My quilt making process begins with choosing a couple of colors and shapes, sewing them together, and allowing my curiosity to explore and discover new combinations as I add to the work. I rarely sketch out my ideas ahead of time, preferring to improvise and follow my intuition. I love the problem-solving involved to get the color and composition “just right.”

Each quilt has been constructed in this improvisational way, incorporating abstract shapes, geometric forms and feature color combinations that hope to soothe, surprise and delight.

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Leigh Radford is an award-winning author, designer and teacher. Artistic, inventive and resourceful, Leigh frequently explores creative re-use and imaginative application of unusual materials.

Her books include AlterKnits: Imaginative Projects and Creativity Exercises (STC 2005); One Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit & Crochet (IWP 2006); AlterKnits Felt: Imaginative Projects for Knitting and Felting (STC 2008), and One More Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit (STC 2009). Winner of the 2006 Craftrends’ Award of Creative Excellence (ACE award), One Skein is the fastest selling title in Interweave Press history. One Skein also won the Western Regional Book Design and Production award for the best How-to Book of 2007 by the Publishers of the West.

An alumna of OCAC, Leigh continues to develop new textile based work and maintains a studio practice in painting.