Initial Post

This is my initial effort to introduce my goals as a 'professional quilter'. 

I was exposed to quilting as a child watching my Grandma Bird work on her projects but I never seemed to find the time to learn from her.  However, I always appreciated the quilts she made and enjoyed sleeping under the quilts and playing on them in the yard. 

I finally took a lap-quilting class with my best friend, Teresa, in the early 90's and from there I was hooked.  The class was to make 4 blocks for a wall hanging, but I continued with blocks enough for a twin size cover. I didn't necessarily like the lap-quilting method, so I read some books and started doing my own hand-piecing and hand-quilting.  My first projects were wall hangings for each of our 6 kids.  Then I took the plunge and started a Wedding Ring Quilt for my husband, Jim.

Over the years, I've created several quilt tops and managed to hand-quilt some of them.  This accumulation has given me justification to purchase a Handi-Quilter Avante 18 so I can finish them and continue creating more and more quilts. I share some of my creations here.

I hope to build a business with these goals:
1) to help other people enjoy their Grandma's quilt tops that need to be completed,
2) to make custom hand-made quilts to individual specifications,
3) to sell my own creations and give them a good home.

My philosophy is:  Today's Quilts are Tomorrow's Heirlooms.  Quilts are a part of American History and although their original purpose is still effective today, they have evolved into an artform as well as a functional part of the home.  They should be appreciated,.  So, if you have a stored quilt in your attic that your Mother, Grandma, or Aunt made some years ago, give me the opportunity to make it a useful and appreciated part of your home decor.

So, that's it for today; we'll see what tomorrow holds.