A native of Culpeper, Virginia, I learned various needle crafts from my mother, grandmothers, and Sewing 4-H club leaders. As a young girl, I remember sitting on my grandmother’s shady back steps hand piecing Four Patches in the summertime. (The basketful of Four Patches with gargantuine running stitches is my longest running UFO!) In 1976 when the U.S.A. celebrated its bicentennial, there was a resurgence of interest in colonial crafts. That’s when the quilting bug bit me! Bed quilts, baby quilts, and wall quilts–all are of interest. I find inspiration from traditional quilt blocks and settings, but I applaud the Modern Quilt Movement as well. I enjoy the challenge of designing with parameters: challenge blocks/quilts, Jelly Roll and Layer Cake quilts, stash quilts, block swaps with friends.
Aby’s quilt designs have been published in Quilters Newsletter, Quiltmaker, Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers, McCall’s Quilting, Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting, Fons & Porter’s Quick + Easy Quilts, and Quick Quilts.
abyquilts 
I am on the planning committee for NC Quilt Symposium 2017 which is being held at William Peace University in Raleigh, NC. The dates selected for symposium are May 18 to 21, 2017. NC Quilt Symposium consists of classes, lectures, a quilt show and vender mall and entertainment. On Thursday night, there is an opening ceremony, teacher show and tell of projects they will be teaching at Symposium, and book signing. Classes are either half day or full day (a few have run for 2 days) and begin on Friday morning and run through Sunday morning. Teachers may also be asked to provide a lecture for 1.5 hours. Each full time student may take 12 hours of classes and one lecture. In the recent past, attendance has been around 200 full time students and about 150 part time students. It is a regional favorite and many quilters and teachers return to renew Symposium friendships. You have been proposed as a potential teacher and I am writing to ask about your availability for the selected dates. Please also respond with several potential courses if you are available. We will initiate developing contracts in the near future. I appreciate your help in sharing the love and the techniques of quilting. Best wishes, Judy Corley-Lay
Thank you for the Unlimited Possibilities Tote Pattern. I have made 14 this Christmas to give to friends…all are different. Thank you so much for your clear writing.I would like to send you a few photos…how can I do that?
where do I find the texture fabric for the “Zoo City” quilt, have the panel, thanks
Good morning, Aby. I have signed up for your Get the Point workshop at NC Quilt Symposium next week. I have a couple of rulers that are similar to the EZ angle ruler. One is an Easy Angle II (10 7/8 inches) and the Omnigrid #96(6 7/8 inches). Would either of these work as a substitute for the EZ angle?
I’m looking forward to this class. You held a workshop for our guild, Alamance Piecemakers, a couple of years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Hi Abigail,
My name is Jackie Hillman. I read your article “Cut Goose” in Fons and Porter magazine today. I have been making quilts with disappearing flying geese for 11 years. I do lectures, workshops, and sell patterns throughout Texas. I would love to talk.
Hello Ms. Abigail. I am trying to make the above mentioned quilt from the pattern in the November/December 2019 Fons&Porter’s quilt magazine. I can’t figure out how you attach the very two pieces together. More precisely triangle B to triangle A. It is not clear from the description which way B should be attached.
I am a fairly experienced quilter but I don’t understand your instructions. Could you please help me.
Thanks
Monika
Sent from my iPhone
Monika, look very carefully at the first diagram. There is a faint white dotted line on the small brown triangle connecting the 90 degree angle to the center of the hypotenuse. Draw and stitch on the line. Then flip the upper half of the triangle downward and press, covering the lower half of the triangle. Trim away the excess beneath the triangle that you flipped downward. This technique is like making corner triangles by stitching diagonally through small squares placed atop large squares, aka “ snowball corners.”
I am interested in using your “Warm Air Rises” as a project in a beginners class. (McCalls Quilting,Sept/Oct 2020) Is your pattern available to be purchased by quilt shops? If so, please send information on ordering. If the pattern is not available for purchase, how would students access it?
Thanks,
Patsy
Students should purchase a magazine that contains the pattern. If their favorite newsstand is sold out, they can shop at Quiltingdaily.com. Click Shop. click Magazines. Click on the magazine cover photo. Let me know if you need more info. I am excited that you want to use my Flying Geese design for a beginner class!
Having trouble with cutting for Jacob’s Nine-Patch. Has a correction sheet been published?
Casey, write to me at aby.quilts@gmail.com. Tell me the specific fabric and measurement that has you stumped and I will look at the magazine instructions. We can figure it out together.
Hi Aby! I finally pulled out some star blocks that I won at a Big QU Spring meeting (more than 11 years ago, possibly closer to 15) to try and put them together. While doing so, I noticed that two of the squares have your name printed on them in the seam allowance! I was so surprised and pleased. They brought back many happy memories of your time at Springfield QU. I enjoy seeing your quilts in various magazines. Keep up the wonderful work. Joan Oelschlager
How fun, Joan! Thanks for reaching out and finding me on my blog!
Hi Aby,
I’m away from home for a period of time and have just started your pattern Ring Around the Rosie from the April/May issue of Quick Quilts. My only problem is that I copied my pattern in black and white 😫😫😫. Is there any way to get a color copy of the second page of the instructions? I was a subscriber of the magazine and just didn’t plan well when I got my quilt parts ready to travel. Thanks!
Debbie