Barbara Perrino was a fine art photographer specializing in platinum/palladium printing when her agent adopted a little girl. Because the family already owned several of Barbara’s prints, she wanted to give them something different, but just as special. She decided on a quilt for the new baby and, as an avid DIYer—“that’s the Capricorn in me,” she says—she knew she wanted to make it herself. The problem? “I didn’t know how to sew,” says the Rhode Island–based artist. “Unless you count the stunning pullover top I made in my seventh-grade home economics class!”
Explore the b/perrino handmade collection
Barbara soon found that quilting scratched an itch that photography—and especially the darkroom process—didn’t. “I loved spreading out my materials and putting my hands all over them, which is something you can’t do with a picture.” At the same time, digital photography was lessening the demand for platinum prints, so in 2011 she shifted to quilting as b/perrino handmade full time.
“There are still some people who, when you say, ‘I’m a modern quilter,’ think of what their grandmother was doing,” she says. These people clearly have not visited Barbara’s shop. With an eye toward minimalism—a trait, she says, that translated from her photography days—Barbara creates quilts that are fresh and geometric, with simple shapes and clean lines that feel right at home in the 21st century.
Read on to learn how Barbara made the leap from one artistic medium to another, then shop her collection of modern-minded quilts.

Photo by Kathy Kennedy
You’re a self-taught quilter. Was there a huge learning curve for you?
Not really. I’m good with reading instructions, so I just plodded my way through it. And between books and magazines, then blogs and videos, I just kept practicing and going back as many times as I needed to until it clicked, which is something you can’t necessarily do in a classroom setting. The biggest challenge, though, was space. You just need a lot of space when you’re quilting. I love my studio now, but it’s never enough room, never enough surface.
Speaking of workspaces, what’s yours like?
It’s a semi-attached, one-car garage on my property. When we were looking to buy a house, I was like, “There has to be a garage, period.” Otherwise, it was a dealbreaker. We found this place, and it was just calling out to me. Turns out the man who lived here before us was a tinkerer, so he had already put up shelving in the garage and was in the process of converting it. We took the garage door out and put in French doors and added walls, heat, and insulation. The garage gets lots of natural light, which I’m thankful for.
I have some of my photography in cabinets and drawers, but most of the room has been taken over by fabric and machines. There’s a large table in the center so that I can work from all sides. And I use a felt quilting design wall, so that as I’m piecing things together, I can stick them up and step back and have a look at the layout.

Photo by Kathy Kennedy
What’s a typical day like for you?
I try to work every day. The challenge—and not necessarily with quilting, but with being self-employed in general—is the self-motivation to get up and do it every day. I sometimes stumble in that department. But I try to get out here, because I find that even if I’m feeling lazy or I’d rather be in bed reading or whatever, once I get out here, then it’s like, “OK.” I want to touch my stuff and play with my things and lay this or the other out. Basically, if I can get out the door, I’m pretty good. Obviously, this is easier when I have a number of orders, because then there is no question—I have to get up and get at it. One of the holdovers from my photography and printing days is a work apron. I come out here and put on my work apron, and then I just hope something happens!
Can you walk us through your creative process?
I start with a sketch using graph paper and pencils. Then I take a picture of the sketch and send it to my iPad, which allows me to plug in colors and play around. Usually, the things that pique my interest first are color combinations. Then the actual design, or a set of shapes, comes next. And really, that’s it. The colors will come to me, and then I go to the graph paper and my tablet, and I’m off to the races. I’d rather have my hands on things than on a keyboard, although I do like fooling around with Photoshop. But at this point, I think I’d even rather sit in front of a computer screen than be in the darkroom all the time. There’s something nice about working in the daylight.

