Meet Ruby Short McKim

If you're a quilter, you may be familiar with Ruby Short McKim. Under the name McKim Studios, Ruby had a 21-year career as a quilt designer, publishing patterns in the Kansas City Star, through a mailer order business, and in a book, One Hundred and One Patchwork Patterns.

In the February/March 2016 issue of Quilter's Newsletter magazine, Barbara J. Eikmeier authored an article about Ruby and her prolific quilting career. The article is a fantastic preview for what we'll be sharing tomorrow--a peek at Barb's brand-new fabric collection, Vintage 30's Ruby's Treasures, produced in conjunction with McKim Studios. We talked to Barb about her connection to Ruby and her work. 

Q. How did you connect with Ruby's work and studio?
Barb: I heard Ruby's granddaughter, Merrily McKim Touhey, speak at an event about a year ago. 2016 is the 100-year anniversary of the publication of Ruby's first pattern, and the McKim Studios was planning a year-long celebration. Ruby is really well-known in quilt circles, especially in quilt history. 

Q. Tell us a bit about the article you wrote.
Barb: The QNM article celebrates 100 years of Ruby Short McKim. I got information from research papers done about Ruby, as well as her book. Merrily shared information with me, as well as Ruby's archives. The article shows many of Ruby's quilts and embroidery designs, all from the archives as well. 

Q. How did this connection lead to a fabric collection?
Barb: I wanted to do something to commemorate the anniversary. Ruby was from Independence, MO, Paintbrush Studio is a Kansas City company, and the Kansas City Star, which printed Ruby's first pattern, is still in printing. 

Q. Describe your personal connection with Ruby. 
Barb: I feel like I'm kindred spirits with Ruby. We're both quilters; she had so many different things going on, different areas of interest, and I do too. The fabric collection that we're launching is called Vintage 30's Ruby's Treasures, and it's a combination of 30's prints and two panels of Ruby's embroidery designs.  

Come back to learn more about the fabric line (and see it!) tomorrow!

Read the article yourself! Find the February/March 2016 issue of Quilter's Newsletter magazine here.