On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about living the life of a quilter and writer with my guest Marianne Fons.
Marianne Fons co-hosted “Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting” on public television nationwide for many years, first with Liz Porter and later with daughter Mary Fons.
With Liz, she co-authored Quilter’s Complete Guide, one of the best selling quilting books of all time. Marianne Fons and Liz Porter were the 2019 inductees into the Quilters Hall of Fame.
Marianne served on the board of directors of Quilts of Valor Foundation for eight years. She helped establish the Iowa Quilt Museum in 2016, and in 2017 reopened The Iowa Theater, both in her hometown of Winterset, Iowa. In 2021, she was named Madison County Citizen of the Year.
Her literary life includes writing novels and assisting the Washington Island Literary Festival on Washington Island, Wisconsin, where she has a summer home.
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We begin this conversation with Marianne explaining how she first met Liz Porter and how they ended up going into business together teaching quilting, organizing shows, and writing books and patterns including their pioneering book, Quilter’s Complete Guide.
We discuss the early days of Quilt Market and the significance of that show in building the industry that we know today. We also talk about creating PBS television shows with Liz Porter and their decision to sell Fons & Porter in 2006 after a 25-year partnership.
Marianne discusses her transition from co-hosting a quilting show with LIz to partnering wit her daughter, Mary Fons, who was a novice quilter when they started. Marianne shares the challenges of receiving negative feedback and how she’s dealt with those challenges. We also talk about the significance of Quilter’s Newsletter.
Mary explains the importance of Quilts of Valor as a charitable organization. We discuss Marianne’s hometown of Winterset, Iowa, and the work she has done to help build the Iowa Quilt Museum and restore the local theater.
Finally, we talk about Marianne’s journey as a writer. She has written two novels, one of which has found a home with a publisher. She’s part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative and she also works very part-time at a bookshop on Washington Island, Wisconsin.
And, finally, I ask Marianne to recommend great stuff she’s loving right now. Marianne recommends:
- Working in a bookshop
- Baking cookies
- Hanging out with writers
Marianne writes a wonderful weekly Substack newsletter, Reporting from Quiltropolis, and you can subscribe to it right here.
