Janet Steadman

"I became interested in quiltmaking in an odd way. In the early eighties I became the owner of a round bed. In order to make bedding for this huge bed, I found I would have to learn to quilt. Fifteen years and 85 quilts later, I'm a fulltime quilt artist."

Working with fabric has always been an important part of Janet Steadman's life. She remembers stitching bits of colorful fabric together as a child. This love of color and fabric, she feels, is what paved the way for her to be a quilter. Today she loves the challenge of starting each new piece.

Steadman's home studio, on Whidbey Island, Washington, includes a 13-foot design wall, illuminated by lots of natural light and views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula.