About Us

Karina Hittle, founder of the design studio Artful Offerings™, is an award winning artist, pattern designer and author. Her work is increasingly recognized by the stitching, sewing, quilting and crafting communities, and by the editors of the industry's top publications. 

Karina along with her husband Audie, own and run Artful Offerings.  Married for over 4o years they enjoy working together to bring the best possible product to customers. Karina creates all of the designs as well stitching and sewing all original models/samples.  Audie supports the business operations of the company as well as doing all of the photography. Together they work adding content and updates to the website.

Karina has always loved art. Her first recollection of being obsessed with art was in Kindergarten, where on a daily basis she would negotiate with Miss Skinner for more easel time in the art area! Over the years she has enjoyed all forms of art...everything from coloring, drawing and painting to ceramics and rubber stamping. In the needle arts category, her interests lie in sewing, quilting, punch needle, cross stitching, knitting and crocheting. Karina has combined all of her artistic interests into the founding of Artful Offerings™ . She chose the name because she wanted to offer stitching, sewing and quilting patterns that integrate all the facets of art that she enjoys. Her goal is to create an artful experience for her customers, which evokes an element of excitement and surprise, from the moment they first see her patterns thru the entire creative process!

Artful Offerings™ patterns are designed to do as much or as little embellishing as you wish. Designs can range from easy and simple to easy elegance, or whatever your desire or time permits. With such diverse interests, Karina has developed an eclectic style that inspires the designs for Artful Offerings™.

2012: The importance of eternal optimisim and flexibility is truly key to success in this current economy and market.  Diversification and adaptation of Artful Offerings' designs, as well as licensing of designs to broader markets, helped offset the impact of a downturn in market growth.  Fortunately, the continued interest and support from existing creative and distribution alliance partners is helping to stimulate new ideas and to motivate consideration of growth through additional design and publication options.  We're also starting to explore various mobile applications and media options, in addition to biannual (Fall and Spring International Quilt Market) pattern releases.

2011: Attending and participating in the Oct-Nov 2011 International Quilt Market in Houston, Texas, was one highlight of the year and a second highlight was working with the very creative Matthew Mead and being featured in his 2011 "Summer with Matthew Mead" book-azine!  The opportunity to introduce our newest designs and pattern offerings in person and visiting with faithful alliance partners was much appreciated. In addition, the chance to thank our attending partners and customers for their continued confidence and support, as well as to brainstorm on new product offerings, e-business processes, and re-introduction/marketing of some of our classics, helped put a bow on an otherwise slow year.  Collaborating with Matthew Mead, celebrity lifestyle and entertaining expert, on the "Vintage Beach Tote" project I designed (featured on page 14 of Matthew's book-azine) was a career goal.  With so much going on, finding free time to expand into new and exciting areas, is hard to come by while keeping up with current design projects and sales, due to our ever expanding portfolio...now numbering 138 self-published patterns, two books with more than 3 dozen unique designs, and many more commissioned designs for various magazines!  Looking forward to 2012.

2010: Receiving word from a major partner that "all of the designs introduced this year" through their channel had reached their "best seller's" list...was music to our ears!  Revenue from licensing increased and started to become a prominent source of income this year.  The economy continued to slow overall market growth for Artful Offerings and most of our colleagues, but the sewing and quilting arts crowd is a resilient bunch and our hope and optimism shall prevail.  To all our friends and partners...patience and persistence will pay off...hang in there!

2009: Celebrating our "lucky 7th" year in business this year, it started out on a high note with the addition of several new alliances, wholesale and distribution customers and the expansion of our business into the realm of licensing of existing and new designs. We attended the 2009 International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh, PA in May, and achieved all of our Market objectives, including several invitations to grow new relationships and into new market segments, which we hope to talk more about later in the year. It's still early in the year, but Karina is working on some really exciting projects that we believe could move Artful Offerings to a new level in the design business. The "net" is playing an increasingly important role for individuals and businesses alike, and Karina was featured this year in exciting new WebTV series called Now Sewing...Behind the Seams, with Sara Boughner. The details can be viewed at: www.nowsewing.net/index/siteblog-post-action/id.21/title.behind-the-seams-fall-winter-lineup. Stay tuned for more to come later in the year... :)

