About me

Hi and welcome. I’m Erin Burke Harris and I love to sew.

I also like a strong margarita, the color green, cooking from scratch, peonies, bikes with baskets, good books, bubbly wine, beets and brussels sprouts. A three-mile run in autumn weather is my idea of exercise and, given the choice, I will most likely pick a fruit crisp over chocolate any day. I mostly sew on two machines: a Bernina 430 and a Janome 1600P. My photos are a combination of iPhone and DSLR. I use a Canon 60D and a variety of lenses.

I live in Kentucky with my husband and best friend, Fatty (Yes, I call him that. No, he is not fat.), who keeps me laughing, cooks on Sundays, likes to ride bikes, and is a great shopper. He also understands why fabric purchases are necessities. He is a wonderful father and I’m blessed to share my life with him. Our two teenage girls, Jane and Kate, are funny, creative and bright. It’s really fun to watch them grow up. We also have a dog, Hazel, and a cat, Scout – both are girls. Yes, Fatty is outnumbered.

My sewing path started when I was in 7th grade and my mom encouraged (although she says forced) me to take home ec. I had always been a crafty kid making whatever was the thing of the moment (friendship pins, plastic canvas embroidery, latch hook rugs, friendship bracelets – you name it), but when I figured out the sewing machine, it was a whole new level of craft. And while I didn’t sew constantly through high school and college, instead dabbling in fine arts and learning to knit, I always came back to the sewing machine. Although I sew garments and accessories as well as knit and crochet, my true passion is quilting. I especially enjoy exploring different combinations of print, pattern and color. I find modern quilting to be a wonderful vehicle to view these in the context of a traditional craft.

I started my blog, House on Hill Road, where I share the projects I'm working on as well as bits of my day-to-day, in the summer of 2006. Over the years, I have posted various sewing tutorials on the blog. Additionally, I have found a community of makers, made wonderful friends and been given fantastic opportunities to share my work in magazines and books. I even wrote two quilting books of my own books! They are called Make Your Own Medallion and QuiltEssential. You can find out more about them and purchase an autographed copy in my shop.

To keep up to date on what I'm making and doing, please subscribe to my newsletter. I'll send you a free quilt block pattern with some ideas of how to use it. You can also learn about what's going on with me by visiting the blog, following me on Instagram and liking my Facebook page. I'm on Pinterest and Twitter, too, if those are your things.

I look forward to seeing you around!