Designer Profile on Charisma Horton: A Charisma-tic Quilter

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Charisma Horton has been gracing us with her cheerful quilt designs for just a few months, but it seems like she has been an integral part of The Quilting Company for longer. Her cheerful disposition and gorgeous quilts make her a designer that we love to work with regularly. Here we learn a little more about this talented designer and quilter.

An Introduction

I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, but moved to the Pacific Northwest in high school. Now I live in a small rural farming town in central Washington. I am married to “The Rob” and we have six children. Most of them have left the nest now, with just one left at home. We love animals and hope to someday move to North Idaho (the Idaho panhandle) to live on land with lots of trees and animals. I didn’t grow up with a quilter or anyone that really encouraged my artistic talent. I pursued that on my own through teachers and friend groups. I always wanted to be an artist, I just didn’t realize I would find my niche as a quilter.
Charisma Horton
Bars of Stars appears in Love of Quilting March/April 2019

A Quilter is Made

I started quilting in my early 20’s. My lifelong friend Courtney’s mother, Janeane, would be stitching little embroideries and I thought they were adorable. I asked Janeane if she would teach me. Once I had a bunch of those little blocks embroidered, I had to learn how to sew them together. I asked my husband’s grandmother if she would pick up an inexpensive sewing machine for me while she was out at yard sales. She said she had just replaced her old machine and she would give it to me. I had no idea what a gem I was getting at the time. The machine was given to her by her parents as a wedding gift. It’s all metal and in a desk. She had it serviced for me, hauled it over, and I learned how to quilt. Back then we didn’t have the internet so I spent a lot of time in tears with my seam ripper. I would buy magazines and dream of being able to make anything featured in them. I still have those magazines and the machine. Now I longarm quilt for Courtney and Janeane, and I am contributing to magazines. I am beyond blessed and feel so humbled. I certainly never thought all of those tears would lead to this!
Charisma Horton
Garden Lattice appears in Quiltmaker January/February 2020
To read more, get your copy of Quiltmaker January/February 2020.

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