About Ladybug's Cabin
Living on the Swan river in Montana, Monique draws a lot of inspiration from the natural beauty around her; the constantly-changing seasons, and the majestic (sometimes humorous) animals that wander by daily. Monique's quilts express her love of nature, and exploring blends of colors, fibers and textures.Born and raised on the same farm where her grandfather grew up, quilting was always a part of her life, as her mother started quilting the year that Monique was born. "Just as my father took up the plow from his father, I learned to love and work with fabric from my mom. Her creations lit my creative fire, and much of what I've learned has come from our playing and experimenting together. "
When not in her studio, Monique is teaching classes and workshops in both traditional quilting techniques as well as art quilting and thread painting. "I love traveling and spreading my love for quilting with people of all ages."
Monique was first introduced to the arts at age 3 with ballet. Dance soon opened the door to theater, and after college she worked as a professional performer and director based out of Seattle--traveling across North America and as far away as Australia and Singapore.
"My flair for the dramatic fused into my quilting after my mother enrolled us in a class taught by thread artist Ellen Anne Eddy. There, I learned the basics of dyeing fabric, and the joys of layers upon layers of thread. Ellen's techniques and encouragement I began to develop my own textile art and quilts."
Best known for her realistic pictorial thread paintings, Monique began to design patterns that would encourage others to drop their feed dogs and engage their inner child. Her collection of National Park Patterns invite quilters to play with thread painting as they stitch down their appliqué, and her flower patterns are a wonderful canvas to explore with threads, watercolor pencils and of course all of the beautiful batik fabrics!
Ladybug's Cabin was awarded Best in Show at this year's Made in Montana trade show. A panel of 13 judges spent the day on Friday examining booths and watching their owners interact with new and returning wholesale customers. They looked for eye catching displays, for unique and Montana themed products, and passionate and engaging interactions with visitors. And although there were so many seriously wonderful booths in the nearly 150 exhibitors at the show this year, it was my booth that was declared this year's winner.
This is my 2nd year being part of the Made in Montana trade show and couldn't be more thrilled to accept this honor and recognition of my work and my enthusiasm of sharing my love of Montana through the fiber arts. Being part of the trade show has not only connected me to more stores that want to carry my products, but it has bonded me to other entrepreneurs and small businesses so we can grow and learn from one another, as well as support that growth together. Those of you who have taken classes with me know that I am a strong believer in cross pollination--if your neighbor's crop does well, it will only help yours succeed. And I know full well that my success has in large part been thanks to the love and support of you all these past 10 years.
Here's to many more!