Designer Spotlight - Meet Amy Hamberlin

Amy Hamberlin has known the hard knocks of life. In my brief interview with her I came to know a woman who has no fear of following her passions, trying new things, and overcoming any kind of adversity that comes her way.

Amy is the owner of Kati Cupcake Pattern Design Co., and has been a fabric designer for Henry Glass & Co. for about six years.

Her quilting career began when she first made two quilts when she was pregnant with her first child. She had a Buggy Barn quilt design, and her mother-in-law taught her the stack and whack method of cutting and piecing. Those two quilts were all it took for Amy to become completely enamored with the quilting life. In fact at the age of 27, Amy opened a quilt shop! Her shop was in Rigby, Idaho in a home that was over a 100 years old.  She had her shop for 5 years, and when baby #2 came along, it was too much to raise a family and manage the shop so she closed it in 2010.

Amy Hamberlin and her beautiful family

We aren't going to dwell on the tragic in this introduction to Amy, but she has faced some tough challenges, and that's why the flexibility and creativity of being a pattern maker and fabric designer is so important to her. She has had two very serious brain surgeries to quell three meningioma brain tumors. They came as a total surprise, and it is a condition that has to be constantly monitored as there are other benign tumors still there.  

Needless to say, Amy has a huge appreciation for life. "I don't take any day for granted," she says. "Tomorrow is a gift, so live the best you can today." 

Quilt made with her previous collection, #Laugh, Love Quilt

Amy's latest fabric collection was launched in May, and it's called "Sew it - Quilt it - Love it", and it features one of Amy's latest interest; typography, or hand illustration. In an example of what seems to show off her determined character,  Amy taught herself to work in different mediums; a variety of pens, types of inks and pencils to create typography, knowing nothing about it before she started. "Typography that I have designed is so personal, and it looks great in a quilt." 

Pattern # 6662-21 - Labels

Pattern # 6661-11  Hand Typography by Amy

Pattern #6665-11  Sweet and simple flower

"There is also one design in the collection that is all of my hand lettering for labels. The personal touch lasts a lifetime, and making it personal is the best thing you can do to a quilt, especially one that is a gift." 

Her other love is pattern making. Kati Cupcake Pattern Co. was named after her own mom, who died when she was just 23. Pattern making is great therapy. She introduced two new tote patterns at Quilt Market in May under the Kati Cupcake Pattern Co. label.  "Designing patterns helps my thinking be clearer, more concise," she says, "And quilting and sewing is just plain therapeutic."

Amy's mom- Kati, whom Kati Cupcake is named after.

It was a pleasure catching up with Amy, which is hard to do these days. She is currently spending life going back and forth from Atlanta where her hubby is on a two-year assignment, to Idaho where her family (and her design studio) calls home.

It is so  wonderful to meet someone who is truly a grateful and thankful overcomer, and Amy Hamberlin is all that and so much more.