Meet Joan Arciero | Certified Longarm Quilter and Creative Quilt Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joan Arciero and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

I am a long-time quilter and longarm quilter. I would finish a quilt top and need to have a back to complete the quilt. Most fabric comes in 45″ wide, which has to be pieced in order to fit the quilt top. I would be anxious to move onto finishing the quilt and still had more piecing to do!

At that point, I discovered fabric that is 108″ wide, wide enough to match the size of the top without piecing!! Eureka!! than I had trouble locating the wide fabric.

As I thought about this issue, I realized other quilters would love to access to a store with only 108″ quilt backs and The Quilt Back Shop was started.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Since I was young, I have been interested in all types of crafts and handwork. Knitting, crochet, needlework and quilting and garment sewing. I credit my creative skills now to the exposure over the years to all of these arts.

When I see a new craft or approach, I am challenged to try it and master that art.

I offer my longarm quilting services for quilters and I do memory and tee shirt quilts for those who have tee shirts or clothing from a loved one and want a quilt made.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My best friends and Sister-Cousins are quilters as well –  so you know where this is going. I would schedule a couple of days visiting the local quilt shops, maybe taking a lesson or two on a new approach.

Always a must, we would spend a couple of days in my Quilt Studio, working on projects or longarm quilting a current project.

Wine tasting would be on the agenda and eating would focus on fresh food maybe include a visit to the Dallas Farmer’s Market. Then there is always movie night!! I find a great girl-flick and settle down in my media room with quilts and a glass of wine to watch. My husband makes the best, from scratch, popcorn, and he delivers!!


The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I worked with Longarm Quilting Academy in Fort Worth to learn how to use my Handiquilter Longarm Quilting Machine and fine tune my skills. Also gained knowledge from them on how to use my Prostitcher computer for digital quilting

I gained my Longarm Certification from APQS to become more proficient in free-motion quilting.

Website: www.etsy.com/shop/thequiltbackshop

Instagram: www.instagram.com/quiltbackshop

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thequiltbackshop

Image Credits
The blue and white quilt was made from Dress Blues from the US Marines. The bottom left corner shows the patch and stripes of the quilt’s recipient. The quilt on the design wall with round colored circles is being made from antique Dresden Plate handmade blocks. My client’s great grandmother made the blocks, and she is having them made into a quilt. The crazy quilt is made from the shirts from by client’s loved one who had passed away. The Tee Shirt quilt is made tee shirts from a 10-year-old cancer survivor, the shirts tell the story of “Theia’s Cancer Journey” embroidered on the quilt