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closeQuilting skin doctor enjoys pursuing her passion when she is away from the office
Local doctor, Barbara Fox, is a finalist in this year’s Pacific Northwest Quiltfest
Nate Hulings
Barbara Fox gets paid to be a dermatologist. During the week she runs between her two offices in University Place and Puyallup, sees about 40 patients a day and is also meeting with architects and helping plan design new offices for Cascade Eye and Skin Centers.
But the work she doesn’t get paid for is what Fox said keeps her stress levels down and is her one true passion: Quilting.
Over the past 12 years, Fox, 55, has turned from a novice quilter who frequented the Pacific Northwest Quiltfest as an observer to a finalist who will soon have two quilts displayed. The three-day event from Aug. 8 through 10 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center puts 290 quilts and wearable art on display, with entries coming from six Northwest states and four Canadian provinces.
Fox entered two quilts into this year’s show: “Sound Through the Shutter” and “Color Palette II.”
“Sound Through the Shudder” is a perspective shot from a photograph she took while looking out her bedroom window into her yard and the Puget Sound. The tedious six-month process took about 150 hours to complete since the photo captured the scene from a side view and required precise measurements to help make the quilt jump to life.
Her other piece, “Color Palette II,” highlights Fox’s love of dying her own fabric, showcasing 25 colors and gradations.
And even though Fox spends many evenings after work in her own house, her quilting passion isn’t confined to her own residence.
Fox is part of multiple quilting clubs that meet on weekends at local quilting stores for classes and intense, all-day work sessions. She also travels across the country with sister Bonny Brewer to take classes from nationally renowned quilters.
She attended one such event in June. The week long, intensive program gave Fox a chance to work on projects and gain knowledge on style and motivations.
“It’s kind of like going to camp,” Fox said. “It’s inspiring because everyone is working on something interesting.”
Quilting for Fox is also more than just a stress reliever and intense passion.
“This hobby is my sanity time. It’s my relief, my sanity, my joy. I go into a different world when I go into quilting. It gives me a feeling of refreshing glee.”
Fox said that during her childhood in Illinois, she watched her mother seam but that early on her passion was music.
More than 40 quilts either hang in Fox’s house or are wrapped neatly in her closets. And while she previously had no reason to sell them, giving many to her three children, Fox said she is open to the idea.
“After a while it’s just a shame to put them in the closets,” Fox said.
Fox said some of the career quilters take their craft seriously, but the constructive criticism that comes along is well worth becoming better at the craft.
“You have to leave your ego at the door,” Fox said. “If someone doesn’t like my quilt, I can tell them I have a day job.”
The event is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $10.