CBQ Featured Member of the Month
Sharon Gillette - September 2023 |
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Joined CBQ 2016
It seemed most appropriate to feature our new President, Sharon Gillette for this month's Member of the Month. She has been a regular at CBQ sine 2016, most recently serving as the person who made the purchases at the Sew What Table possible. As of July 2023 she stepped into the Presidents position and is doing a wonderful job for us!
Sharon was born in Detroit, Michigan into a family of crafters. She grew up in a multigenerational family. Her parents lived with her maternal grandparents so they could save up to buy a home of their own. Sharon's mom loved to sew and as a result had very few store bought clothes because she sewed almost everything for my sister and me. She also took classes in hat making and cake decorating. Sharon and her sister would have matching outfits including hats on Easter. My dad loved to do jewelry work and loved to knit. He took classes and learned to create beautiful things out of silver. My grandfather loved photography and woodworking. He taught Sharon how to develop her own film in his darkroom in the basement. Her grandmother is the one who introduced her to quilting. She spent hours watching her create beautiful appliqué quilts and then quilting them by hand. Sharon feels am so fortunate to have her hand quilting frame.
Sharon learned to do embroidery by the time she was six and then learned to knit for her Girl Scout badge. Her dad helped her mom teach the whole troop learn to knit after coming home from work. He was a perfectionist and brought her to tears more than once when he unraveled my project to fix mistakes.
The family moved to a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio when Sharon was eleven. They didn’t have Girl Scouts at the elementary school but they had 4H. It was then that Sharon learned how to do home dec projects like placemats which she got to enter in the local fair. In junior high school she took Home Economics and learned to sew and cook; if you consider making cream cheese stuffed prunes and cinnamon toast in the broiler cooking.
The family made the move west to San Bernardino, CA at the end of 9th grade. Sharon sewed a bit for herself, but her mom did most of it, because she was too busy with clubs and studies to sew much.
After graduating from UCR with a degree in History, Sharon married her husband, Don. Her grandmother wanted to give the new couple a wedding quilt. She told Sharon to choose a pattern and she choose Cathedral Windows. Her grandmother created it all by hand using scraps from her mom and her own sewing rooms. She told Sharon that it was good that she loved her so much, because it was a massive project and she thought of quitting several times. Sharon treasures it! When she looks at it she see fabrics that her family wore.
After getting married Sharon started sewing in earnest for herself and to decorate their home. Her first quilt was made from a king size sheet that she made into a bedspread. Since it was plaid she stitched on the lines and bound it by hand. She also made pinch pleat curtains to match. The living room got pinch pleated curtains that were lined and decorative pillows. The kitchen got cafe curtains. When their daughter was born she made her first panel quilt. In fact, she made the entire crib set with bumper pads and matching curtains.
Sharon didn’t start making quilts for herself until her daughter was in high school. A friend at the school she taught at shared some of her quilts. She offered to teach an after school class. Sharon first learned to do the Hidden Nine Patch, then did a Red Hat theme quilt. Sharon then discovered that she liked doing smaller projects like table runners and small throws, because she could get them finished more quickly.
She says that she made a number of quilts but several were given away. Sharon says that she enjoys making contemporary quilts in bright colors, and pieced quilts. She has tried her hand making a T-shirt quilt and made quilted gifts for some colleagues. Her favorite fabrics are batiks, bright fabrics, and modern fabrics. Sharon loves looking through the latest quilting magazines and getting inspiration from them. She still prefers smaller projects like quilted pillows or a wall hanging because she needs the satisfaction that comes from getting a project done in a shorter amount of time.
She confesses that her sewing room is chaotic. At times it’s just easier to sew at the dining room table. She doesn't sew as fast as she buys fabric and probably has at least two years worth of UFOs!
Sharon retired after 37 years of teaching in 2016. Joan Benson asked her what she was intending to do in retirement and responded that she would like to do some quilting. Joan invited her to CBQ and she fell in love with Show and Share. She couldn’t believe what fabulous quilts the members made. The following meeting was the auction and Sharon had a fantastic time again! She promptly joined CBQ and then a year later offered to help with The Sew What Table with Diana Wheeler. The rest is history.
I have some other hobbies and interests. I adore reading. I love mysteries. I knit and like to do a bit of embroidery. Gardening provides a bit of fun. I have five cats. They are hopelessly spoiled, but bring me lots of companionship.
When asked what other might not know about her she offered that she loves singing, and performs in her church’s worship band on Sundays. Another thing Sharon mentioned was that she spent a year in Scotland through the Education Abroad program, when I was a junior at UCR. It was a fantastic experience.
As for advice to new quilters, Sharon replied, "I am still learning about quilting, so I think the best advice is to be open to new ideas. You never know what new techniques are out there and you just might enjoy them".
