Kathie Simon Frank Minneapolis, Minnesota November 2022 What attracted you to quilting? When I was a toddler, my mother bought me an antique quilt filled with a wool batt and made from fabric that reminds me of fabrics that men's undershorts were made from—really little prints, mostly with white or cream backgrounds. We never learned anything about the history of the quilt. I slept under that quilt all my growing-up years. I remember that when my mother thought I still needed to nap, I would lie on top of the quilt for the duration of the “nap,” examining all the patterns on the what-seemed-like millions of different pieces of fabric. The quilt weighed a ton so I grew up appreciating the benefits of sleeping under a weighted blanket! In my early twenties, I wanted to make baby quilts for my friends' babies. I loved to embroider, so those early quilts were pieced and incorporated a plain fabric band that was covered with embroidery. A few years later, I was invited to participate in designing and making a quilt with a group as a gift for a particularly well-loved retiring Board president of an organization I belonged to. Did you have family/ancestors who quilted? When did you begin? I learned to sew at about age 6 in the late 1940's. Both my mother and maternal grandmother were very fine sewists and they taught me to sew. They both made and tailored clothing, but did not make quilts as far as I know. Fun fact: my maternal grandmother worked at Penney's Department Store in its fabric department for many years. I sewed all my ¬clothing through high school. My first purchase as a new bride right after I graduated from college was a Singer sewing machine. I continued to sew my own clothes for years until I began to work full—time outside the home. I made clothes and costumes for my children throughout my 20's and 30's until they began middle school. I made four of my grandchildren's Hallowe'en costumes until they finished Middle School. And until recently, I made my great-grandsons' Hallowe'en costumes. Did a certain style of quilting appeal to you? Do you have a preferred technique? I love all quilts, the brighter the better. I especially love the Dresden Plate and Carolina Lily designs. For the art quilts I make, I like to piece the background, then cut images from many different pieces of fabric and sew them together in to a new picture—in the style of broderie perse or applique. For bed quilts, I prefer to piece quilts rather than paper piece or applique. What do you like most about making a quilt? It's a peaceful process, and meditative. I love expressing images I get in my mind by cutting fabric and sewing it together again. I also love hand-work, so I enjoy applique and sewing on bindings. What impact has quilting had on your life? Socially quilting has dramatically impacted my life. Most of my friends are quilters. I met them through guilds I belong to and classes I've attended. Over the years, quilting involvement has indirectly taught me about leadership and the value of collaborative work as I've served on a number of Boards in a variety of positions.