NEW BEGINNINGS

Rather ironically, my quilting journey began the same year my international adventures began.  It was in 2003 when my first passport was stamped as I entered Peru; and it was in 2003 when I took my first six week quilting class.  Over the years both of these adventures have become linked together and changed my life in ways I never dreamed possible.

     Like so many quilters, I first learned to sew as a child.  I used to watch my mother sitting at her sewing machine making beautiful clothes for herself and for my sister and myself.   It wasn't long before I was sewing clothes for my dolls.  Eventually sewing doll clothes gave way to sewing clothes for myself.  Sometimes it became difficult for my mother, sister, and I to share the same sewing machine.  I received my own sewing machine when I was a teenager.  Making my clothes in high school served a dual purpose.....it saved money and it was a way for me to express myself creatively.  The gowns I made for dances were exactly what I wanted and they were one of a kind.  

     When I got married my sewing machine came with me.  I had seriously considered making my wedding gown but finally decided it might be too stressful in addition to planning a wedding.  I continued making my clothes and also made a few shirts for my husband.  Years later when I became pregnant I thought a lot of the maternity clothes in stores looked plain and boring; so I made my own.  After my son was born I enjoyed making him baby clothes; and eventually pajamas, shirts, shorts, and knit t-shirts.  Sewing for my children continued after son number two came along three years later.  The only clothing I still have from the years of sewing for my children are two wool, fully-lined sport coats they wore to a family wedding.  I guess the amount of hours it took me to sew each one prevents me from parting with them.

     During these years of raising our children my husband was also busy traveling to different countries in the world for business.  I longed to go with him but I also worked and our children had school and sports activities, so I had to stay home.  I loved seeing his pictures and hearing his stories of these foreign places.  He always promised me that someday we would see the world together.

     Funny how very, very quickly life unfolds and one year fades into another, until you wonder how all those years flew by.  Before we knew it our children were grown and out of the nest and we had the freedom to vacation whenever we wanted.  After a lifetime of summer travels seeing the United States we decided to take our first international trip together.  (We had been to Mexico and Canada, but didn't need passports for those countries at that time). 

     In 2001 I received my first passport and I can remember looking at those blank pages and wondering if I would ever fill all of them.  I had always wanted to see Machu Pichu, Peru; and when our neighbors went there I couldn't wait to see their pictures and hear their stories.  In 2003 we booked our first adventure travel trip through "Overseas Adventure Travel" (the same trip and tour company our neighbors used).  This trip was going to be different than anything we had ever experienced and it would lead us to places we never thought we would see.

    As long as I live I will never forget the exhilarating feeling that came over me when I walked off the airplane in Lima, Peru, and made my way through the airport.  Looking around and seeing all the Peruvian people sent such a thrill of excitement coursing through my body.  At long last I was finally there, in a country so very foreign from my own.  My husband and I were about to embark on our first adventure together, just like he promised me so long ago.  

     It just so happened that in 2003 I began my quilting journey too.  After a lifetime of sewing clothing and various crafts, I became interested in learning how to quilt.  My old sewing machine in the cabinet took a back seat to a new portable sewing machine that did decorative stitches.  I took a six week beginners quilting class at the nearest quilt shop and immediately became hooked.  Spending time sitting at my new sewing machine working on a quilt was my favorite past time, as well as spending countless hours in a quilt shop picking out just the right fabric.

     And so as 2004 rolled around I found myself with two major addictions that I had no intentions of giving up:  quilting and seeing the world.  In the years that have followed, my husband and I have traveled to remote and far away places and are already filling up the pages of a second passport.  These travels also began to influence my quilting.  After a few years of making traditional quilts I felt the need to express my creativity in a more artistic way.  That is when I became interested in art quilts.  It wasn't long before I began designing and creating quilts based on a vacation photo I had taken.  

     After all these years of traveling my file of artistic photos is numerous.  They range from architectural details, tile work, carpet and pottery designs, statues, and symbols; to people and landscapes.  Sometimes, when I am on a trip, I see something that speaks to me in such a way that I immediately begin planning out the quilt I will make.  My design might also include elements from several different photos.

     Just as my travels continue to take me to interesting places in the world, my quilting journey continues to take me in new directions.