Interviewed by Elizabeth Townsend Gard in February 2019

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We’re Gar Liu , a developer, and Laura Henneberry , a quilter, and we’ve teamed up to use technology to design quilts in fun and surprising ways. PreQuilt was born one night when I was struggling to design The Circus Tent Quilt with my limited Illustrator skills. Gar looked over my shoulder and said he could code something for me that would speed up the design process. And the rest is history... Or rather it’s the start of the ever evolving web application you see here today. Start with a digital coloring page from one of our amazing collaborators or use our PreQuilt web application to create your own design! Free and basic accounts are available at prequilt.com.

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Gar Liu --

I started off as a Flash developer back in 1999 because I loved working with motion and code. Though I no longer use Flash, the joy of making apps and seeing people use it has not changed. As a freelance web developer, I love assigning pet projects to myself as a way to learn and over the years, I've created many of these pet projects. What I learned about making these projects is that the mentality of "Build it and they will come" is not true (unless you are Kevin Costner) - you have to build a community that will support you along the way. I think this is what makes Laura and I a great team - she thrives and believes in community.

 

Laura Henneberry is the founder of Commonwealth Quilts, a Toronto based quilt and design studio. Laura believes that we each have something authentic to share with the world, a commonwealth. Quilts are her commonwealth. The Circus Tent Quilt is her first quilt pattern. More of her studio work can be found

on Instagram @commonwealthquilts .