I have been sewing since I was 8 years old making clothes for my Barbie doll.  Later, in the seventh grade I took Home Ec and learned to make my own clothes.  My Mom made all my clothes until I was about 12 years old, sometimes from flour sacks.  I kinda wish I still had some of those flour sacks to use in my quilts now.  But I didn’t start really making quilts until a little over five years ago when I was going through chemo therapy for breast cancer.  A friend of mine ask me if I would like to have a prayer quilt, and I of course said yes.  When I got that quilt I was so touched by the fact that people had tied these knots all over the quilt and said a prayer for me.  I took it with me to all my treatments and I was litally covered with prayer during those treatments.  Believe me, I really needed them.  After all the treatments were done I really wanted to start a ministry at church to make those quilts and bless other people as I had been blessed.  So started the journey of quilting.

So my background has always been about art.  I was an art major in college, graduating in 1975 with a BA in Fine Arts from Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas..  But the job market was tough to figure out for art, and I ended up coming out to San Diego and working for Bank of America.  I did pursue my masters in art at San Diego State, but soon got married and starting having babies.  Really, I have to say that those two babies were the best thing I’ve ever done.  They are absolutely my pride and joy.  So back to the art, I have always been involved in some sort of art, be it stain glass windows, or painting, or watercolors.  But I have to say I think that art quilts are amazing.  I love all aspects of making art quilts, and quilts in general.

So back in 2006 I started taking a quilting class which ended up being taught by this amazing artist who also loved art quilts as her medium.  I have learned so much in the five years I have been taking classes and experimenting with making quilts.  I have also met some truly amazing people in this journey.  The ladies in my classes are just so talented and willing to share their talents and their hearts.  I just think quilters are some of the coolest people on the planet.

My other passion is making coiled pine needle baskets.  I also started making those when I was going through breast cancer.  Staying busy was key to getting through the hell of chemotherapy.  Staying busy and the grace of and love of God.