Bob and I have owned and operated the Schoolhouse House Quilt Shoppe in Canton, Ohio from 1976 to 2001. Now, I am going to focus on designing quilting fabrics, writing books and promoting our website. We will still be available to take your calls and fill your requests. In this new endeavor, Bob and I will have an extensive quilt show schedule, which will allow us to see our old friends and meet new ones.

Before opening the shoppe I was making quilts, teaching quilting and collecting antique textiles. For the past 15 years through a collaborative effort with Marcus Brothers Textiles, Inc. I have been sharing my knowledge of antique textiles by designing reproduction textiles for the quilt market.

Using my personal collection of antique textiles as a guide, I style and color at least eight lines for Marcus each year. All of the fabric lines are 100 percent cottons and are primarily produced in American mills. My first line, produced in 1987, The Centennial Collection was a huge success. Since then, I have produced such notable lines as, Discover America, Aunt Grace Collections, Baltimore Album Prints, Civil War Prints, Emily's Calico Garden, Miniature Collectibles and on and on. Each line is coordinated to work with previous lines.

Running the Schoolhouse Quilt Shoppe has inspired me to collect, study and write. Each new project seems to have been a response to a personal interest or the desires of our customers. My knowledge of antique fabrics results from extensive reading, researching and studying fabric collections in institutions such as The Shelburne Museum in Vermont and The DAR Museum in Washington.

Miniature quilts and applique are my forte and a time-consuming interest for me as I enjoy hand piecing and hand quilting. In addition to this, I have written several books, one on miniatures and several on patchwork. My books always promote the use of the fabrics I design.

Judie Rothermel