I have always been interested in all forms of needlework from an early age. I spent much of my childhood with my grandparents and watched my grandmother make quilts, and went with her to quilting “bees” at the Ladies Auxillary meetings for her church. She taught me how to knit, crochet and embroider, so when I married it was natural that I turn to her for instructions on how to make a quilt. I was in California and she was in Kansas, but she took time to assemble a box of goodies-a block pattern with paper templates, cut pieces of various prints and solids, and larger pieces of muslin and other prints. She also wrote a detailed letter of how to piece and quilt, and included a colored design of a border. I treasure that letter today. Unfortunately, the pattern she chose was a Lemoyne Star! I dutifully pieced it, by hand, and ended up with a lump in the center…so I removed the stitching and tried again on the machine. More lumps. I didn’t want to tell her how poorly I had done, so put it away and didn’t try quilting again for a number of years.

When I injured my back, I decided to try again and was successful in completing a quilt for my son, but have no pictures of it. That was more years ago than I want to admit, but I have since made many quilts, most of which I have given away, but here pictures of some of the ones I have made:

Hand pieced, hand quilted. 60” x 60”  A Wedding gift for my son.

Machine pieced, machine appliquéd, crib quilt for one of my granddaughters.

Hand pieced, hand quilted, 60” x60”, for a friend

Hand pieced, hand quilted, 110” x 110”, for my 6’5” son, to cover his feet and shoulders!

Machine-paper pieced, machine quilted, 60” by 60”

Machine pieced, hand appliquéd, king size from a Quilter’s Newsletter cover.

A Machine pieced, machine quilted, king size.