A little about me . . . .

Hello, I'm Teri Christopherson. I started my quilt pattern business over 30 years ago, and I'm so grateful to anyone who's ever purchased one of my patterns. I appreciate it more than you know. I get to quilt all day and call it work!

I grew up in a large, creative family in Southern California, surrounded by books, art, fabric, and plenty of sunshine. When I was six, my mom taught me to sew on her Bernina, and I was hooked.

Photo: That's me on my mom's lap.

In 1993, I walked into my local quilt shop, eight months pregnant and pushing a baby stroller, and asked if they'd be interested in selling some patterns I'd designed. They said yes, and Black Mountain Needleworks was born.

It's been a wonderful ride. Over 100 patterns, 24 books, magazine features, calendars, traveling, speaking, teaching, trade shows. I got to work from home while raising my four children -- and play with fabric all day!

Of course, there have been a few sleepless nights along the way, trying to meet a print deadline while feeding a newborn and tending a sick toddler. But that's the good stuff.

My children are now grown and out of the nest, except my oldest, Kelsi.

Kelsi was born with severe intellectual and physical disabilities, which has brought unique challenges and blessings. Mostly blessings. She keeps me company while I sew all day.

While I'm making quilts, my husband rides bikes. His hobby is competing in 200-mile races, and he usually wins. He's also good at stepping around quilt blocks on the floor.

When I'm not quilting, I write novels under the pen name Teri Bailey Black. I have two young adult murder mysteries: Girl at the Grave (which won some nice awards) and Chasing Starlight (which I think is better but received less attention).

I think that's it! Thank you for purchasing my patterns and quilting with me.

Teri