2008: This was a tough year for a lot of sewing, quilting, crafting and design-related businesses, but Artful Offerings continued to grow in sales, new customers and market visibility. Once again, for 2008 the Artful Offerings Design Studio was busier than ever. Some of the highlights included being featured in magazines such as Better Homes and Gardens' Holiday Crafts 2008 and our biggest advertising campaign ever, including a full-page in the Mary Engelbreit Guide to Creative Living Sourcebook for Arts, Crafts & More. We also added an expanded "For Baby" collection this year, many more new totes and purses, as well as dozens of new punchneedle, quilted and sewing items. To date, Karina has self published 112 Artful Offering's-branded patterns and over 100 more patterns in books and magazines...a truly prolific artist and designer. Several new business alliances were formed this year with new product companies and distributors (please see our Designer Alliances page for details), which really helps to keep the momentum building and enables us to offer innovative designs and patterns using the latest and best materials on the market. We were able to attend the International Quilt Market in Portland this year, where we had dozens of original design pieces and samples shown in various partner booths. Likewise, we had many new designs featured in our partner's booths during the Houston, TX Fall Quilt Market for 2008. We always enjoy Market as it gives us a chance to catch-up with friends and business associates, browse the latest tools and materials, and just be "inspired" by all the wonderful creativity from hundreds of talented fellow artists and designers. We experimented a bit this year with our participation in a recording session for the increasingly popular WebTV format for shows like Behind the Seams on www.NowSewing.net. On these shows, you can get a complete personal project mini-seminar on topics of your interest. Karina did a show on her "Busy Baby Accessories" pattern. Please check it out and let us know what you think!

2007: For 2007 the Artful Offerings Design Studio is busier than ever...even though our New Year's resolution was to slow down a bit! Artful Offerings has a Christmas themed book that was published by Martingale & Company in August! In addition, Karina designed 15 projects for a book that features designs by a few other artists and was be published in September by Lark Sterling Publishing. Two new designs are featured in Better Homes & Gardens 2007 Holiday Crafts and Christmas Ideas magazines! Somerset Studio Gallery Magazine {Winter 2007} will be doing a full feature on yet 2 more brand new designs which will be on newsstands this coming December. DMC and Karina have been working together and 25 new designs are available during this year! In addition to all the above, the Artful Offerings Design Studio will be adding lots of fresh, fun and fabulous new patterns to their growing collection.

2006, 2005, 2004: Karina's "Holly Berry Keepsake" punchneedle ornament was featured on the cover of the Dec 2006 Create & Decorate magazine. She also had wool felt ornaments featured on the cover Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas 2006 issue as well as a "Seasonal Welcome" wool felt cone shaped container in the Better Homes and Gardens Halloween Tricks and Treats 2006 magazine. Karina had commissioned designs featured on the Jul 2006 cover and in the Oct 2006 issues of Australian Homespun. Her "Be Mine" and "Love" quilted Valentines were featured in the Jan/Feb 2006 issue of Fons & Porters Love of Quilting magazine and on the DVD 800 Series "For The Love Of Quilting" television show! Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Crafts 2005 magazine features 2 of Karina's designs which are captured on the cover and inside. They are called "Holly Berry Topiaries" on the cover and inside beginning on page 40 & a bench pillow called "From the Pumpkin Patch" which begins on page 14! In 2005 Quilt and Appliqué Quilts magazines each featured an Artful Offerings' design by Karina and in November 2004, Quilting Professional magazine prepared a feature article introducing Karina in her art and sewing studio.

2003, 2002: In addition to recent publications, Karina's work has been recognized by her peers and in judged competitions. She won awards in the May 2004 International Husqvarna Viking Creative Challenge "Professional Collection" competition, the Autumn 2002 Keepsake Quilting Challenge as well as the 2002 and 2003 Merri Stitches Annual Quilt Contest. Her quilts were also featured in the 2002 Fiber Arts Conference and "A Quilter's Gathering" sponsored by the East Coast Quilters Alliance in 2002.