Quilt Designer News

Dori Hawks
www.thequiltercommunity.com:  Your online quilting magazine

TheQuilterCommunity.com is definitely a family business; the co-creators are mother and son. David Hawks came up with the idea when he was listening to his mother, Dori Hawks, talk about the sheer magnitude of quilting information and thought of the opportunities for the web to deliver it in a more useful manner.

David, whose career has taken him to work on web development projects with companies like Chrysler and Sprint, wanted to find something he could do on his own. After listening to his mom talk about quilting over the years, he started to realize there was an opportunity to bring a quilting site to quilters at a level of professionalism that hadn’t been done before. With his mother’s help and contacts in the quilting world, he thought he could create a site that was easy to use and made sharing information within the quilting community easier and more resourceful.
 
Dori is an avid (Now that is an understatement!) quilter and had recently found the wonders of the Internet, but was dismayed by the lack of a quilting web site that had information all in one site, and also contained information that was up to date. When David brought up the subject, she was very intrigued and instantly hooked. They spent several months discussing the project and determining the best way to create and design the site.

Then they got the rest of the family involved. Jim Hawks, Dori’s husband, became the investor and financial analyst. David’s wife Janet, who is also a web developer, helped with page creation and site wording. Other members of the family have pitched in to help, too (including a two year old who loves to “deliver” documents as they come out of the printer to one of the three computer operators [Mommy, Daddy, or Yama] in theQuilterCommunity.com office.)

David, Janet, Jim, & Dori

With David’s programming and business knowledge and Dori’s quilting wisdom, they hope the site will be a success. Working on this project has also brought the two closer together, and so far has kept Dori chained to her computer and too far away from her sewing machine! One main thing, we are all enjoying working and maintaining theQuilterCommunity.com

Dori Hawks
www.thequiltercommunity.com:  Your online quilting magazine

Q:  Is there a special time of the day, day of the week or emotion that you find yourself in when you sit down to design a quilt block or quilt? Can you tell us about it?

A:  I always design best when I have a deadline…..I do some of my most creative work when I have to do a block or a quilt for a challenge, an event in someone’s life, a book, a website, etc. It gets my mind working and I feel an energy to create.

Dori Hawks
www.thequiltercommunity.com:  Your online quilting magazine

Q:  If you could pick any ONE quilt block (old or new) that you’ve either made or designed that exemplifies how you feel toward quilting, what block would that be – please name it and show us a picture (drawing or photograph) of it.

A:  I am not sure I have a favorite pattern, but I love to work with triangles in a block or quilt design.

“Starz” by Dori Hawks
Free Pattern Can be Found HERE

You may purchase Dori’s Signed by Friends book at any of the online shops listed below:

• Soft Expressions
• Amazon

Dori Hawks
www.thequiltercommunity.com:  Your online quilting magazine

Q:  If you were to describe your quilt designing style by comparing it to food, what “recipe” would you say your quilt designing is made up of?

A:  I would have to say that my quilting is a vegetable soup recipe with a fantastic variety of designs and fabrics.

Q:  Please tell us a little about yourself … your name, your website, some of the names of your recent quilt designs.

Dori Hawks
www.thequiltercommunity.com:  Your online quilting magazine

A:  After visiting Quilt Festival in Houston 20 years ago, I realized immediately that this was something I was going to be doing for the rest on my life, and doing it with a passion! Making and being around quilts and quilters has brought an unexpected joy to my life. It is fun!

Joining local quilt guilds, wherever we are living, has been one the first things I do when we move and I there find instant friends with whom I share common interests and a passion for anything to do with quilts.

I have written two books on quilting: A Quilter’s Book Of Baskets and Signed By Friends and have more books planned. Just before writing the books my family and I began a website devoted to quilting that includes articles on quilting, quilt patterns and galleries of quilts. It has been an amazing experience.

One of my current quilt projects have been a series of quilts to send kids off to school with, and baby quilts. My largest ongoing quilt project has been to give a quilt to all of my family members.

You may purchase Dori’s A Quilter’s Book Of Baskets at any of these online shops listed below:

• Soft Expressions
• Cross Stitch UK
• Amazon