Meet
Miriam Neuringer
She built the foundations of her career
- piece by piece.
Sometimes taking the lone route leads the solo traveler to places he or
she might not have discovered had a guide shown the way. For Miriam Neuringer,
"sometimes" has occurred more than once. For the Texas quilter, teaching herself
to quilt has taken her down some very rocky roads. In fact, she almost gave up quilting
altogether because achieving the piecing perfection she envisioned was downright
frustrating. In retrospect she realizes a good teacher could have given her the needed
pointers, but as fate would have it, Miriam continued to plug along on her own.
Frustration quickly turned into fascination when she discovered foundation piecing.
"Using the technique was simple and my blocks were perfect,"
says Miriam. "It also put the fun back into quiltmaking. Who could ask for
more?" Once she started making quilts she was proud of, the design ideas kept
flowing. Having computer expertise, she was especially pleased to see how high-tech
equipment lent itself to rendering her "homey," traditional designs.
Miriam even
went on to create Quilt-Pro, a software program that she markets for designing quilts. How
would any guide have known to lead her there?
The editors of Chitra Publications recognize talent when they see it, and
they immediately acknowledged Miriam's. That's why they published Favorite Foundation
Pieced Minis: Book II. The first book contains some of the favorite foundation-pieced
patterns that appeared in previous issues of Miniature Quilts magazine. This
follow-up book is devoted entirely to Miriam's work. It features step-by-step instructions
and stitching tips for foundation piecing that won't let the novice go astray. But the
real highlight of the book is its 10 fun-filled patterns with titles that will give you an
idea of their charm and appeal. "Angels at My Window," "Bless This
House," "Coffee Break" and "Home for Milking" are just a sampling
of the patterns, which range from "easy to advanced."
Having been a quiltmaker for more than a decade, Miriam has found happiness by turning
her passion into a career. She and her husband Jim Salamon are co-owners of Quilt-Pro
Systems, Inc. and the Foundation Factory. In the Dedication of her book, she humbly thanks
him for his support:
To my husband Jim,
who makes it all possible,
and to my daughter Amy,
who makes it all worthwhile.
Underlying all of Miriam's work are two inspiring messages:
"Persistence pays off" and "If at first you don't succeed, piece, piece and
piece again!"
To view Miriam's quilts, visit
our gallery.
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