Marian Drain began sewing when she was very young
As she grew older, her love for the craft led her to pursue a degree in textile art.  Working with a variety of fabrics, patterns and styles, Marian enjoyed it all but over time she found a real niche in quilting.
 “I love to work with fabrics. I weave, I spin and do quite a few different things but quilting is my main passion,” she said.
Drain is the featured artist at the 37th annual Manteca Quilt and Doll Show on Saturday, March 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, March 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton. Admission is $7,
Initially her passion led her to write a curriculum on how to sew and quilt for a private and homeschool program in order to share her knowledge with others. Since then she has become quite the popular quilter, teacher, workshop leader and sought after speaker and feature artist with various guilds.  Her creative work has won national awards and has been on display in museum exhibitions, Denver National Quilt Festival as well as the Pacific International Quilt Festival where she received the coveted Blue Ribbon Award.
 The Manteca Quilters, an artistic organization established in 1979 with members of all ages and experience quilting levels invited Marian to be guest feature artist for the upcoming Manteca Quilters show.
 There, Marian will have a designated area where her many beautifully crafted quilts will be on display as she personally greets visitors and spends time talking with them about the wonderful world of quilting which dates back hundreds of years ago.
In the 1800s quilting was a favorite past time for women, a way for them to bond and be creative at the same time. Ladies would regularly gather together in each other’s homes and chat while hand stitching individual squares of fabric then piecing them all together to create a warm masterpiece.
Despite all the modern technology today, Marian admits not much has changed.
 “It’s still kind of the same way. We still like to get together in groups and chat and sew but now everyone has their sewing machines buzzing.”
 Quilting in itself is the process of sewing two or more layers of fabric together to make a thicker padded material.  A good quilting artist can use numerous styles such as traditional, nine patch, four patch, Baltimore Album, pictorial, contemporary, and many others to design a treasured quilt that can be handed down from generation to generation.
 Although leaning towards contemporary and modern style quilts as her personal favorite, Marian confesses, “My quilting style is all over the board, it includes everything out there because I like to make every quilt unique.”
 Through her own studio, Marian’s Magic Needle Quilting, the fabric artist creates prized quilts of all types which reflect her love and care for her work and her customers. 
 Whether displaying her textile artistry in art shows, holding a workshop, teaching, weaving, spinning or sewing, Marian hopes that through her work people will understand that “quilting is much more than just fabric and patterns but a true reflection of a quilter’s personality.”
 For more information on quilting artist Marian Drain send an email to cuddletimequilts@me.com.