Patchwork Paths: Amber Elliott’s Colorful Career Switch

In this episode of Homespun, host Misty Doan chats with Amber Elliott, the talented pattern and fabric designer behind Alderwood Studio. Amber shares her inspiring journey from a decade-long career as a software engineer to running her creative business full-time.

Key Episode Highlights:

• Amber’s childhood sewing with both grandmothers—one focused on mending, the other on formalwear.

• Why exploring multiple creative outlets fuels her inspiration.

• How she transitioned from software engineering to full-time quilt and fabric design.

• Her philosophy that success comes from consistency, learning from mistakes, and playing the long game.

• Why being “bad” at something can be freeing and creatively healthy.

• The importance of experimentation and only developing a fraction of your ideas into finished patterns.

• Insights from her new book on gradients, color theory, and adapting patterns for ombre quilting.

• Excitement for new fabric collections, pottery exploration, and finishing her current knitting project.