"WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND IS NOT ENGRAVED IN STONE MONUMENTS, BUT WOVEN INTO THE LIVES OF OTHERS". -PERICLES
I learned quilting more twenty years ago, and am passionate about my art. I feel driven to create, and cannot imagine a day where fabric, thread, and surface design does not feed my soul. I started quilting after my grandmother died, as a way of feeling closer to her. She had been a quilter, and would be amazed at all the tools and gadgets I use in my craft. She cut and sewed "the old-fashioned" way, without a sewing machine or rotary cutter. My first memory of a quilt is a Double-Wedding Ring quilt my grandmother had made. I thought it was so beautiful. As a small child, I remember aching for the day when I was grown-up and could have a Double-Wedding Ring quilt of my own, as I thought only married women could have one. I enjoy teaching and sharing my love of textiles with others. As a former IT professional, I seek ways to use my fancy, computerized sewing machines in innovative ways, such as:
- I use my Bernina sewing machine, with the cutwork tool accessory attached, to cut fabric for appliqué and quilting;
- I use Electric Quilt software and Adobe Illustrator to design quilts;
- I digitize embroidery designs in Bernina's Designer Plus Software;
- I digitize quilting designs in Art and Stitch and Auto-Pilot software for use on my longarm quilting machine;
- I manipulate photos in Kaleidoscope Kreator, and other photo-editing software, for use in multi-media and textiles.
My professional affiliations include the following: IAPQ (International Association of Professional Quilters), IMQA (International Machine Quilters Association), SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates), and American Quilter's Society (AQS). I belong to the following quilt guilds: Minnesota Contemporary Quilter's (MCQ) and Upper Midwest Machine Quilter's Guild (UMMQ). To see more of my work, please visit my longarm site textiletreasures.co or click on the external link (listed to the left) to visit a virtual gallery of my work.
Finally, as geeky as it sounds, I am a "Certified Threadologist" from Superior Threads. What's that mean? I attended the School of Threadology with Bob Purcell and his talented crew. And I am not afraid to adjust the upper and bobbin tension on my machine so I can use any thread my heart desires.
News
- I am speaking at the May, 2013 Minnesota Quilter's quilt guild meetings. On May 2 the topic is "Studio Organization" and on May 4 the topic is "It's Not A Quilt Until It's Quilted". In the afternoon on May 4, I am teaching a class on quilt marking titled "Making Your Mark" as well.
- I am speaking at the Old Capitol Quilter's Guild in Iowa City on "Studio Organization" on May 13. On May 14, I am teaching a class, "It's Not A Quilt Until It's Quilted".
- Four of my creations appeared in the 2013 edition of the Fiber Art Almanac, including the quilt featured on the cover. I started with a piece of fabric dyed by my dear friend, Nancy Birger. I quilted the fabric, and then hand-painted it. You can see the quilt here.'
- Three of my creations appeared in the Fiber Art Almanac Companion Journal.
- In Autumn 2012, my work appeared in "McCall's America Quilts Together".
- In 2011, my quilt titled “Heather Feather” won a “Viewer’s Choice” award at the Minnesota Quilter’s Annual Quilt Show.