I’m taking this ‘guest blogging’ opportunity to introduce myself to the Quilt Blogging World :)
[Thanks ♥ Michele!]

I am Benita Skinner and my husband Brad & I currently live in Tumbler Ridge, which is in remote Northern British Columbia, Canada.

I’m an independent quilt designer and Thanks to the many quilters who enjoy my designs, I make our living by selling my quilt patterns (as pdf files sent via email).
I own, update and maintain several quilting web sites including my main quilt pattern site Victoriana Quilt Designs, Free Quilt Patterns.info and Vintage Embellishments. It’s my husband who makes it all possible for me to work from early morning until night on this adventure.

I don’t have a blog on my site (they weren’t part of the quilting Internet when I began online in 2001] and up to now I haven’t even posted an ‘About Me’ page. And as there is a misperception that Victoriana Quilt Designs is a whole team of people/corporation, I thought it was time!

I began teaching my Victorian House workshop in 1993 when I still lived in Ontario. My original technique was based on my pictorial quilts that I made when I began quilting.

This led me to more workshops using my original quilt designs which I held in my home…my most popular being the Beginner’s Sampler Workshop which I now offer online.

In 2001, with some basic ‘how to’ from my son on using the programs needed to put together a web page (including making the graphics to decorate my site), I began Victoriana Quilt Designs. Through ‘poking’, as he calls it, I taught myself enough about the programs to start offering my quilt designs as pdf patterns. Of course I also knew enough to hire my wonderful tech guy to handle the code for any ‘real’ tech programming.

And in 8 years of monthly updates I have accumulated quite a sizable site. I offer my pattern designs to those who purchase Memberships and now they can also be purchased by non-members.
Plus be sure to check out the Complimentary Patterns and the Library for all the quilting information available, which is a great place for quilt beginners to learn. And of course look for the Sharing section with Quilting Pen Pals & Charm Swaps plus the Used Quilt Books for sale by visitors.

When quilting blogs began to appear I was already very busy with my monthly updates. Since I do not take pretty pictures (I thank my husband for those!!!) which are required to be a good inspiring blog, time made it impossible with how busy we both were already….so I chose not to have one.

This left me out of your great quilt blogging community. I watched from the side lines adding the links to quilt blogs that offered free quilt patterns & tutorials as I found them, onto my other quilt sites: Free Quilt Patterns.info and Quilt Lessons.

I’ve decided to add a ‘Blog Roll’ page to my Feedback & Links section next month. I would love to exchange links with quilty bloggers. Let me know about your blog (via email: benita at victorianaquiltdesigns dot com) and I’ll be happy to add it to my list!

As of 2009, thanks to the nudging of my other son, I also have a Facebook page that allows me to connect with quilters, plus I love sharing my online quilty travels on Twitter.

I hope you enjoy your visit!

Benita Skinner
Victoriana Quilt Designs

Want to be a guest blogger too?