Meet Mark Lipinski

You will be hard pressed to find a more entertaining lecture personality and enjoyable quilting class than one taken with national quilt teacher and quilt designer, Mark Lipinski. Called "the bad boy of quilting," Mark's no holds barred, brutally honest, riotous PG-13 talks are half quilting and all stand-up comedy.
As a designer, Mark's work has been seen in McCall's Quilts, McCall's Quick Quilts, Quiltmaker, American Patchwork and Quilting's Quilts and More, The Quilter and Fabric Trends magazines and has been a guest on HGTV's Simply Quilts.

He has also launched a line of his own quilting patterns, called The Quilts of Pickle Road. Mark has been commissioned to design products and workshops for Island Batiks (Bali and California), M&S Textiles (Australia), Langa Lapu (South Africa), Wrights EZ Tools, Libas Limited Silk and the Prym Dritz Company. Mark is also a Bernina educator and has designed a line of fabric for Troy called, Katmandu. He has also agreed to author several books for C&T Publishing over the next year.

His work with a senior citizens group won the "Viewer's Choice" award at the The State Guild of New Jersey Quilt Convention (the largest all volunteer show on the East Coast) and had been commissioned by The National Council of Jewish Women to design, teach and construct a quilted huppa (a wedding tent or canopy) project for the group which has been completed.

A veteran, Emmy Award nominated and Cable Ace Award winning, talk show producer and programming executive, he worked on shows such as Oprah, The View, The Joan River's Show, Attitudes and Ricki Lake (to name but a few). Mark has also conceived and developed an innovative magazine for quilters named Mark Lipinski's Quilter's Home, which is published by CKMedia and is available on newsstands and by subscription.

Locally, Mark is the past Vice President of the State Quilt Guild of New Jersey, the past Vice President and Quilt Airing Coordinator for The Common Threads Quilters, and member of The Nubian Heritage Quilters, The Garden State Quilters and The Brownstone Quilters.

On a national level, Mark is a member of the Quilt Professionals Network, Studio Quilt Art Associates, and the American Quilter's Society.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mark has called "home" to San Francisco (where he was a social worker at The Children's Hospital of San Francisco and headed up the milieu program for the Adolescent Day Treatment Center), Miami, Chicago, and Manhattan.

Mark and his family moved from the hustle and bustle of New York City into a historical 1864 "fixer upper" in Long Valley, New Jersey where he raises honey bees and laying hens when he's not being 'called' to his design studio (where his family will one day find him dead and crushed by the too many bolts of fabric and years worth of magazines and books that he has, can't throw away, and will never use).

Katmandu

Fabric with a touch of the exotic.

If you are like me, buying just regular old quilting fabric gets to be a bit boring. I mean, how many times can you buy the same ol', same ol'? Fabric boredom led me to inspiration: the ancient art of henna painting (aka Mendhi). Henna has been used for centuries to decorate the skin. Why not celebrate the uniqueness of this art form in fabric? Well kids, Katmandu was born. The fabric created to be embellished.

What can Katmandu, do for you?

Katmandu has been printed with designs that allow the user to cross stitch, bejewel, embroider... you can even use the fabric as is if so inspired. Let your imagination be your guide as to what you want Katmandu to be.

For more information please visit www.marklipinski.com.

Favorite Clover Tools

Magnet Pin Caddy - Gathers and stores pins safely, elmiminating the need for a pin cushion. Allows for easy pick up and secures pins in one direction. Designed with a groove for easy pickup. Cover included for safe and easy storage.

Yo-Yo Makers - Quick and easy Yo-Yo Maker templates. Quick Yo-Yo Makers allow you to make evenly spaced stitches to create beaufiful gathers. Fold the seam allowance, rounding off to make nicely shaped yo-yo's.

Kantan Bead Couture Tool - This old art of Embroidery using a fine hook on a fine cloth stretched in aframe is called "Tambour", reborn with Clover's Kantan Couture Bead Embroidery Tool. Basic techniques with this tool can create beaufiful motifs using sequins and beads. Embellish/Design and make it your own. Your imagination possibities are endless.

Embroidery Needle threader for smocking - Needles exclusively for smocking and other embroidery work.