Maple Island Quilts

Meet designer Debbie Bowles

by Linda Hungerford, Freelance Contributor

Quilt designer Debbie Bowles was born in Jewell, IA, and now lives in Burnsville, MN. As Debbie puts it, she is from a family whose hobbies involved “sewing, knitting, cross-stitch, paper, and all kinds of junk crafts.”

Though her grandmother was the family quiltmaker, ensuring that quilts were around the house, it wasn’t until Debbie was in her 30s that she tried quiltmaking herself.

“I followed Marti Michell’s book Quilting for People Who Don’t Have Time to Quilt,” said Debbie. “After making my first quilt, I was hooked.”

But becoming a quilt designer was not Debbie’s chosen career path. Her first job was teaching elementary school. Two sons later, she became an at-home mom who did lots of volunteer work with the school, church, and Boy Scouts. When she began teaching local quilting classes using designs she’d created for classroom use, requests started to come from people who were not in the classroom. By the mid-90s her contemporary quilt designs were on the market.

“I had no idea it would bloom into a business,” said Debbie.

By 1998, Maple Island Quilts, named after the street on which she lives, was a growing enterprise with a two-fold purpose -- to create: 1) achievable, fun designs, and 2) designs that take advantage of great fabrics coming into the market.

Carol Britt, owner of Batiks Etcetera & Sew What Fabrics, believes Debbie has reached both goals.

“Her designs are smart and now,” said Carol. “They look sophisticated but are not difficult. And, Debbie makes the most of new, innovative fabrics.”

Now with 39 single-title quilt patterns among the more than 70 designs she offers, Debbie said her most frequently-asked question is, “Where do your designs come from?”

Her response: “I am sure the designs don’t come from me. I firmly believe much of my inspiration comes from God, and this was His plan for me.”

After studying a piece of fabric, looking at historical blocks or through textile books, visiting a museum, or observing floors patterns -- the shapes in rugs and arrangements in tiles -- Debbie said, “I spend a lot of time with graph paper. I begin with several shapes. I might find a line or a small segment that gets placed with another design. It involves returning to a design many times, tweaking and tweaking.”

She added that this seems amazing to some people because she can’t even draw. She joked, “Nobody even wants me on their Pictionary team!”

Because Debbie doesn’t settle for anything less than clear and concisely written instructions, a lot of pattern testing happens before a new design of hers is released. Debbie relies on feedback from a select group of women who meet monthly to discuss her latest ideas. They look at Debbie’s hand-drawn patterns and sew.

For the testers the sewing process is much like making a mystery quilt. There’s usually no photo of the project, and each quilter must choose fabrics based on the pattern instructions or block diagram alone.

“That’s the real test,” said Debbie. “If somebody doesn’t ‘get it’ from reading the pattern instructions, then I need to know. It basically means my designs are picked apart! Together, we look at everything: value, color, well-written instructions, how the instructions are arranged on a page, and even whether there’s a ‘fun’ factor. The testers can pipe in about anything, and they let me know when an idea doesn’t make the grade. These women are probably the most valuable part of my business.”

Debbie deliberately creates designs that make use of typical quiltmaking tools.

“I don’t want to make people buy additional tools to make my patterns,” she said. “Instead, I want them to look at a pattern and say, ‘I can do that!’”

Benartex, Inc. Marketing Director Susan Neill has worked with Debbie for six years. Susan said she always looks forward to seeing Debbie’s new designs.

“With her easy-to-follow directions, each pattern has the potential of being a small work of art,” noted Susan.

To keep up with consumer trends, Debbie does “informational phone calling.”

She explained, “I talk with shop owners in different parts of the country to see what is selling and what customers seem to want.”

So what can we expect in the future from Debbie Bowles?

She answers, “I have every intention of continuing to design patterns. I can’t imagine not designing quilt patterns. And that’s the greatest thing about having your own business…I can re-invent it as often as I like!”

Reprinted from SQE Professional, August 2007