Background

Kim Schaefer

I have been interested in art and design for as long as I can remember. As a child a pack of crayons and a pile of blank paper would entertain me for hours (and it still does!). In high school I studied in a specialized art program and concentrated on weaving and batik design. My college years were spent at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, where I studied fine art with an emphasis on fibers. In 1983 I took my first quilting class and that was it… I was hooked! I began selling my quilts in 1989 while exhibiting in juried folk art shows in Pennsylvania and Chicago. While I enjoyed designing my own quilts, I soon grew tired of making 20 and 30 of the same design. We once got an order for 400 of the same quilt for QVC, it took forever to make them and they sold in less than 3 minutes! I hope I never have to do that again!

Starting the Business

In 1996, Little Country Quilts (Now Little Quilt Company) made its debut at the Quilt Market in Minneapolis, with 8 patterns for small wall quilts.

My Family

Of all the things that really matter in my life, my family is my heart. I live in an 1830’s Victorian farmhouse in Southeastern Wisconsin with my super cool husband, Gary and dog Rio. I have 6 children (yes 6!), three of which are still at home, 2 stepsons and 2 stepdaughters. They are loud and fun and amazing and are my greatest joy in life. My Mom, Dad, and 2 sisters also live nearby.

The Business Today

Today, I continue to design patterns for Little Quilt Company. I also design fabric for Andover Fabrics and work with Leo Licensing, which license my designs for nonfabric products. I have partnered with C&T Publishing, which have published several quilt pattern books featuring my folk art designs. I spend my summer days at our cabin in my awesome studio that my husband built for me last year. I spend my winter days at our home at the dining room table (which we only eat at once a year), exactly where I started years ago. I feel so grateful to be able to work at home. The kids have grown up so quickly that I’m glad to have been there for them along the way. Now that they are older and want a little more time to themselves they sometimes ask if I don’t want to get a ‘real job’ (in this case their ‘real job’ entails me leaving the house to go to work.)



While I spend my time drawing and designing patterns and books, sewing and painting fabric lines… all the fun things; Gary actually runs the business. He does all the shipping, business correspondence, accounting, and transcribes my handwritten mess to disc for my books… all of the not fun things (and he hardly ever complains.) Without him there would not be a Little Quilt Company. Thanks husband.

In the future I hope to be able to continue doing what I am doing now, bringing you my whimsical folk art. I hope my designs inspire you to create and bring a smile to your face. To all of you who have supported Little Country Quilts and Little Quilt Company, thank you from the bottom of my heart, you have allowed me to live my dream.

Fabric Lines

I am so fortunate to work with Andover Fabrics in creating my fabric lines. Their commitment to bringing you, the consumer, the highest quality fabrics is unsurpassed in the industry. I hope that my whimsical folk art collections will inspire your creativity and bring you a smile. Please take a minute to browse through these collections that I have designed for Andover.

For a listing of fabric shops in your area or to place a wholesale order for any of these fabrics please contact Andover Fabrics at 1.800.223.5678 or visit www.andoverfabrics.com.