I have been told that I am good with words and admired for my creative adventures in soap-making, but I want to be remembered for my visual and vibrant fiber art.

My mother started it and her mother before her and hers before and so on- at least, that is how I remember it. It is in our family; it is in our blood. I started quilting young, secretly in my bedroom with whatever leftover scraps my mother had to hand carefully sew a baby doll quilt. As a young adult right out of high school, the traditional quilts came; just a few, but enough to keep my interest.

I eventually obtained membership to a quilting guild and remain an active member 20 plus years later. This is where my journey began, and I began to blossom. The annual Challenge Quilt is where I expanded and designed quilts “out of my box.” For each one – and it may have been the only quilt completed for that year – I challenged myself to do something different, learn something new – “out of the box”- each and every time. I tackled patterns that were “for the more experienced” and pulled them off beautifully. I used a variety of textured fabrics, as well as my hand-dyed fabrics and richly saturated batiks. Each piece built upon itself and each piece rose to the next piece.

Recently, I have become more focused on my spirituality, tuning into the quiet inner self, quelling fears and overcoming obstacles. Everywhere I look, there is a silent tapping on my shoulder, a gravitational pull to do something from scripture, to pull the Bible into the fabric. These pieces call to me, and I am humbled as I work, realizing the larger message is beyond my comprehension.

Today, my ventures have expanded to beading, knitting, crochet, soap-making and even homemade bread. I simply love to experiment and mold something out of nothing. It helps me stay balanced in the daily stress of life.