FRANCES HOLLIDAY ALFORD
About the Artist
Frances Holliday Alford is an award-winning art quilter whose work has thrice graced the covers of Quilting Arts Magazine and been showcased at prestigious events including the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival.
A former Special Education teacher with a 30-year career, Frances discovered art quilting in her fifties, transforming her life and creative identity. Her journey to becoming a full-time artist was anything but linear, winding through a childhood steeped in education and creativity, a decade of alcoholism, and over 40 years of recovery.
Known for her innovative use of fabrics, embellishments, and unexpected materials, Frances creates wall-hanging quilts that are as bold and unconventional as her path. She lives with her beloved, a sociology professor emeritus, Mark Hansel, and continues to honor her muse one stitch at a time.
About the Book
A Life in Quilts: Frances Holliday Alford, 80 Year Retrospective is a celebration of artistry, resilience, and reinvention. In 20 dazzling art quilts—each with its own unforgettable backstory—Frances transforms fabric, beads, and unconventional materials into wall-hanging masterpieces.
Part memoir, part visual journey, this collection shows how life’s twists, turns, and triumphs can be stitched into works of extraordinary beauty.
The artist, sitting in front of her quilt, Self Portrait (2009).