My mother, Judy Hopkins, died in March 2011 just three months after being diagnosed with cancer for the second time. It was sudden, it was devastating for our family and friends, and it cut short the life of an incredibly creative woman who was an inspiration to me and to so many others.
We liked to call mom a “famous quilter” – in the 25 years since she started quilting seriously, she authored 19 books; designed patterns; designed a tool for quilters called the ScrapMaster; taught workshops; gave lectures; won awards; and designed a line of quilt-themed jewelry. Wherever I traveled, people knew my mom – in fabric stores in every small town, on airplanes, at parties and at conferences.
After Mom died, my sister Darien and I realized that we now had the responsibility for a LOT of quilts – Mom was a meticulous and duplicative record keeper and there are at least 200 of them listed in her “quiltlog.” Mom gave away, or traded, or donated, many of her quilts, but there are still piles of them in my dad’s two houses, my sister’s house and mine.
Soon after Mom died, people started asking us what was going to happen to all of those quilts. Perhaps it was just my way to put off making decisions about them, but I decided that before we did anything with any of them, I needed to document all of them.
This website is the story of my mother’s quilts and how I learned about them. I hope it is a place where her dear friends and her fans can comment about the quilts they remember, so we can make our documentation as rich as possible. I hope it is a place where I can honor my mother’s memory and her many talents.
Thank you for your effort. I will continue to look forward to seeing Judy’s work. Her book, Design Your Own Quilts: One-of-a-kind Quilts was one of my favorite quilting books.
Thanks for your comment – there were lots of people who liked that book’s approach. I’m going to ask people to post photos of their “Design Your Own” quilts in the next couple of weeks so snap a photo of yours! -Blythe
Oh how i enjoyed your mother’s talents. I have a few of her books and have watched her on various tv quilt shows. I will always remember how she made me feel I could create anything I could dream up. Thank you for sharing Judy Hopkins’ creations with us.
Thanks so much – check back as I will get more quilts posted later this week. -Blythe
Hello.
I borrowed a book from a quilting friend.
It is from your mother.
The big book of patchwork, 50 fabulous quilts
I love the book and the quilts in it.
My friend only recently bought the book and she is very happy with it.
Greetings from the Netherlands.
Janny Schoneveld
Thank you so much for your kind words. It is hard to believe it’s been four years since Mom died. It is so wonderful that she lives through her books. Send a photo of your quilts and I will post it!
I am so happy to have discovered this website! I took many classes from your mom Judy and am honored to have one of my quilts in her “Fit To Be Tied” bowtie book. We were in the Anchorage Log Cabin Quilters guild and also a ‘Quilt Go Round” group together. Judy was a friend and mentor and she is indeed missed. She lives on in her quilts and books.
Sandie Thompson Yuengling
Whidbey Island, WA
Sandie – so nice to hear from you. I am still plugging away at getting the quilts up on the site.If you see any you recognize, and have a story to share, send it my way. Are you still quilting?