I’ve been quilting about 20 years. I feel like I’ve spent those years putting tools in my toolbox and I’m just hitting my design stride. I have a background in fine art, and came to quilting as a painter. I have always had a “whatever works” attitude about making things. I approach each quilt almost as an engineering problem. How can I use what I have to make what I don’t have? How can I get this vision in my head out into the world? Necessity is often the mother of my inventions.
I’m very comfortable mixing traditional hand techniques with machine techniques, hand applique with fusible, hand dyes with commercial fabrics and batiks. I caught the hand applique and hand quilting bug bad about five years ago. I love the portability of hand sewing and I will often choose to use handwork over machine work because I can get it done faster by taking it with me.
The other big part of my life is being an educator. I have homeschooled my kids for seven years, and have years of experience teaching in various capacities (private classes, homeschool co-ops, and UU religious education classes). I have written a large part of the curricula I use to teach. As my children grow older and more independent, I am able to prepare these curricula for sharing with the larger educational community, and take on more classes and private lessons in fine art and craft.