WHY I OPENED MEMORIES TO QUILTS

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t sew. I learned to sew at an early age from the women in my family. My mother, grandmother, and great aunt were my teachers. Knowing how to sew is something for which I will always be grateful.

After earning a degree in graphic arts I moved to central Oregon, home of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show and many wonderful quilt shops. With a strong graphic design element and many wonderful choices of fabric – I was soon hooked on quilting. I knew I had found my art medium.  I fell in love with the stories and traditions of quilting – creating a sense of community, helping others in times of need, and building wonderful friendships.  At this point I joined the local quilt guild.

After 20 years of quilting I found myself working at one of the local quilt shops in Bend, Oregon. Non-sewers would come into the shop and ask if any one could sew for them.  Me, being a can-do kind of person, said “Yes I can do that!”. I discovered there were a lot of requests for T-shirt quilts. I developed my own sense of style and design and began making each quilt as unique as the person who collected the shirts. Each collection of shirts comes with their own set of stories, and I feel that I get to know the person who wore them by working with their shirts.

I also had requests to finish quilts left behind by mothers or grandmothers who had passed on. I feel deeply honored to complete these projects. My goal is to finish these quilts with the same style and intent as the person who first started them. I have also finished projects started long ago by persons who are no longer able to sew.

Every quilt tells a story, and it’s these stories that I am proud to be a part of.