Jo Zimmerman

Jo Zimmerman

Jo Zimmerman lives in the mountains between Laramie and Cheyenne.  A retired Marine Corps officer and disabled veteran, she looked forward to moving to the area for decades and finally realized the dream in 2020: 

““I am now where I was always meant to be.”

Other than taking one quilting class years ago, she is self-taught in all her hobbies.  From wood working to quilting, drawing and painting, she feels she is a “jack of all trades, master of none”.  In her words:

“I enjoy creating so much. It has enriched my life and if it brings joy to others, so much the better.”

Her quilts and wall hangings are quilted using free motion quilting whereby she guides the fabric “sandwich” freely under the needle to create the design.  No computer program is used to control the machine.  It is her favorite part of the process: 

“Almost trance-like, I move the piece this way and that, realizing a pattern where none existed before.

It is both relaxing and invigorating at the same time.”

Jo donates much of her work to local charities and donates quilts to the VA for their disabled veteran’s programs.

 Making Batik Fabric

Batik fabrics come primarily from Indonesia but can also come from India or Bangladesh.

They are hand-dyed using an intensive, multi-step process.  To see how these beautiful fabrics are created, check out this video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nsMFIZfBiE

 

Statement - My work is divided fairly equally between fabric art and artist pencil drawings. Wildlife inspires my drawings and I strive for realism. I always draw the eyes first as they capture the spirit of the animal. I use primarily batik (hand dyed) fabrics for my quilts and wall hangings. Batiks seem more natural to me and a work can be inspired by one fabulous piece of fabric.