Photo by Kathy Kennedy
What’s the best part of your job?
I really enjoy collaborative projects. It’s the most fun for me when someone finds me and says, “I like this, but could you do it this way, or could we try something else?” It’s all a blank slate, and I try to decipher what it is that they’re really looking for. People often come to it thinking they have absolutely no design sense or talent for design and then, by the end of it, we’ve devised a plan and worked out a design together. When customers appreciate that collaboration, that means I’ve succeeded in walking them through the process and they’ve enjoyed it just as much as I have. It’s really gratifying.
On the flipside, what’s the most challenging part of your job?
I’d say the aloneness that comes with running an e-commerce business. When I’m busy, I’m out here by myself. It’d be nice to have an extra set of hands or a conversation once in a while, but I’m not complaining, certainly. I’m very fortunate to do what I do.
Follow b/perrino handmade on Instagram.
Photographs courtesy b/perrino handmade unless otherwise noted.
46 comments
Anna from FairyToysWorld said 1 year ago
Very beautiful shop! Good luck to Barbara in her creative process!
Vadim Moroz from VadimMorozArt said 1 year ago
Wonderful designs. Congratulations on the feature! All the Best!
Mary Veneri from Skoulo said 1 year ago
I like the feeling that shop emits! Great patterns and colors!!
Monika Moroz from NickoArts said 1 year ago
Congratulations on the feature of your lovely shop. I wish you much success :)
ClassicMemories from ClassicMemories said 1 year ago
Lovely shop and items. Congrats on the feature.
TreasuredMemoryLane from TreasuredMemoryLane said 1 year ago
Wonderful quilting designs! Love the simplicity of them. Congratulation on the feature!
Kashuen Collectibles from Kashuen said 1 year ago
I love the modern look of a quilt. Congratulations on the feature!
Daiva from myfeltboots said 1 year ago
I like these pale colors so much! So beautiful color combinations and these amazing geometric compositions that I never thought I could like quilting so much. Wish you a success!
Jennifer and Gary Pierce from LoftAtticEarth said 1 year ago
Great shop! Quilting is so therapeutic, glad you discovered your inner quilter! Best wishes as you business grows and evolves!
accentonvintage from accentonvintage said 1 year ago
Awesome work! Congrats!
Nicole from Crackerjackarma said 1 year ago
Lovely story ~ beautiful craftsmanship ~ the designs are easy on the eyes and rich to the soul. Cheers to much continued success !
Tim and Brigita Cornwell from jacobswoodentoys said 1 year ago
Beautiful colors and designs! Congrats on the feature and all the best of success in the future.
Anna L. from FoxyStyleJewelry said 1 year ago
So cute home decor. Congratulations on the feature!
Tiana Kotskulich Precious Embroidery from TianaHandmade said 1 year ago
What an anamazing story! Wonderful and creative works! I wish you success and endless inspiration on the feature!
TropicalGarden from TropicalGarden said 1 year ago
Very inspiring story and designs! Congratulations on the feature!
Priscilla from Gardenmis said 1 year ago
Love reading your story! Your shop and quilts are so lovely! Congrats on the feature and best wishes for achieving all your goals and dreams :)
Rhonda Stubbs from RhondaCorner said 1 year ago
I like your designs. Thank you for sharing your story and best of luck.
Barbara Perrino from bperrinohandmade said 1 year ago
Thanks for all the kind words! So appreciative.
foofoogal54 from GracefulVtgClothing said 1 year ago
I am an avid lover of quilts. Each year I attend several shows. The uniqueness of the artists and craftsmanship is so wonderful. I love, love these by Barbara. So colorful and beautiful. Kudos to you on the feature and your shop.
Barbara Gable from CrazyLovely said 1 year ago
genius colors. I love your modern quilts!
Julie Meyer from JulieMeyer said 1 year ago
your workspace is amazing - I love bright clean spaces for best work!
Jeanne Laffin from JeanneBethDesign said 1 year ago
I love how you almost blur the seam lines, yet make the design so clean and simple! Beautiful work, and very unique! I wish you much success!
Leo Nuvunga from AfricanCraftsCenter said 1 year ago
Beautiful collection! Congrats!
Leo Nuvunga from AfricanCraftsCenter said 1 year ago
Vibrant colors. So Beautiful. Congrats!
Bren from bstudio said 1 year ago
I love the whole contemporary vibe of your shop, the designs and colour choices are fabulous! Congrats, keep up the good work.
Sherri from ButterflyFeetDigital said 1 year ago
Your work is beautiful, congrats on the feature!
Fields Of Vintage from FieldsOfVintage said 1 year ago
Amazing Quilts and pillows. Designs and colors are stunning. Congrats on the feature.
Fields Of Vintage from FieldsOfVintage said 1 year ago
Amazing Quilts and pillows. Congrats on the feature.
Michael from DeerTreeMountainArt said 1 year ago
Beautiful work and the designs are awesome. Great job Barbara!
Jennifer Tyson from LadyInPurpleBoutique said 1 year ago
Congrats on the feature Barbara! I love your fresh modern take on quilting and your designs are stunning. I wish you much success this year!
Cathy from msbijouxbeads said 1 year ago
Love your designs, thanks for sharing, nice feature!
suzannesattler said 1 year ago
Beautiful work ! Inspiring to see a traditional process presented in such a bright and fresh way.
mj gm from artprintscanada said 1 year ago
Beautiful shop
Heather Brown from TreasureTroveLLC said 1 year ago
Beautiful work! I love your work space! I'm thinking of moving from my living room to the garage as I'm taking over my house with my supplies. This gave me the motivation. :) Best of luck to you!
Rosita from pillowlink said 1 year ago
Truly inspiring story!
Sharon from YearsAfter said 1 year ago
Gorgeous Art Quilts and Pillows! Love the Geometric Designs!! Congrats!
Marcel Schmitz from ThisIsRealAmber said 1 year ago
Woooow .Thanks for all :-)
Cayman Leather from CaymanLeather said 1 year ago
Beautiful job and very unique! I wish you great success!
Debra Gilstrap from gilstrapdesigns said 1 year ago
Congratulations on your feature!! Your quilts and other home decor items are gorgeous!!! Much continued success!!!
One Stop Steampunk Shoppe from OneStopSteamShoppe said 1 year ago
Beautiful designs! Congrats on your feature! : )
farragio from farragio said 1 year ago
What a lovely and delightful shop owner, shop, and feature. Congratulations!
Olga Kaplina from KnitteditemsbyOlga said 364 days ago
Lovely shop and items.
Cutie Expressions from CutieExpressions said 363 days ago
love it!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!
Hamed And Nafi from WandooArt said 363 days ago
Her job is adorable! Great shop...
LIKA BROVKOVA from MetalLeatherArt said 362 days ago
Very cool! Good luck to you!
Sam Browne from HandyMandyPurses said 359 days ago
A lovely and honest insight into life as an Etsy Seller - wishing you continued success with your creative and beautiful designs Barbara ♥