How did you first get involved with Boise Modern Quilt Guild?
I moved to Boise during the pandemic and I was looking for a new sisterhood of quilters. I noticed a scheduled meeting in the park on BMQG website and decided to check it out. The members were so friendly and so kind to each other that I knew it was the right place for me.
What is your first memory related to quilting or sewing?
As a young child, I was fascinated to watch my Louisiana grandmother sew dresses for my three cousins on her treadle sewing machine. We could also count on my Mother’s expertise to sew costumes for Halloween and other themed parties. No one in my family quilted.
What’s your most memorable or favorite quilting project?
My most memorable quilt project is a mini quilt entitled “Summer Village” which I completed at home via YouTube tutorials during the first snowy winter living in the Boise foothills in 2020. Quilt friends from Oregon and Washington did the class at the same time and we shared photos and comments through email and text. It helped us find some joy in the isolation of Covid shutdown.
How would you describe your quilting design style or aesthetic?
I learned to quilt at Temecula Quilt Co. and the shop was filled with Civil War reproduction fabrics. For years, I sewed Civil War reproduction scrappy designs until my first batik quilt at a women’s quilt retreat. My talented quilt friends helped me choose the light, medium and dark batiks I needed to create a colorful sailboat quilt for my husband.
What colors, shapes, fabrics do you gravitate to? What do you use most in your designs?
My favorite color to use in 1800’s reproduction quilts is red. I am venturing out by using solid, bright fabrics on my current quilt project which is Tula Pink’s 100 Modern Quilt Blocks. My new favorite whimsical fabric is Tilda by designer Tone Finnanger. I enjoy incorporating pinwheels into baby quilts. I also find satisfaction working with wool on wool appliqué and wool on cotton appliqué.
Is there someone or something that has influenced your quilting?
My travel friend Ellen encouraged me to quilt and she and another friend gifted me with a cutting mat, acrylic ruler, rotary cutter, scissors and fat quarters as a housewarming gift. Sheryl Johnson, of Temecula Quilt Co., taught me to quilt and instilled a love for Civil War Reproduction fabrics. Edyta Sitar and Kim Diehl have inspired me with their fabric and design styles.
What do you do when you are not quilting?
I love to read, work in my garden, and travel to new places.
What’s the project that you always intended to do (quilting or otherwise) but haven’t yet?
DEAR JANE
What do you listen to or watch while sewing? Do you have any recommendations?
I enjoy listening to different kinds of audiobooks, including historical fiction and mysteries. I listened to the complete Louise Penny Inspector Gamache series set in Three Pines last winter. I balanced it with the CJ Box Joe Pickett series. For me, reading and sewing at the same time is magic.