After teaching quilting and making wearable art since 1972, Lorraine started Lorraine Torrence Designs, our wearable art pattern business, in 1996 with four patterns. Each year we have added new patterns, and in some years have discontinued patterns. In 2000, Gina Bronow gave us the opportunity to buy her pattern company, Grainline Gear, which we did happily and eagerly. Since we bought the company, we have added new Grainline Gear patterns every year designed by guest designers. Our two pattern lines depend on a talented team of indispensible individuals. Let me introduce them:
Lorraine Torrence
Lorraine holds a BFA in Art and an MFA in Sculpture but started making quilts in 1971. She has been teaching quilting since 1972 and now teaches on the national circuit as well as in other countries. Her love of clothing mixes with quilting skills and results in wearable art that has been exhibited in 3 Fairfield Fashion Shows, 3 Bernina Fashion Shows and 7 AQS Fashion Shows. She has won numerous awards on the AQS Fashion Show and has judged that show and other wearable art shows several times. She owns two lines of garment patterns, has written 2 books, contributed to others and in 2001 designed her first line of fabric for Clothworks.
Diane Roubal
If you call our office on Tuesdays or Thursdays, Diane's upbeat voice will answer your call and 99.9% of the time will have the answer you need. She is my generous and intelligent office assistant and that's not all! She has been my chief sample sewer since 1996 and knows the patterns inside and out. Her long resume in sewing and quilting includes the 2 year degree in Custom Clothing and Design at Seattle Community College after a 4-year degree from the University of Washington. She has worked in Quilt Book publishing, retail quilt shop fabric sales and in free lance custom quilting and sewing. I couldn't do without her!
Ruth Vincent
Ruth is the talented designer of Grainline Gear patterns Crossroads Jacket, Quattro Curves Jacket, Jambalaya Jacket and Mandalay Medley. She brings with her a background in textiles that ranges from garment and quilt design to retail fabric sales to administrative work in the Wholesale Fabric Company, In the Beginning, to work as a Museum Curator. Ruth's designs for Grainline Gear are consistently top sellers!
Deanne Bodeau
Her academic background and real life work experience in the L.A. garment industry as a fashion designer mixes with Deanne's passion for fabric and quiltmaking to result in more great designs for Grainline Gear. Her flair for trends and contemporary style is apparent in her designs for Grainline Gear including Walk on the Wild Side Pants and Bungee Jumper. Deanne works full time for Clothworks, a wholesale fabric company. None of us wants to get too far away from fabric!
Lisa Dolson
Another very indispensible part of the team puzzle is our so, so, so expertly talented patternmaker and grader, Lisa Dolson. Professional training in patternmaking, design and grading, as well as experience in the Dallas garment industry gives Lisa the background for what she does for Lorraine Torrence Designs and Grainline Gear patterns. But her endless generosity, good advice and conscientious attention to detail is something she was born with. She's the one who takes our original patterns and prototype garments and tweaks the fit and refines the pattern style details. Lisa lives in a rural area of Montana with her husband and young children where she mixes fashion know-how with domestic things like canning fruit! I'm very fortunate to have Lisa on the team!
Mike Torrence
Lorraine's husband, Mike, is a General Contractor specializing in residential remodeling but is regularly persuaded to drive Lorraine's booth and merchandise to various wholesale and retail shows across the country. He knows everything about the patterns except how to sew them, but could fool the most savvy garment maker with his extensive sewing vocabulary. He also offers plenty of business advice (some of which I actually take!) helps with Quick Books Pro and always gives me good-natured support.
Ben Torrence
My talented son, Ben, manages to find time to help me with those mysterious computer graphics tasks like magazine ads, brochure designs and pattern covers. And does it like a pro! I'm lucky he agrees to moonlight for me when he's busy with a full time day job in residential remodeling and a night business as owner of a record label, Woodson Lateral (Google that if you're interested in music!)
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Lorraine Torrence Designs
2112 S Spokane St
Seattle, WA 98144
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