Bonnie Leman is the founder of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, the longest-published, most widely-circulated, and perhaps most influential quilt magazine in the world. Working at home with members of her family, Bonnie entered the quilt world by selling patterns by mail order under the company name Heirloom Plastics. Through Quilter's Newsletter Magazine and the magazine's sponsored exhibitions, she showcased thousands of quilts and thereby greatly expanded the audience for quilting. In her "Needle's Eye" editorials, she played a key role in stimulating national interest in making quilts to celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial, the importation of quilts by the Smithsonian, and the debate regarding art and traditional quilts. Bonnie, a member of the Quilters Hall of Fame, retired in 1996; but her daughter, Mary Leman Austin, continues to provide leadership for the magazine.
Bonnie Leman is the founder of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, the longest-published, most widely-circulated, and perhaps most influential quilt magazine in the world. Working at home with members of her family, Bonnie entered the quilt world by selling patterns by mail order under the company name Heirloom Plastics. Through Quilter's Newsletter Magazine and the magazine's sponsored exhibitions, she showcased thousands of quilts and thereby greatly expanded the audience for quilting. In her "Needle's Eye" editorials, she played a key role in stimulating national interest in making quilts to celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial, the importation of quilts by the Smithsonian, and the debate regarding art and traditional quilts. Bonnie, a member of the Quilters Hall of Fame, retired in 1996; but her daughter, Mary Leman Austin, continues to provide leadership for the magazine.