I admired the pretty dresses my mother sewed for my sister and myself when I was growing up and like most little girls; I wanted to be just like her. I started with doll clothes when I was 10 or 11 and I haven’t stopped sewing since.
When my daughter was born, a friend of ours made a quilt as a gift. It was very simple; no piecing and hand-tied with yarn. It was very special, and in fact, my daughter still has it. Also around that time new nieces and nephews were popping out so my mother started the tradition of making a quilt with each baby’s name and birth date embroidered on the front. A seed was planted in my brain.
I took my first quilting class when I lived in New Mexico. I made a crib quilt that went to my great-nephew. I enjoyed the process but didn’t think it was for me. That is, until I found out my granddaughter was on the way. Several quilts for grandchildren and a niece later, I enjoyed it but hadn’t really gotten the quilt bug.
Enter Marybeth at Cambridge Lane here in Athens, Georgia, who showed me all the fantastic quilts she had made and/or quilted and we just hit it off. Shortly after that day, Anita Heady opened Sewcial Studio and Quilt Shop in the same building. I was a goner!
Traditional quilting didn’t really interest me but I became passionate about quilts when I discovered the Modern Quilt movement. I gravitated towards their clean lines and improvisational piecing; it was freeing not to follow an exact pattern. I learned the modern methods through Craftsy classes taught by greats like Jacquie Gering. I gobbled up everything I could learn about this three-dimensional artwork.
Before the quilt bug took hold I was making purses out of 100% wool blazers and suit jackets; an occasional leather jacket also made it into my stash from Goodwill. I was doing my part for the environment and challenging my creativity by making something out of a limited amount of fabric. Another Craftsy class on how to make leather bags has broadened my purse-making skills so now I’m also using leather hides.
When I’m not sewing I like reading; crossword puzzles and Scrabble. I love to cook but I delight in baking cookies and homemade bread. On Sunday you can find me at the dance studio taking tap lessons and Burlesque aerobics. Once a month I meet with my writer’s group for input on my “Great American Novel.” The rest of the time you can find me watching movies—mostly old but some new.