About Us

Pam Bono lives in beautiful Pagosa Springs, Colorado with her husband and partner, Robert and their two English Bulldogs: The Earl Of Brumley and The Incredible Hulk! The Bonos have two grown sons who are married, and a 2 year old granddaughter.

Pam was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where she began her career as a graphic artist in the late 60's, working as production manager for advertising agencies. During her spare time, she began designing crafts. As the advertising agency world was not appealing, Pam began her career as a craft and quilt designer in 1978, opening her own business called "Flying Fingers." The kits and patterns produced by her company were in every major chain store in the U.S.A.

In 1981 her "Transportation Quilt" design made the cover of Better Homes & Gardens magazine, and over 200,000 patterns were sold. Pam continued to do exclusive designs for the magazine and Craft & Book Club for 17 years.

In 1984 the Bono family vacationed in Durango, Colorado. As Pam's ancestors were part of local history and development in the late 1800's, her ties to the small town were significant, although she had never seen it. The family fell in love with Durango and moved there in 1985, opening Pam Bono Designs. Pam had gained popularity as a quilt designer with her appliqué designs. In 1994 the companies first book was published by Oxmoor House/Leisure Arts. The quilts in the first book were entirely pieced, and it opened up an entire new world for the Bono's, as Pam's husband Robert designed the cover quilt with his wife. Because of the books success, a second book followed. Both books have recently been combined by Oxmoor House. The 50 project book is titled "The Big Book Of Rotary Cutter Quilts."

As the Bono's "quick piecing" techniques developed, Robert invented a tool called "The Angler™". It eliminates the need to draw or press diagonal seam guidelines, and is used by millions of quilters internationally. A third book and CD was produced in conjunction with The June Tailor Company, and a fourth with Husqvarna/Viking which integrated Pam's beautiful embroidery designs for Viking with the Bono's quilt designs.

With the knowledge that thousands of quilters had a desire to make Baltimore Album quilts, but did not have the time to do the tedious hand appliqué required, Pam designed two "quick pieced" Baltimore Album quilts as a Block-Of-The-Month project. The popularity of this imaginative pattern series was followed by another "quick pieced" pattern series shortly after 9/11 called "Out Of The Darkness, A New Beginning."

Pam Bono Designs has produced four books for Leisure Arts, adding a new way to quick piece an old technique in their new book titled "Rectrangles." With her graphic arts background, Pam produces all of the books, and the Bono's style their well known photography with photographer, Chris Marona.

After 24 years in Colorado, and a visit with their son Dallas, his wife Kendall and their two grandchildren in August of 2009, Pam and Robert decided to move to Athens, Georgia to be near their family, and to be more accessable to guilds and shops for lectures and workshops.