From Horses to Grizzlies: Riverton Quilter Stitches Wyoming Life Into Art

For Riverton’s Heather Hossack, quilting isn’t just fabric and thread — it’s Wyoming life stitched into art. Horses, rodeos, and even famous wildlife have all found their way into her designs, which quilters around the world now buy to make their own Western-inspired creations.

“I’ve always had a soft spot for horses,” Hossack said. “If my parents couldn’t find me as a kid, I was probably out feeding them through the fence.”

That love carried her into raising and breeding barrel racing horses, including her prize stallion Dashing With Fame (aka “Studly”). When his career ended in injury, Hossack nursed him back to health and later honored him in a quilt design. The cowboy boot block she stitched up was such a hit, it sparked an entire rodeo-themed line.

“I just want a horse rearing,” she laughed. “I’m not an artist, so I sketch rough ideas in a notebook before trying them in fabric.”

Hossack’s passion for wildlife photography also shows up in her quilting. Living in Pinedale, she lugged around a big digital camera, capturing deer, elk, and bears — then turned those images into quilt patterns.

Last year, she designed one of her most popular works yet: a tribute to Grizzly 399, the legendary Grand Teton bear killed by a vehicle in 2024. Her pattern, Walk Among Grizzlies, features the iconic mother bear at its center.

“When 399 passed away, people all over wanted a way to remember her,” Hossack said. “That pattern has gone everywhere — back east, down south — because she meant so much to Yellowstone.”

Quilting runs deep in Hossack’s family. Her mom first opened Heritage Quilts & Fabric Shoppe in Pinedale years ago as a stress reliever from her day job. What started as “fabric therapy” grew into a community hub. One of her mom’s first quilts was auctioned for the Stage Stop Dog Sled Race, raising over $1,000.

“It was never about the money,” Hossack said. “It was just finding joy in working with your hands.”

Now Hossack carries on that tradition, teaching quilting classes and encouraging newcomers to worry less about perfection and more about expression.

“Not everybody can paint a masterpiece,” she said. “But everyone can cut fabric, sew it back together, and create something beautiful. That’s why quilting is so great — it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be yours.”

The original story by Jackie Dorothy for Cowboy State Daily.