About
I live in beautiful Salem Oregon, with my husband Don and family dogs Luca and Ty. I have three sons, Shane, Kelly, and William currently living close by in Oregon as well.
I am the author of the following 8 books and am currently hard at work on my 9th book!
- Stack the Deck!
- Stack a New Deck!
- New Cuts for New Quilts
- Baby Wraps!
- Color Shuffle
- Stack The Deck - Revisited
- Dynamic Quilts with easy Curves
- Stack, Shuffle, and Slide
In addition to my books, I have released my own line of patterns under the name Saginaw Street Quilt Company and Specialty Rulers from Creative Grids. I have been a featured teacher at many quilt retreats and have taught thousands of students how to quilt using a variety of methods including my own stack methods. I have made hundreds of quilts with hundreds more waiting to be made.
I was a featured artist on Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson in July of 2002. A featured quilter in the Fons and Porter magazine, Oct. 2007, a contributor to the 2008 quilt calendar by Martingale & Co. as well as the book Creative Quilting,Volume II. All books were published by Martingale & Co, That Patchwork Place.
The Quilt of a Gift:
As a young girl, I grew up playing around my mother's sewing machine as she busied herself making clothes for her five children. With leftover scraps I sewed Barbie doll clothes and bags with long straps. As I became older, I attempted sewing clothes for myself and in Junior High took the recommended home economics class. Clothing was the usual sewing assignment, and for me, somehow it remained just that - an assignment,no passion attached. Several years later, my mother gave me a quilt for Christmas. She admiringly pointed out how the center nine-patch blocks were pieced from her dresses when she was a young girl as well as many of her brother’s shirts and sister’s dresses. The blocks, surrounded by a red plaid border, were then followed by another row of nine-patch blocks. This time, I recognized my old play clothes as well as several of my sister’s and brother’s clothes. This simple quilt with its hand and machine pieced blocks changed the meaning of sewing for me. This quilt fascinated me, warmed my heart, (not an easy thing as a 16 year old), and continues to inspire and shape my sentiments regarding quilts to this day.
My philosophy regarding quilting is to enjoy the process, learn from your experience and take what you learn from one project on to the next. As a teacher I enthusiastically inspire my students to discover and create their own individual style in their quilt making journeys. With all the many things to worry about, I believe quilting isn't one of them, but rather a time to experience the "creative flow" & enjoy!