In the 1970's I was privileged to meet Mary Brooks Picken Sumner and become a part of her extended family.  At that time Aunt Mary was writing her 99th book.  This one was on quilting and at her request my sister-in-law and I gladly allowed our hands to be photographed quilting.  This was the first time I had ever seen real Quilts and I will never forget the joy I felt just looking at them.

It was not until our children were in need of quilts for their beds that I actually began to make Quilts.  Note that I had to make three quilts at once because my husband and I were the proud parents of Triplets and the thought of putting cartoon quilts on their beds was something I couldn't do.  So I fenced them in the living room at the age of 2 and took over the dining room to make three quilts.  This also helped to maintain my sanity during the terrible two's.  It wasn't until the late 80's that I began to design vertical quilts for family and friends and to even sell a few.  The raising or triplets however left me little time to devote to my new passion.

As the children have grown I've been able to devote more time to refining my skills as a quilt artist and teacher.  In 1997 my original design Birds of a Feather won best of Show at the Dutchess Heritage Quilt Show XIII.  It was judged as excellent appliqué technique by AQS certified judges.  It was a new technique I had developed while designing the quilt.  My work has also won ribbons in The Northern Start Quilt Show and the Wiltwick Quilt Show.  All my winning quilts have been original design.  I have several blue ribbons along with second and third place ribbons.  My work ranges from appliqué, straight piecing and curved piecing.  In creating these quilts I have developed new and innovative techniques for construction.

I have been a member of the First Dutchess Quilt Guild since 1995 and served as Vice President for two years.  I also served on the Dutchess Heritage Quilt Show committee for three years.  1998 I began teaching and helping fellow quilters achieve their goals.  Yellow Roses and my Spirit Lion brought a group of women to my home for lessons in my appliqué technique.  Spirit Lion is a curved piecing technique that uses 44 fabrics in 103 pieces to create a portrait of a lion.  I have helped design and coordinate two group quilts.  One was a commemorative quilt, which included the hand prints of over 70 children with a center block of our church that I designed.  The second was the fourth raffle quilt made by the Piecemakers, a group of 25 women for the Akwesasne Native American School.  During 2000-2001 I presented two Quilt exhibits for the Lincoln Arts Satellite Program introducing quilts as an art for our local schools along with some historical background.

"My paint is fabric expressed in quilts.  I became interested in quilts in my youth, but it wasn't until my children became older that I could devote time to create art quilts.  It's my love of color that inspires my work.  I strive to create a powerful statement by it's use.

The creative process is an ever changing flow of energy in ideas and techniques.  Often a new idea requires a new method.  In following the idea for a design a person is challenged to engage their mind to find a solution in this art form.  This is a wonderful way to exercise the mind in growth and development where the results are tangible.  This physical process is a good foundation for problem solving in a persons everyday life.

In today's fast paced world of technology, I believe art in it's many forms can help restore man's sanity by staying in touch with one's creative self."