About Us

Picture it: 1976. While the world is macraméing owls, doing the Hustle, and maneuvering bell bottoms, an entrepreneurial quilter and her husband launch a publishing business in their garage. One author. One book. One mission. To share the joys of a creative life.

That entrepreneurial quilter? Nancy J. Martin. In addition to authoring over 40 books that have sold more than a million copies, she’s inspired hundreds of thousands of people to create with confidence. How’d she do it? She founded Martingale. (And she got a staff.)

Through its 35 years of dedication to sewing and crafting, Martingale has published over 1,100 books that have sold more than 20 million copies, authored by more than 450 gifted designers. They study the traditions. They invent the techniques. They inspire the trends.

Thank you, gifted designers. We love you.

In 2007, Nancy and Dan Martin retired from Martingale. When they retired, they did something not many presidents and CEOs of companies do—they sold their company to their employees. A tight-knit group of 40 now operates Martingale, and 80% of them sew, knit, crochet, or craft in their spare time. Together, Martingale employees have stitched more than 1,200 quilts alone—an average of 30 quilts per person. Well hello, busy needles!

Thank you, Nancy and Dan, for your confidence in us. The company is in needle-poked but devoted hands.

From day one, the philosophy at Martingale has been twofold—to wow you with one foot planted in tradition, the other on the horizon. Tried and true meets latest and greatest. This is our passion. This is our mission. This is how we roll.

They say you should do what you love. That’s exactly what we’re doing. We love inspiring others to create a beautiful quilt, or a sassy bag, or an adorable pair of baby booties. The results are so satisfying. But more than that, our goal is to inspire a beautiful life—it’s an immensely fulfilling side effect of creating with confidence.

Shown at right, from top: Dan and Nancy at CraftWorld in the 70's; Mary and Karen packing for Quilt Market 2011; customer-service representative Cornelia on "Holiday Bling Day"; Cassie and Adrienne signing copies of Sew the Perfect Gift.