a wide variety of themes. Drawing upon the experience of my earliest home classes, one of which has continued for over eight years, I design pieces that can be customized to individual personalities.

Vending at quilt shows ranging from intimate church shows to four-day events has evolved with marketing my pattern and numerous specialty items to enhance quilts and quilt making.

Life in the public eye has been rewarding. An article about me in Quilting Today which featured photographs of step by step production ushered in a new style of visual workshop aides in quilting magazines. Commissions, such as a twelve-piece Lenten Array consisting of priest and altar vestments, banners and pulpit hangings, has given me the opportunity to express my strong religious faith. I have had numerous opportunities to devise the layouts for quilt shows, and to meet the challenges of judging. In 1999, my work was celebrated in a one-woman show at the Solomon Goff House - a working historical museum - in Meriden, Connecticut.

In all these ways, as well as in ongoing workshops and lectures, I continue to share my love of color, fabric and handwork to encourage others to express themselves in their own style.

I look forward to sharing quilting with you.