Karla Alexander lives in Salem, Oregon, in a two-story 1950s house where her studio is just outside the breezeway. The household includes her husband, Don, and the studio dog, Lucy. Karla has written several books on the art of quiltmaking. She also has a pattern line under the name Saginaw Street Quilts and she is a designer for Creative Grids Rulers. As the years have rolled by, she has watched, enjoyed, and been intrigued by the changes in the quilt industry and has always found her niche there, one way or another. Karla is fascinated and inspired by the patterns found in everyday life--baskets, freeways, the view from an airplane window, doorframes, you name it. The patterns she sees are often reinvented as quilts or provide the springboard for many of her designs. As a teacher, Karla enjoys immersing herself among her students, knowing there is a lot to be learned from each one of them as well.