LYNETTE JENSON
 

For over 20 years, Lynette Jensen's thoughtfully designed and produced patterns, fabrics, and books have reflected her distinct upscale country style and supported her customers' creative pursuits, making her a leader in the quilting industry. Her generous spirit and bountiful ideas provide inspiration to fans that share Lynette's passion for creating the pieces that make a house a home. With the creation of her Thimbleberries Quilt Club, which numbers more than 500 retail shop members and over 50,000 consumer members, Lynette has indeed developed a very loyal and avid following. The landmark year of 2008 marked the celebration of 20 years in business for Lynette Jensen and Thimbleberries!

In addition to designing fabric, Lynette operates a successful pattern company called Thimbleberries. Thimbleberries was first launched in 1989 when she introduced eight projects at International Quilt Market in Denver. She found inspiration for the name of her pattern company from the thimbleberry, a wild berry that grows in the northern Great Lakes and produces a tiny red fruit shaped like a thimble. Thimbleberries has since grown to be one of the most successful quilt pattern companies in the United States.

Lynette, who steadfastly believes that if you're going to do a job, you should strive to do it well, feels the creative steps are as important as the finished product. Lynette's success comes from her ability to re-invent the Thimbleberries look, and create the types of high-quality, traditional fabric designs and easy-to-follow quilt patterns that appeal to mainstream quilters.

Lynette designs eight major collections and one flannel grouping a year for RJR. Thimbleberries fabrics convey a lifestyle defined by integrity, quality, and taste with Main Street sensibility. In addition to fabric and embroidery, Lynette licenses her designs in an array of products, including braided area rugs by Colonial Mills, Thimbleberries Stencils by Quilting Creations International, Signature Scents in collaboration with Toronto-based SOAK, and beautiful sterling silver jewelry by Charland.

In 2004, Lynette received the prestigious Michael Kile Award of Achievement. Created in honor of the late Michael Kile, publisher of The Quilt Digest Press, the Michael Kile Award is given to people in the industry who share Michael's commitment to excellence and have made contributions that will have a long-lasting effect on the quilting industry. In 2005, she was awarded Quilter of the Year by the Minnesota Quilters Board and Show Committee honoring a Minnesota quilter who has dedicated time and talent to the preservation and promotion of quilting, has made a significant impact on the quilt community, both locally and nationally, and has a collection of personal and professional quilted work.

Lynette is a best-selling author of books for Landauer Corporation, Rodale Press, C&T Publishing, and over 200 self-published Thimbleberries books and patterns selling over a million copies. Showing people how to surround themselves with familiar pieces from the past to make their homes warm and inviting is what Lynette is all about. Thimbleberries' mission is to deliver a premium creative experience, listening and responding quickly to the marketplace in order to maintain a position as an innovator in the industry.

Lynette's involvement in the community is strong and she is a proud sponsor of the charitable organization Faith's Lodge. The mission of Faith's Lodge is to provide a place where couples and families facing the serious illness or death of a child can retreat to reflect on the past, renew strength for the present, and build hope for the future.