My journey as a quilter began two years ago when I took a class in the Glen Oaks Library.
The instructor inspired me with her beautiful quilts and her gentle, no-nonsense teaching style. Since I had dome both hand and machine sewing from a very early age, helping my Mom, I was eager to return to sewing for enjoyment.
My first projects were a table runner and a twin-sized quilt with three simple types of blocks: square in square, hourglass, and pinwheel. Since then, I have made quilts as gifts, donations, and for my family. For most of my thirty-three years as a math teacher, I taught high school geometry, and I appreciate the imagination of quilt designers who use symmetry, reflections, and geometrical figures in their creations.
Quilting has proved to be a limitless and challenging hobby. I have had the opportunity to take classes at the Sew Right Sewing Machines store and at the UFT Queens Learning Center to improve my skills. I have joined quilting guilds to experience a host of expert quilter’s work through their lectures and workshops. I have read about the historical significance of quilts, specifically in Civil War times, when they were used to provide comfort to the soldiers and directions to safe houses on the Underground Railroad.
Although completing a project is rewarding, meeting people who are genuinely sincere, friendly, and passionate about their art has been the tru reward.
During the summer of 2015, I participated in the Row by Row Challenge. The idea was to travel, visit shops, collect, and then sew 9″ x 36″ projects to make a quilt. The theme for each row that year was “Water”. My attic window quilt shows examples of fusible applique, curve stitching, foundation paper piecing, designer stitches, and free motion quilting.