I got some great lessons in quilting while I was a college student in the upper Midwest. The grandmother of one of my college roommates taught us both how to do hand quilting with the quilt on a large quilting frame. That was so much fun. She taught us how to hide our knots and how to keep our stitches small and even.

I didn't have a sewing machine of my own until I started to work after college, so mostly I did hand appliqué with turned edges. I spent a lot of time doing appliqué at the laundromat! Come to think of it, I stopped doing hand appliqué once I got a washing machine in my apartment!

I drew my own patterns for the appliqués on both of the quilts below.

Here's my godchild's well loved Winnie the Pooh theme baby quilt. It was a mix of cotton calico and cotton-poly broadcloth. The broadcloth has survived but the cotton calico has worn thin and shredded.

I am thrilled it was used so much that it has gotten worn out!

This quilt was a wedding present a friend. The appliqués are all things that were important and special to the bride. The bold prints are hand prints from Marblehead Handprints which was in a small fabric company in Marblehead Massachusetts in the 1970s. I remember many happy hours of sewing in the laundromat working on this quilt, as well as the fascination of the other customers!

So that's it for my introduction.

These days I mostly am making pieced or paper pieced quilts, but occasionally I will do a fusible appliqué. For the past 2-3 years I've been making about 2 quilts a month.

I have lots of projects in the works and ideas for a lot more! I enjoy making both traditional and Modern quilts. I do use patterns but I love creating my own designs too. It's color that I find really exciting. Solids, '30s prints, modern prints, they all make me happy!

So welcome! I hope you enjoy following along on my quilting and sewing adventures.