Why I quilt - It all started with a tornado.

It started with a tornado. While I was deciding on art work to put over the head of our bed, we were hit by a tornado. It was very exciting and I’d just as soon not do it again. The heavy picture frame I had in mind no longer seemed like a good idea. A quilted wall hanging sounded good, because if a quilt falls on you, it’s no big deal. So I made my first wall quilt, and was hooked. I loved that I could see a beautiful work of art and make something similar. I had tried as a child to draw and paint, but was not happy with the results, so to be able to paint with fabric was so motivating. As my quilting skills grew, I started to make more original quilts. I like to try new techniques and rarely do the same thing twice, so my quilts are similar primarily in color and theme.

We travel a lot, hike everywhere, and take photographs for souvenirs. I design my quilts using photographs as a starting point. I like to include the local shapes and colors, plants and animals in my quilts.

For the last three years we have not been traveling much, but have spent our time hiking in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park in California. Since my fabric stash was small, and so many of the things I saw inspired me, I made lots of small pictorial quilts.

The desert is a lovely place. You should visit and enjoy the visual feast it provides.

About me

I currently live in Lincoln Nebraska, except during the winter, which I spend in Borrego Springs, California. I have been quilting for 30 years and shared my quilts with others in quilt shows and guild meetings. In 2020, with covid, the quilt shows and the guild meetings were mostly canceled, so I started exhibiting my quilts in the Borrego Art Institute, Borrego Springs, California. Then I got requests to see my website. So…, now I have a website, but I’d rather be quilting or hiking than editing a website.