About Pine Needles

The Design Company Born from a Cabin in the Woods

Pine Needles is the creative heart of McKenna Ryan’s artistry - a design company she founded in a tiny cabin nestled in the forest of East Glacier National Park, Montana. What began as a quiet personal discovery quickly became something more: a new voice in quilting, rooted in nature, emotion, and storytelling.

After falling in love with appliqué quilting, McKenna found herself stitching late into snowy nights, moved by the joy and peace it brought her. Encouraged by the response to her early work, she began dreaming up original designs - ones that reflected the wild beauty around her and the stories in her heart.

Pine Needles took shape almost overnight. Within six months, McKenna had created a full collection of hand-appliquéd patterns and debuted them at Quilt Market. Her work stood out immediately - not just for its intricate beauty, but for its soul. Attendees kept saying, “There’s something different about this.”

The name Pine Needles came just as naturally. It perfectly captured the two inspirations behind the brand: the stitching needles she used every day and the evergreen landscape that gave her designs their spirit.

From the beginning, Pine Needles brought something fresh to the quilting world. At a time when most patterns leaned toward floral and traditionally feminine styles, McKenna’s designs featured moose, bears, cabins, and forests - elements that resonated with a broader audience. Quilters were thrilled to finally have meaningful designs to make for the men in their lives, while still staying true to the warmth and heart they cherished.

Though the company has grown over the years, Pine Needles remains true to its roots: heartfelt, nature-inspired designs that invite creativity, comfort, and connection. Every pattern, every fabric collection, and every product we create carries forward McKenna’s original vision - to tell stories in stitches, and to help others find joy in the art of making.

Inside McKenna Ryan’s World

In McKenna Ryan’s world of quilt artistry, hummingbirds hover over brilliant blossoms, elk bugle in lush fabric forests, eagles soar across quilted skies, and wisps of smoke curl from cozy cabins in the woods. Her scenes are so inviting, you can’t help but want to step into them—and stay awhile.

McKenna’s creative journey began as a child along the shores of Lake Michigan, where she spent hours collecting driftwood, rocks, and wildflowers to craft one-of-a-kind natural art pieces. Ever the artist and budding entrepreneur, she even held “shop hours” in her bedroom, inviting family members to browse and buy her creations.

Not much has changed—except now her art reaches hearts around the world.
McKenna found her true calling when she left behind a successful corporate career in Boston and Manhattan to follow a quiet longing back to nature. That path led her to the remote wilderness of Montana, and—by chance—a visit to a quilt shop that would change everything. “It was as if time stood still,” she recalls. “The colors, textures, and designs of the quilts moved me beyond words... and the seeds were planted.”

Those seeds quickly took root. After moving into a small town nestled near Glacier National Park, McKenna discovered a community of women who quilted to pass the long winter months.

One snowy night, she bundled up and hiked to a neighbor’s house for her first appliqué quilting class—and was instantly hooked. Within days, she bought a $50 sewing machine, cleared out her bedroom, and transformed it into a studio. Once again, she was creating original art—this time with fabric as her canvas.

Inspired daily by the breathtaking landscapes around her, McKenna began designing quilts that reflected the natural world she loved. At the time, nature-themed patterns were rare, so she started making her own—leaning into her innate sense of color, composition, and storytelling. Before long, she launched her own design company, Pine Needles.

Through her quilts, McKenna tells the story of her life and artistic journey. Collections like At Home in the Woods, Calling Me Home, Petals of My Heart, True Nature, and A Journey to Light chronicle different places and chapters of her path—and have since become beloved classics in the quilting world.

In addition to her well-known patterns, McKenna has become equally known for her exquisite fabric lines. As a fabric designer, she draws from the natural world—translating organic textures and tones into prints that complement her quilts and elevate the entire creative process. Each collection is carefully developed to support and enhance the story behind her designs.

Today, McKenna’s work continues to inspire quilters, makers, and dreamers across generations. Her designs invite people to slow down, stitch with purpose, and connect more deeply - with creativity, nature, and themselves.

Meet the Rest of the Pine Needles Team

At Pine Needles, our team is the heart of everything we do, dedicated to upholding McKenna’s standards of excellence in design, products, and customer service.

Shelby, MVP / All-Around Guru

"I'm always amazed and pleased at how much Shelby goes above and beyond. Superior quality products and customer service have always been the underpinning of Pine Needles, and she embodies that.” ~ McKenna

Shelby is smart, savvy, creatively talented and dedicated to providing support in every way possible, from hunting down old, discontinued fabrics at other shops so a customer can do a pattern they bought many years ago, to helping quilters step by step through the pattern they’re working on. But that's not all Shelby does - she's amazing in her support of everything to do with Pine Needles from pattern writing and development to packaging design, detailed and painstaking work to produce top notch laser kits, fabric lists, promotional work, website work, spreadsheets, oh gosh, she's the go-to guru for just about everything! She's a single mom working from home so sometimes if you're lucky you will hear her sweet and wild little one in the background! He's a delightful handful whose constant chatter makes you giggle, and she handles it all with ease and grace all while never missing a beat at work. We wouldn't be able to do this without her!

Tess, CEO - Chief Everything Officer

Tess grew up immersed in all things Pine Needles from the day she was born. From being strapped in a front pack while McKenna was at the design table, her first crawl to touch the vibrant design eventually named "Tessa's Garden", to being 5 years old and trying out her hand at design. She’s played a vital role in assisting McKenna every step of the way. She’s left a little piece of her heart in almost every McKenna Ryan design!

If you've ever had the pleasure of working with Tess, you know she's something really special. The love she exudes in everything she does is palpable. She's made the transition from helping in McKenna's studio to helping with the business, bringing with her a level of insight that is unmatched and input that is invaluable. Her kindness with customers, willingness to tackle any project and handling any issue that arises make her a vital member of the Pine Needles team. We’re so lucky to have her!

Vicki, Shipping Manager

Our amazing shipping manager, Vicki, is also so wonderful at jumping in all avenues of the business! She primarily focuses on all things physically hands on to ensure orders are assembled and out the door in a timely manner, but she loves to dive into the "left brain activities" as she calls them. As a business run by mostly creatives, Vicki saves the day bringing her amazing skillset to the table and helping to make sure things run smoothly. Adding in a more “business minded’ point of view that aids in furthering our success! Another mom juggling a young child and killing it at work.