A lifelong seamstress with a background in floral design, quilting is a natural choice for Cheryl Malkowski. She began quilting in 1993 and works exclusively by machine. Every genre of quilts appeals to her, but for her own work, she particularly enjoys portraying flowers in some form. Her work has been displayed in galleries and juried quilt shows including the AQS show in Paducah.
In 2002, she developed a technique for drawing with chenille color sticks which led to designing some patterns for cheryl rose creations and to writing the book Easy Chenille Appliqué, with C&T Publishing in 2005.
Not one to get stuck in any kind of quilting rut, that book was followed by Fun With One Block Quilts, which features 12 projects, some in multiple sizes, all made from one simple block. Excellent for beginning quilters, it also offers a jumping-off place for more advanced quilters looking for a format where the block becomes secondary to the color play. Next came Quilt-O-Grams, which is all about fast, fused and quilted cards--all just for fun!
Her latest book, Blocks to Diamonds, still with C&T Publishing, features 12 projects that take traditional blocks, skew them into diamonds and then use them as one arm of a Radiant Lone Star-style quilt. The results are breathtaking, and surprisingly simple. Nearly all the quilts in the book were made by quilters new to the technique.
In 2008, Cheryl started designing quilts for fabric companies, specifically for Timeless Treasures, where she works with their Tonga Batiks lines, and Paintbrush Studio. 2010 brought the introduction of her first line of fabrics, with Paintbrush Studio called Dahlia Dreams.
Teaching has become one of her favorite parts of life. Cheryl keeps her classes relaxed, fun and informative while opening her students' minds to new possibilities. She loves to travel and teach.
You can see her on the internet on The Quilt Show with Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson—Episode 4 of the first season.
Cheryl lives in Roseburg, Oregon, with her husband, Tom, and Bosco the dog where she operates her pattern company; cheryl rose creations, and teaches quilting classes. She has two grown children and two grandchildren.