Interview with Marilyn Doheny, November 1, 2002

Interview Summary

Judy Holley interviews Marilyn Doheny, a quilter, quilt teacher, and quilt book author. Doheny discusses the quilt she has brought for the interview, which she was commissioned to create in order to showcase the fabrics in a new fabric line for the convention she is attending in Houston, Texas. Doheny talks about how she began quilting and teaching quilting 24 years prior to the interview, detailing her experience giving quilt lectures throughout Europe. She discusses quilting's impact on her family life, as it played a role in her divorce and has altered the lives of her children. She talks about her role in improving quilting techniques, particularly the rotary cutter. Doheny discusses broader opinions about quilting, including what makes a great quilt, how quilts should be used, and quilting's impact on the lives of women. Doheny gives quilters advice about the creative process and tells the interviewers anecdotes about her experiences as a quilt lecturer.

Interview Keyword

Fiber artists Quilters Uses for quilts Utilitarian quilts Fabric lines Textile lines Machine quilting Book publishing Promotional quilts Creative outlets Quilt lecturers Art quilts Traditional quilts Quilt designs Left-handed quilters

Interview LC Subject

Fabrics Fabric arts Quilts Quilting Families Communities Sewing Creativity Artistry Artists Arts and crafts Women Women's history Women's voices Textiles Textile arts Divorce Career changes

Interview Rights

All rights to the Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories (QSOS) oral history project, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred from the Quilt Alliance to the University of Kentucky Libraries. Please contact the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History regarding rights pertaining to individual interviews.

Interview Usage

Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.