JANESVILLE
Growing up in Janesville, Janie Donaldson Mullen was in awe of her fashion designer mother. As a child, she quickly learned to sew and was taught pattern making by her mom. When she grew up, Mullen became a secretary after college. But, she quickly realized it was not for her.
Her mom encouraged her to do something she knew well.
âYou know how to quilt. Why don ât you get yourself a quilting machine and finish other peopleâs quilts for a living?â Mullen recalled her mother saying.
Mullen started quilting professionally in 1980 and since has become well-known in the quilting world. In 1989, she won âBest in Showâ at her first quilting show in Milwaukee. That success led her demonstrating her skills at several quilting expos and a co-hosting on for âQuilt Central TV,â which aired on public television stations. The show was taped in Paducah, Kentucky, from 1999 to 2008.