Growing up in Iran, Rana O’Connor learned to sew and enjoyed making many of her own clothes. She came to Maine as a college student, graduating from the University of Southern Maine in 1978 with a degree in Theater/Communications—and a fiancée from New Jersey who loved Maine. Together, they made Portland their home.
In 1996, the youngest of their two daughters was assigned a class project to represent the number 100. At the time O’Connor’s husband bought ties from a crafter at the Yarmouth Clam Festival, who sent an envelope of two-inch square swatches each month as an enticement. Their daughter found 100 colorful fabric squares and declared they would make a quilt. While O’Connor owned a sewing machine, a friend introduced her to the essential tools of the craft, such as a rotary cutter, batting, and a design wall. By the time O’Connor and her daughter finished turning those 100 squares into a 15” x 15” quilt, O’Connor had found a new passion.
While initially relying on patterns, O’Connor quickly grew bored with following directions and began designing her quilts for friends and family members. A chance email from her friend Henry Dallal captivated her, setting her off on the challenging and engaging path of creating portraits in fabric. That quilt is now in Henry’s home, and Henry’s photo of a horse and trainer graces O’Connor’s entryway.
In 2000, O’Connor started entering her original work in quilt shows and was thrilled when her first entry won a first-place ribbon! Her art quilts went on to win honors both in Maine and nationally. She joined Art Quilts Maine, a statewide chapter of Pine Tree Quilters Guild, and in 2012, came up with the idea of an annual touring show representing the work of art quilters. Now in its 12th year, the quilts travel to libraries and galleries from Skowhegan to Cape Elizabeth. A schedule for the current tour may be found on ArtQuiltsMaine.org.
O’Connor teaches locally at the Sewing Machine Exchange in Portland and for area quilting groups. Her commissions have ranged from one-of-a-kind baby quilts to wall hangings incorporating customer photographs and mementos. Baby quilts are in the works now, as her daughter and son-in-law are expecting their first child. Her son-in-law requested a Legend of Zelda shield as the central motif on the baby’s first quilt, and O’Connor was happy to oblige.
You can learn more about O’Connor’s quilting journey on her blog, RanaQuilts – A Maine Quilter.
If you’re a local artist and would like your work featured in the Gallery Pages of LA Metro Magazine, please email Pam Ashby – Pam@LydiaMediaLLC.com