When I was little, the only one who could call me me Rose or Rosie was my maternal grandpa. He was funny and I knew he loved me so it was okay. But I hated that middle name. Until I grew up and got Malkowski for a last name. Rose was looking pretty good about then, and my husband, Tom, calls me Rosie. So when I was looking for a business name, Malkowski got voted out pretty quickly and cheryl rose creations was born.

In 1993, I started both quilting and sewing cheerleading uniforms. My daughter had just made the freshman squad and I couldn’t bear the idea of spending $50 on a little tiny piece of –wait for it—polyester double-knit?? Weren’t we over that? Somehow I convinced the other mothers at that first meeting that I could sew those uniforms. Problem was, then I had to do it! That started 10 years of sewing uniforms for almost every cheer squad in my county. It translated into about 8 weeks of working 12 hour days every summer, with the small satisfaction of seeing the girls with uniforms that fit them nicely and earning enough money to fund my growing quilting addiction for the rest of the year.

In 2001, I did a personal inventory at a church retreat where participants were asked to put all kinds of events, activities, people and places on little sticky notes, and indicate whether we felt like it was a positive or negative influence in our lives. It was a real eye-opener to see my whole life laid out on a poster board, and I could see patterns forming. We were asked what we would do if money were not an issue and if we were guaranteed success. My choice was overwhelmingly to quilt. Realizing that quilting was what made me happy, I decided to follow that passion. Sewing those uniforms just had to go, I decided, and it didn’t make any difference if I never made any money the rest of my life. Not that I was getting rich off them, but although they were taking a large toll in stress and were grueling work, the income was guaranteed since the garments were pre-sold.

Within 6 months of making that decision, after giving myself time to pursue quilting as much as I wanted, I came up with the idea for chenille color sticks, which became the design basis for 3 patterns and led to my first book with C&T Publishing, Easy Chenille Appliqué, which came out in 2005. Since then, I’ve written 2 more books for them, Fun With One Block Quilts, 2007, and Quilt-O-Grams, due October, 2008, and have several ideas brewing for more. I also work with fabric companies, designing quilts for new fabric lines, and occasionally do a quilt for a magazine.

Did I mention I absolutely LOVE my job? This is the best, the perfect way for me to spend my time!

My husband, Tom and I live in Roseburg, OR, about 3 hours south of Portland on I-5. People say, “Oh, I’ve driven through there!” Exactly. Driven through. Unless you are a hunter or fisherman, hungry or out of gas, there’s no remarkable reason to stop. But we like it. It’s quiet where we live and we can see the river out the kitchen window.

Bosco is 40 lbs of unreasonably happy dog. A Keeshond, he has a pretty short attention span, and at 8 years old, still rodeos (bucks around like a crazed bull) even when all by himself in a room or outside. He is a happy distraction for me. People who think dogs should lay in the corner and sigh once in awhile find him annoying. He is sure that everyone who comes to the door is here to play with him, and only him. If he’s not getting the attention he thinks he deserves, he will go to the middle of the room, assume the begging position and bark if necessary.

I have 2 grown children, a daughter and a son, married to wonderful people. My son lives in the Silicon Valley of CA and my daughter is closer, up near Portland, OR. She is currently taking some time off to raise my first grandchild, a boy.

So there you go, that’s probably more than you were interested in knowing. Thanks for visiting my corner of the world!

With the exception of a few days in April and May that were in the 90’s here in southern Oregon, we’ve had a very wet and cold spring. I guess that’s why it’s so green here. … But it’s so sad to see the flowers all bending down instead of lifting their little heads to the sky.

This weekend DH and I planted some seeds–green beans and 2 kinds of sunflowers. On the flower packets it said the soil had to be 60°. So maybe they’ll germinate by July!

All that to say that right outside my studio window is my little garden, where I get a lot of my inspiration. There’s a tiny fountain and lots of roses and daylilies among the perennials and other flowers. It is safe from the deer, who are sure people plant flowers for their dining pleasure and who have no mercy…And it is safe from Bosco, the dog, who thinks a daylily is just another tuft of tall grass to be sat upon, and who can’t resist getting all 4 feet wet when drinking from the pond. It is my sanctuary in brilliant color, where birds of all sorts come to bathe and drink. The garden calls to me when I need to avoid working on a manuscript or quilt design, where I can stretch and smell and enjoy my life.