From Higher Ed to Handmade: Why I Traded Classrooms for Quilting Retreats
If you had told me ten years ago that I’d go from designing university programs to running a quilt shop and retreats, I probably would’ve laughed and asked if fabric came with tenure.
My world used to be full of syllabi, accreditation reports, and curriculum design meetings. I earned a PhD, spent years teaching, and even built an entire bachelor’s program from the ground up. My days were spent thinking about how adults learn best, how to measure competencies, and how to guide students toward that elusive “aha!” moment.
But outside of work? My heart kept wandering to the sewing room. Fabric stacks became lesson plans, quilt blocks turned into chapters of a story, and the hum of a sewing machine slowly replaced the buzz of fluorescent office lights.
The Bridge Between Two Worlds.
Here’s the secret I discovered: higher ed and quilting aren’t as different as they look.
In higher ed, I taught adults how to learn.
In quilting, I teach adults how to create.
And in both, I get to design learning experiences that help people leave with confidence, not just knowledge.
The same framework I once used to build university programs — competency-based education — now shapes the way I teach quilting. Instead of grading essays, I help students master free-motion quilting, Pro-Stitcher, or serging, one skill at a time. Instead of long lectures, I give people space to try, make mistakes, and succeed.
The Joy of Hands-On Learning
One of the biggest lessons I carried from higher ed is that adults learn best by doing. That’s why our classes and retreats are built around projects you can finish, skills you can practice, and real-life application.
At the end of a university course, students left with a transcript.
At the end of a quilting class or retreat, my students leave with:
A quilt they’re proud of (or at least a block that taught them a lot).
New friends who feel like family.
A confidence boost that reminds them they’re more capable than they thought.
And I’ll be honest: quilting classes and retreats come with a lot more laughter, better food, and far fewer requests for extensions on binding.
Why I Chose Handmade Over Academia
Walking away from higher ed wasn’t about leaving teaching behind. It was about finding a new way to teach.
I realized that quilting, sewing, and creating give people something academia never could:
Instant joy. You can literally see progress as fabric takes shape.
Community. Quilters cheer each other on instead of competing for grades.
Legacy. Every quilt tells a story that outlasts us.
For me, building Fox Country Quilts and Authentic Quilting has been about weaving together the best parts of both worlds: the structure of higher education and the heart of handmade creativity.
What This Means for You
Maybe you’ve made your own transition — from office job to art studio, from corporate to creative, or from career to calling. If so, you already know: the skills you built in one world don’t disappear — they evolve.
My background in higher ed gave me the tools to teach quilting in a way that sticks. Your background — whether it’s business, nursing, teaching, engineering, or something else entirely — can fuel your creative path, too.
So if you’re dreaming of taking your hobby more seriously, teaching others, or even building a business around your craft, remember: you’re not starting from scratch. You’re simply stitching a new quilt with the fabric of your past experiences.
