Growing up, I was surrounded by sewers skilled at making clothes and quilts out of scrap materials. It
was at the age of four that one of those sewers, my aunt, equipped me with the needle, embroidery
thread, cloth and basic techniques required to make my first stitches. In junior high, I added another tool
to my sewing repertoire when I learned how to use a sewing machine in my home economics class. With
access to a machine at home, I was able to further this skill making clothes and other projects. Through
the years I have increased my skills in embroidery, knitting, cross stitch and anything else that involves
needles and thread. While I started making quilts in my 20s, it wasn’t until I started taking classes at
Earthly Goods in 2000 that I started to improve my skills. In 2004, I added another tool, combining my
professional computer skills with my passion for quilting, and learning to use Electric Quilt to design my
own quilts. EQ8 has proven to be a valuable tool in helping me design more complicated quilts, and I
have thoroughly enjoyed growing my quilting ability and using my EQ8 knowledge as I am now in
retirement.