QN: Readers raved about this cover quilt. What's its story?

MH: I was born in Vienna, and this quilt honors my Austrian heritage. Each of the dancing couples represents one of Austria's nine provinces, and the border of grapes symbolizes the wines the country produces. On the outer border, I illustrated scenes of my family.

And Crown Thy Good with Brotherhood, 102˝ x 102˝,QN January/February 2001.

QN: This was no ordinary millennium quilt. When it was here at QN for photography, we literally spent hours exclaiming over every detail.

MH: Our family immigrated to Southern California in 1971, and in 2000 I became a U.S citizen. To celebrate, my friends threw a party, and each gave me a fat quarter of patriotic-themed fabric. This quilt is my vision of what the millennium should bring-freedom, prosperity, and peace.

Sierra Sunrise, 74˝ x 74˝, QN October/November 2009. 

QN: And here's Sierra Sunrise, the California quilt, one of your husband's favorites. Why does he like this one so much?

MH: He likes the block pattern and the color. He says it's stylish, and not overdone, pretty, or flowery. He says it's a man's quilt.

QN: So have you gotten away from making detailed, elaborate quilts? What are you working on now?

MH: The piece I'm working on now will be called elaborate when it's finished. Right now I call it time-consuming. It's definitely not a man's quilt. 

QN: What's it like to see your quilt on the cover of QN? 

MH: Well-that's pretty exciting. It's like winning an Oscar. What an honor it is to be given the number one spot, and how cool to be Lady Luck again.