Judith Baker Montano's Embroidery & Crazy Quilting Stitch Tool

Judith Baker Montano is an award-winning and world-renowned Canadian fiber artist, photographer, author, and teacher who is recognized as the consummate expert in crazy quilting, silk ribbon embroidery, and embellishments.

She grew up on the historic Bar U Ranch in Alberta, Canada. Her love of fabrics and embellishments reflects her Indian, French, and German heritage. She attributes the rich, embellished ethnic influence in her work to living between an Indian reserve and a Hutterite colony where she observed beautiful handicrafts. Living in England, Germany, and Japan for eight years was another profound influence on her artwork and outlook.

Judith attended California State University, Chico, and graduated with a degree in art and journalism. Upon graduation, she painted with the San Francisco Art Guild.

Experimenting with materials and her sewing machine, Judith created the Montano Center Piece Method, a copyright-protected machine method of crazy quilting.

Judith was presented with the Governor General’s Centennial Award of Canada in recognition for her artwork as a Canadian living abroad.

She has designed for Butterick/Vogue, Bucilla Company, Mokuba Ribbons of Tokyo, Fox Hill Designs, Treenway Silks, Robert Kaufman Fabrics, Kanagawa, and Mokuba ribbons. Her work has been featured at the Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado; Profiles Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; The Dairy Barn, Athens, Ohio; Mitskoshi Department Show, Tokyo, Japan; Profiles and Visions, Alberta, Canada; and the La Conner Quilt Museum, La Conner, Washington.

Judith has been a guest artist at countless Australian Stitches and Craft Trade shows and the Tokyo Hobby Shows. Her designs have been featured in many international and national magazines such as Better Homes and Gardens, Quilts Japan, and The Quilt Life. She has appeared on the Carol Duval Show, Simply Quilts, The Quilt Show, and Good Morning Australia. She has produced award-winning tutorial videos and DVDs.

Teaching takes her throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Classes range from clothing design, crazy quilting, embellishments, and mixed media to free-form textile art. Every year, from May to September, Judith offers eight exclusive seminars in her private studio.

Judith resides in the small town of La Veta, Colorado, a conclave of artists, writers, and musicians. She lives in a restored 1876 cottage with her husband, Ernest Shealy, and an ever-increasing menagerie of pets.