Gail Hanson In 1994 we were building a log cabin and I thought it should have some bed quilts. I didn’t want to make them myself but wanted to know more before buying any. So I took a quilt class from Edie’s in Linden Hills. Of course, I was hooked by the creativity and practicality of quilting. 200 quilts later, on the cabin beds, given to friends, family and charity, I’m still quilting. I like traditional scrap quilts especially, but I am trying some contemporary techniques as well. An example is the family tree quilt in the photo which was made for a family reunion, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Hanson family emigration from Sweden to the United States. It uses both contemporary and traditional techniques and won “Best of Show” at a small quilt show in Wisconsin. My advice to beginning quilters: take classes, beginning classes for basic techniques and then classes that challenge you. And join a small quilt group for encouragement, feedback and stimulation. And, of course, join, attend and become involved in Minnesota Quilters!