Debora Konchinsky, Brienigsville, PA
www.critterpat.com
Debora is a vendor at the show, Critter Pattern Works and will be teaching a class, “Get Over Your Fear of Machine Appliqué.”
More about Debora:
Carolyn: How many years have you been quilting?
Debora: I’ve been quilting since my son was 5 when I took a class in 1977. Everything was done by hand in the class. The following year we moved from Kansas to Ohio and I taught the class. My students didn’t have time to do things by hand, so I taught myself how to machine appliqué (before WonderUnder was invented) and then taught the class.
Carolyn: What motivated you to start quilting?
Debora: I couldn’t find any appliqué patterns I wanted to do. I have a BFA degree in Fabric Design and I didn’t want to make appliqués that had as much detail as a cookie cutter.
Carolyn: Where have you traveled in your quilting teaching career?
Debora: I’ve taught in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and England…places where they speak English.
Carolyn: What is the most, unusual, frightening, funny, frustrating experience you have had in your quilting career?
Debora: I was teaching a small group of people how to use fusible, so they could appliqué. The first person glued the appliqué to the pattern, not to the background. I held the example up for all to see. “Don’t do this.” They all did exactly what I told them not to do. It was Murphy’s Law in action.
Carolyn: Does anyone else in your family quilt?
Debora: No. My mother could mend. My maternal grandmother made clothes for my teddies. My paternal grandmother had quilts on the beds but I never saw her sew.
Carolyn: What is your birth order? – Only child, first, second, third, or ??
Debora: I was the 2nd child of two.
Carolyn: Where did you grow up?
Debora: Philadelphia
Carolyn: Do you have children – grandchildren?
Debora: I have one son and seven grandcats. They scatter when I come over to visit.
Carolyn: Do you have any pets? 
Debora: We have two cats right now. We’ve had as many as six cats at one time and two dogs, a Border Collie and Irish Setter. We adopted Cali (short for Calico, as in fabric and cat) in December 1999.
Carolyn: What is your favorite food?
Debora: Fried tomatoes with milk gravy and corn on the cob.
Carolyn: What would be on your “bucket list” (like the movie) if you could do anything and money were no object?
Debora: Figure out landscape design. Explore Peru (oh, to see the very old and complicated fabrics!). Win a Best in Show. Design and make some mosaics. (My father made 3-D mosaics. I have a pelican he made with a 2 litre soda bottle inside.)
Carolyn: Do you have any other hobbies besides quilting?
Debora: I love making necklaces with glass lamp work beads shaped like animals. I collect animal beads. It doesn’t take up much space and doesn’t cost a lot. It is fun.]]>
