Doughty, Kathy

Author for C&T Publishing

Kathy Doughty is the owner of the popular Material Obsession patchwork shop, a creative hot spot known for embracing contemporary trends in quilting while sitting firmly on traditional construction methods and patterns. Kathy is a quilter, driven to express herself through her quilts and to open the door for others in the process. Although Kathy grew up in Ohio Amish country and spent a decade in New York City, quilts were not on her radar until she moved to Australia in 1990 and started a family with her husband, John. Stepping away from a busy career in marketing to raise a family meant she suddenly had time to consider what to do with her hands as a stay-at-home mother. For nearly eight years she quilted on her own, learning the skills she needed from library books and guesswork. Eventually she met other quilters, which led to opening a patchwork shop in 2003. Her husband is the Material Obsession photographer, and they now work as a team running the business and creating the images for the books and website. Fascinated by color and design, Kathy adopted quilting as the method of choice for keeping her hands busy interpreting the environment in which she lives. This is Kathy's third patchwork book and it, like the others, is full of quilts that are impulsive, are full of color and movement, and depict a busy, enthusiastic approach to life. "Busy fingers keep the brain entertained and the heart happy," she says. Kathy lives in Sydney, Australia, and when not at work Kathy spends time with three sons, practices yoga, and tries to stay fit while being absolutely obsessed with making quilts. You can find out more about her life, family, and shop at the Material Obsession blog: materialobsession.typepad.com.