NANCY LEE CHONG
Quiltmaker, Teacher, Lecturer,
Designer, Author

"Queen of Needleturn"

Nancy learned to make Hawaiian Quilts from Margaret Luika Kamaka in Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii, between 1978 and 1981. Calling on her degree in Education, Nancy began teaching Hawaiian quiltmaking in 1982, when she moved to the Seattle, Washington area with her husband and daughter. In 1988, she made her first pieced quilt, and has been making both traditional and art quilts since. Hawaiian quilting and appliqué quilts continue to be her specialty. Her pieced and appliquéd quilts have appeared in magazines, quilt books, and have traveled throughout the United States and other countries.               

In 1991, Nancy and her sister, Janice Lee Baehr, formed Pacific Rim Quilt Company to sell their Hawaiian quilt patterns and promote Hawaiian Quilting.  Together they have produced two distinct lines of appliqué quilt patterns:
Hawaiian Quilts and 2 Fabric Appliqué Quilts.  They have also produced two instructional videos:
"Hawaiian Quilting with Nancy Lee Chong" (2003) and "2 Fabric Appliqué Quilts with Nancy Lee Chong" (2005).

Nancy's specialty is stress-free needleturn appliqué. She puts students directly in touch with their needle, thread, and fabric. She shows how incredibly easy appliqué is without the use of freezer paper, toothpicks, starch, cardboard, ironing, or interfacing -- all things that needlessly complicate what is otherwise a very simple process.

See more on Nancy in the January/February issue of Quilter’s Home Magazine, page 64.