My favorite part of the quilt making process is designing the quilt. I start with an idea and design intuitively as I go along. I have never used a pattern. I work quickly and I love to astonish myself! This is what keeps quilt making fresh and exciting for me. I also love to encourage quilters to have more fun with the creative process by tossing out the "rules" and following their hunches. I have given lectures to guilds and led quilt workshops on many topics. When I get to show a young future quilter how to put right sides together and piece a top, that is the best! In 2005 a textile gallery in New Mexico put out a call for "Recycled Art," I decided to make a quilt using the selvages that I had been saving. First I covered a large rectangle with selvages. The "ah-ha!" moment came when I saw that half-square triangles were easy to make by covering half a square  on the diagonal! I used that method to make a stunning border for my quilt. That's why I call that quilt "Surprise." You can see it in the book, "Quilts from the Selvage Edge." That discovery opened up endless possibilities for making traditional style quilts as well as unique new quilts using selvages.

If you have ever been reluctant to do something weird in your quilting because of what other quilters might think, my experience should provide reassurance for you. My quilting friends and guild members were unfazed by my plans, and were very generous with their encouragement and their selvages. There is a very good book on this topic called "Art and Fear, Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking," by David Bayles and Ted Orland.

My Mom taught me how to sew clothes (and knit, crochet and embroider) when I was 10 years old, but I learned how to make a quilt on my own when I was 13. At that time there were no quilt books, magazines or quilt shops that I knew of. In a way, it's good to figure it out on your own, oblivious to the "right way to do it."  I love to see the inventions of my young quilting friend, Rachel. You can see her photo in the Gallery holding her potholders. Watching her create with needle and thread reminds me of when I was her age. I teach her some quilt-making, sewing and embroidery techniques while being careful not to get in the way of her creative spirit.

I live in White Plains, NY with my husband Jason (a CFO). Our sons Brian (a photographer) and David (a philosopher) are grown. In our free time Jason and I like to travel, hike, take pictures, and visit with Brian, David, and our friends and relatives. I am a member of the Empire Quilters Guild in Manhattan, the County Line Quilters Guild in Chalfont, PA, and Charm Girls in Doylestown, PA.

I hope that you and your friends will enjoy looking at your selvages in a new way. Let me know how it goes!