I learned to use a needle at age five when my mother taught me cross-stitch embroidery. Several years later, Grandma sat me down at her treadle sewing machine, gave me a small bundle of scrap fabric and suggested I make something for my doll. I taught myself to sew and before age twelve was making some of my clothes and sewing for my younger sisters.

For many years at our church, St. Matthews Episcopal, there was always a large quilt on a wooden frame that a group of ladies worked on weekly. The quilts were beautiful but I had no desire to learn quilting.

After retiring in 1996, I attended the open house exhibit at the Michigan State Fair Senior Center. The quilting class had a “doll dress” quilt on display that interested me. I enrolled in the class where I learned the basic rules and vocabulary of quilting. I made my first quilt the “pin wheel block design”, which was machine pieced and hand quilted. My second was a doll dress quilt which consisted of blocks of fabric with an applique the shape of a dress. The dresses were cut from scraps of fabric saved from dresses sewn over the years for my daughter. Even the trim on the dresses were scraps from my stash. By the time this quilt was finished, I had become an avid quilter.

Experimenting with design and construction provides me with many rewarding hours of joy. Quilting has become a vital part of my life. For a long time, teaching sewing classes has been a hobby for me. Since learning to quilt I added quilting instructions to my classes.

Over the years, I have made many quilts, most of which have been given to family members. Some were donated to various charity organizations. I keep a journal with a dated picture of the quilt, a small sample of each fabric used, the reason the quilt was made and what became of it. Quilting for me is a great way to express my creativity while giving away a quilt that I have made is most rewarding.