About Wenche

A few words from Wenche:

I live in Drammen, Norway. I have been quilting since 1997. Until then I did not know much about it. A quilt magazine caught my eye one day, and since I had a lot of leftover fabric from making clothes for my children, I thought why not give it a try.

I have loved working with a needle in any shape since I learned it at school. My mother allowed me to use her green Husqvarna sewing machine when I wanted clothes for my doll.

My eldest son loves computers and he introduced me to that world in 1996. In fall 1999, I got my own computer and stepped out to the Internet where I got to know about the Dear Jane quilt. Hand piecing and hand quilting soon became the favorite thing to do.

Somehow I still had time to keep my house, tend to my four children and a dog, and study to become an English teacher. Because of this there were no time or money left for me taking quilting classes so I taught myself.

Since then my children have left the house and I have more time to quilt and learn new techniques, machine quilting being one. Sometimes I still feel like a beginner because there are so many great things to learn out there. Among all the new things were EQ, and making my own designs became a lot easier. I have since released a few appliqué patterns in Norway and have become a quilting teacher and lecturer.

I still find time to make quilts for myself and am currently working on two Baltimore Album quilts. They are without a time limit. I have become to love what I do and the quilting history is as fascinating as all the new inventions.

Wenche's first pattern for Arbee Designs is called "Blue Boy". This is a stunning bed quilt.