Bobbi Collins - Certified Instructor

Bobbi Collins

Certified Instructor
Locations served: Based in Texas, Travels Nationwide & Internationally

Meet Deb Atchison 

Bobbi was born to Wayne and Dixie Pennington in 1959 - into a family of quilters.  Making the rural area around Ada, Oklahoma home, she attended Vanoss School and was part of one of their largest graduating classes at the time, almost 30 students!  

At 16 years old, Bobbi sat and listened as her mom and granny talk about quilting while looking at some Sunbonnet Sue applique blocks partially completed.  She announced she wanted to make a quilt.  She was thinking about the Sunbonnet Sue blocks, but her granny jumped into action and changed that plan.  After dumping scraps from clothing her mom had used to sew clothes for her over the years into the floor, granny cut a square from a piece of newspaper, gave her a pair of scissors, and told her to cut 5 prints and 4 solids into squares using the newspaper template.  Cut as many sets as you can, she was told.  She hand pieced all the 9 patches and sewed them together into a quilt top.  Years later mom and granny added a red border and hand quilted it for her.  It is one of her most prized possessions.

As happens with teenagers, Bobbi’s interests expanded and quilting took a back seat.  After graduating high school in 1977, Bobbi married Anthony (Tony) Collins that same year.  He was in the U.S. Navy and they moved to Florida and then South Carolina before returning to Oklahoma.  After returning, Bobbi finished her degree in Accounting and went to work in a public accounting firm.  Her daughter, Constance, was born while her husband was in the Navy and her son, Nathan, after she became a CPA.  She later joined the U.S. Navy and retired in Hawaii after 21 years of service.  She also owned several businesses to include a quilt shop, business coaching, and tutoring support.

Along the way she would pick up quilting a little and then get distracted, but the spells of picking up quilting would last longer each time.  One day her daughter corrected her when she referred to quilting as her passion and made sure everyone understood it is her obsession.

Bobbi has grown and improved in her quilting over time as she learned new techniques and practiced a lot!  She now does traditional piecing, applique, foundation paper piecing, adds machine embroidery, and just recently added a longarm quilting machine to the mix.  

Over the past couple of years, Bobbi found Legit Kits and had to try her hand at making these fabulous pieces of art from her favorite medium, fabric!  She is now hooked and finds it exciting each time she completes a new block, places it on the design wall and begins to see the picture come into focus!  

Reach out today and join Bobbi in a workshop, retreat, presentation or class to share this passion, excitement and joy!

First Pattern: Land of the Free

Favorite Pattern: Usually the one I’m working on. But I also LOVE Starry Night

Locations served: Based in Wichita Falls, TX but I travel Nationwide – U.S.

Connect with Bobbi via email: bobbi@buildingonbasicswithbobbi.com or check out her website, www.buildingonbasicswithbobbi.com.