Kim Eichler-Messmer grew up in Iowa where she spent as much of her free time outside as she could. Her dad taught her how to sew when she was 10 and they made a quilt together out of their old shirts. In college she studied engineering, Spanish, Portuguese, drawing, and printmaking before realizing her love of textiles in a yardage screen printing class. She later earned an MFA in textiles and is now an Associate Professor in the Fiber department at the Kansas City Art Institute where she teaches surface design, natural dye, and quilting.