We’ve been keeping a secret for many weeks. Now that the exciting news is officially official, we can ditch the hush-hush and shout it out loud:

The Quilters Hall of Fame inductee for 2015 is…

MIMI DIETRICH!

Congratulations, Mimi!

The mission of The Quilters Hall of Fame is to celebrate quilting by honoring the accomplishments of people who have made outstanding contributions to the world of quilting. You can learn more about the organization here.

Mimi started out with a dream to write a single quilt book—and she could have easily stopped there. That first book, Happy Endings, has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and is Martingale’s best-selling book of all time! But Mimi went on to write 16 more books and to become a master appliqué teacher, inspiring quilters around the country for more than 20 years.

Mimi’s first love has always been appliqué. She made her first quilt—featuring Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Bill—for her son in 1974, and is now appliquéing quilts for her grandchildren. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Mimi is a “founding mother” of the Baltimore Appliqué Society. She teaches a yearlong appliqué class in her hometown.

Here’s what Mimi has to say about her induction into the Quilters Hall of Fame:

“I am thrilled and honored to be the next inductee into the Quilters Hall of Fame next July. The best part is that for almost 40 years I have been doing something that I love…quilting! I am truly proud of the books I have written with Martingale, and I have loved traveling around our wonderful country and meeting quilters in my classes. For most of my students it all starts with one little hand-appliqué stitch and grows into a fabulous quilt! If you’ve enjoyed my books or taken a class with me, come join me at the Quilters Hall of Fame in Marion, Indiana, next summer…it’s going to be the trip of a lifetime!”

Want to learn techniques from a Quilting Hall of Fame teacher? Check out these books by Mimi:

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You can learn more about Mimi in these posts:

How to appliqué (from an appliqué icon)
Get the step-by-step technique from a master
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SO many ways!: finishing binding on quilts
Popular tutorial: you’ll never forget how to fold binding on a corner again
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Re-creating the star-spangled banner
Mimi tackles two-feet-wide appliqué motifs!
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You can visit Mimi online at mimidietrich.com.

We send our heartfelt congratulations to Mimi for receiving this honor from the Quilters Hall of Fame. Our gratitude goes out to her for partnering with us over the years. Thank you for continuing to inspire us all!

Do you own any of Mimi’s books? Have you taken a class with her, or met her at a guild meeting or show? Leave your congratulations and share your stories of how Mimi has helped you as a quilter in the comments!