Retirement...a new phase

For the past 11 years I have worked as a quilt appraiser, certified by the American Quilters Society. I decided to retire as of this June.

I have met so many wonderful people, seen thousands upon thousands of quilts and heard the many incredible stories passed down with those quilts. I have enjoyed travel and countless fulfilling experiences as an appraiser. A quick review of my database shows clients from thirty states from Arizona to Wyoming and from Canada, Ireland and Japan!
I am pleased to have helped promote the idea that quilts have value! It  has been especially rewarding to help family members gain a greater knowledge and appreciation of the quilt 'Grandma made'.
Makers of new quilts have learned how to properly insure their quilts with a documented insurance replacement value. Some quiltmakers have told me that their husbands have new respect for their work when they see the appraisal!



I have discussed quilt care, the pros and cons of finishing old tops and blocks and shared tips and advice on quilt care.
I have shared my knowledge and my personal quilt collection in many guilds and quilt events and I remain available for consultations, trunk shows and presentations.




My love for all things quilt is not diminished but rather it is expanding into new and exciting directions.
I plan to be blogging more often now on both my passion for quilt history and my own quiltmaking ventures....so  I do hope you'll stay tuned!

Now off to Duluth for the annual Minnesota Quilters show!

Scraps Come Together

34" square

I finished something!

I started playing with leftover 1.5" strips and squares some time ago. The urge to 'use them up' and have fun seeing what I could do with them has led to several quilts.
I knew I didn't want to put in the time to hand quilt this. There are too many seams and I see it being used as a baby quilt - machine quilting will stand up to harder use and frequent washings.
But that seems to be the point in a project that I get stalled.  I just am not skilled enough to decide on the design or execute it with my machine. Tops can pile up waiting to be taken to the finish line!

I settled for the wavy straight line anchoring it all on either side of the sashing and did the loopy free-motion flower I've done on several other things for inside the 36 patch.

I applied the binding by machine and then zig-zagged it for a quick and functional finish.

Next: An Announcement!