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In Episode 598 of the American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast, host Beth talks with quilt and fabric designer Ann Lauer of Grizzly Gulch Gallery about her career and a visit with women quilters in Bwindi, Uganda. Published October 30, 2023, the episode runs about 42 minutes. Its most distinctive thread is the connection between Lauer’s commercial design work and the quiltmaking she shared with Ride 4 a Woman members.
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Who is Ann Lauer?
Ann Lauer is the designer behind Grizzly Gulch Gallery. The episode’s show notes describe her as an award-winning fiber artist who had spent more than 25 years designing quilts, patterns, kits and fabric professionally as of 2023. At the time of the episode, she was working on her 23rd fabric collection with Benartex. The notes mention Xanadu as an upcoming collection and Luminescent Leaves as a collection shown at Fall 2023 Quilt Market; those are historical details, not confirmation that either collection is currently available. The official episode notes provide the career context.
What does the episode cover?
The conversation follows Lauer’s pattern and fabric design career, including how she named her pattern company, and turns to her experience with quilters in Bwindi. The episode is listed as published October 30, 2023, on Apple Podcasts, with a 42-minute runtime; the show notes and listing frame the duration as about 42 minutes.
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How did Lauer work with quilters in Bwindi?
From a Uganda visit to a quiltmaking exchange
The episode publisher says Lauer and her husband encountered Ride 4 a Woman during a 2021 visit to Uganda. Lauer’s own account describes returning in fall 2023 for a five-day visit. She says she taught the quilters a half-rectangle approach and assembled her Walk About design with them. She also observed that they used quilt-as-you-go construction, assembling sections of a quilt in a way that can make it easier to work without building the entire quilt sandwich at once. These details come from Lauer’s account of the visit, rather than an independent report.
The materials and tools Lauer described
Lauer says the quilts she saw used vivid, large-scale African fabrics and large squares and rectangles. She also recalls worn rulers, cutting mats, rotary blades and scissors. According to her account, Brewer Quilting & Sewing Supplies later donated basic tools. This is a description of the conditions she observed on that visit, not a general inventory of what Ride 4 a Woman quilters use.
What her reported figures mean
Lauer writes that eight women had made nine quilts during the five-day 2023 visit and that fabric for one quilt cost $100. These are figures she reported on her page, not independently verified or current cost estimates. Her account also gives historical context about the organization and its projects; figures there for school and household solar costs should not be treated as present-day prices.
What is Ride 4 a Woman?
Ride 4 a Woman describes itself as a Ugandan nongovernmental organization supporting women in Bwindi who face poverty and other hardships, including HIV, domestic violence, single motherhood, widowhood and limited access to schooling. Its current website lists activities and projects including pedal sewing, basket weaving, employment, microfinance, children’s education, safe water, solar power, agriculture and housing. The organization’s work is broader than quilting; Lauer’s visit is one account of a particular part of its activities.
The episode notes describe women sewing on treadle machines and pressing with charcoal irons in the setting Lauer visited. That detail belongs to the episode’s account of the work, rather than a claim that every member or project uses those methods.
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Where to find the episode and related information
- Read the official Episode 598 show notes for its summary and links to Lauer’s work.
- Open the Apple Podcasts listing for the episode listing.
- Read Lauer’s account of the Bwindi quilters, including her description of teaching and working on the Walk About design.
- Visit Ride 4 a Woman’s official site for the organization’s own description of its work and current activities.
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