The Artists

Kathy Craig

A longtime resident of Ronald-Roslyn, Kathy Craig has been sewing since childhood and quilting for over 40 years. She stitched her first quilt while home-bound during pregnancy, using old clothes and a fraying heirloom as her guide.

Kathy’s artistic life has always been multifaceted. A lover of all things hands-on, she’s explored needlepoint, cross-stitch, watercolor, and graphic design. But quilting holds a special place—she’s especially drawn to the planning, design, and organization each piece requires, as well as the joyful challenge of playing with color.

IIn the early 2000s, Kathy enrolled in the University of Washington’s Fiber Arts Program. There, her love of artistic problem-solving flourished, and she created some of her most inventive pieces by working within tight constraints. Her work evolves alongside her life. From traditional patterns to a current focus on abstract and collage-style picture quilts, her pieces reflect a personal and artistic journey.

Kathy previously founded Rainy Day Studio, an art and quilting space, as well as a web design business of the same name. Whether working with fabric or digital tools, she brought ingenuity, structure, and a distinctive sense of color play to every project.

Josey Kalmback

A native Washingtonian, Josey Kalmback has lived in Cle Elum for over 30 years. Her connection to sewing is stitched into her family's legacy—her great-grandmother brought a sewing machine west in an oxen cart in the late 1902.

Continuing the legacy, Josey learned to quilt from her grandmother at age eleven. Her first quilt—a Grandmother’s Flower Garden pattern—was a complex design that took two years to finish. In the process, she inherited her grandmother’s love of quilting and teaching.

A multi-faceted artist, Josey also felts, draws, and paints with watercolor and acrylics. She’s passionate about sharing her creative skills and supporting other artists. That spirit of championing art-making in the community led her to run the Hope Gallery in downtown Roslyn for seven years. Today, she brings that same energy to the Roslyn Library, where she enjoys leading the weekly Tuesday children’s arts and crafts class.

Josey’s philosophy towards quilts is that they are meant to be used—not stored away as precious objects. Every fray, stain, and faded patch becomes part of the story. For her, quilts don’t just preserve history—they carry it forward, woven into everyday life