Sharon was born in Detroit, Michigan into a family of crafters. She grew up in a multigenerational family. Her parents lived with her maternal grandparents so they could save up to buy a home of their own. Sharon's mom loved to sew and as a result had very few store bought clothes because she sewed almost everything for my sister and me. She also took classes in hat making and cake decorating. Sharon and her sister would have matching outfits including hats on Easter. My dad loved to do jewelry work and loved to knit. He took classes and learned to create beautiful things out of silver. My grandfather loved photography and woodworking. He taught Sharon how to develop her own film in his darkroom in the basement. Her grandmother is the one who introduced her to quilting. She spent hours watching her create beautiful appliqué quilts and then quilting them by hand. Sharon feels am so fortunate to have her hand quilting frame.
Sharon learned to do embroidery by the time she was six and then learned to knit for her Girl Scout badge. Her dad helped her mom teach the whole troop learn to knit after coming home from work. He was a perfectionist and brought her to tears more than once when he unraveled my project to fix mistakes.
The family moved to a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio when Sharon was eleven. They didn’t have Girl Scouts at the elementary school but they had 4H. It was then that Sharon learned how to do home dec projects like placemats which she got to enter in the local fair. In junior high school she took Home Economics and learned to sew and cook; if you consider making cream cheese stuffed prunes and cinnamon toast in the broiler cooking.
The family made the move west to San Bernardino, CA at the end of 9th grade. Sharon sewed a bit for herself, but her mom did most of it, because she was too busy with clubs and studies to sew much.
After graduating from UCR with a degree in History, Sharon married her husband, Don. Her grandmother wanted to give the new couple a wedding quilt. She told Sharon to choose a pattern and she choose Cathedral Windows. Her grandmother created it all by hand using scraps from her mom and her own sewing rooms. She told Sharon that it was good that she loved her so much, because it was a massive project and she thought of quitting several times. Sharon treasures it! When she looks at it she see fabrics that her family wore.
After getting married Sharon started sewing in earnest for herself and to decorate their home. Her first quilt was made from a king size sheet that she made into a bedspread. Since it was plaid she stitched on the lines and bound it by hand. She also made pinch pleat curtains to match. The living room got pinch pleated curtains that were lined and decorative pillows. The kitchen got cafe curtains. When their daughter was born she made her first panel quilt. In fact, she made the entire crib set with bumper pads and matching curtains.
Sharon didn’t start making quilts for herself until her daughter was in high school. A friend at the school she taught at shared some of her quilts. She offered to teach an after school class. Sharon first learned to do the Hidden Nine Patch, then did a Red Hat theme quilt. Sharon then discovered that she liked doing smaller projects like table runners and small throws, because she could get them finished more quickly.
She says that she made a number of quilts but several were given away. Sharon says that she enjoys making contemporary quilts in bright colors, and pieced quilts. She has tried her hand making a T-shirt quilt and made quilted gifts for some colleagues. Her favorite fabrics are batiks, bright fabrics, and modern fabrics. Sharon loves looking through the latest quilting magazines and getting inspiration from them. She still prefers smaller projects like quilted pillows or a wall hanging because she needs the satisfaction that comes from getting a project done in a shorter amount of time.
She confesses that her sewing room is chaotic. At times it’s just easier to sew at the dining room table. She doesn't sew as fast as she buys fabric and probably has at least two years worth of UFOs!
Sharon retired after 37 years of teaching in 2016. Joan Benson asked her what she was intending to do in retirement and responded that she would like to do some quilting. Joan invited her to CBQ and she fell in love with Show and Share. She couldn’t believe what fabulous quilts the members made. The following meeting was the auction and Sharon had a fantastic time again! She promptly joined CBQ and then a year later offered to help with The Sew What Table with Diana Wheeler. The rest is history.
I have some other hobbies and interests. I adore reading. I love mysteries. I knit and like to do a bit of embroidery. Gardening provides a bit of fun. I have five cats. They are hopelessly spoiled, but bring me lots of companionship.
When asked what other might not know about her she offered that she loves singing, and performs in her church’s worship band on Sundays. Another thing Sharon mentioned was that she spent a year in Scotland through the Education Abroad program, when I was a junior at UCR. It was a fantastic experience.
As for advice to new quilters, Sharon replied, "I am still learning about quilting, so I think the best advice is to be open to new ideas. You never know what new techniques are out there and you just might enjoy them".
Joyce Maggard - May 2023
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Joined CBQ 2014
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Joyce is a true Southern Californian. Born in Upland, she is the fourth generation to live in the Ontario-Upland area. Early family members worked with the Chaffey brothers to form the utopian colony of Ontario. Her great grandfather introduced boysenberries to his best friend, Walter Knott, and you know the result of that. But tracing back even further, a Maggard ancestor in Virginia was a surveyor with Thomas Jefferson.
Cal Poly Pomona was the perfect choice for college as Joyce was leaning toward a career in agriculture. However, Cal Poly wasn't ready for Joyce since she was the only woman in her major. After being urged to find a "more appropriate course of study", she enrolled in the school of science and earned a degree in biology with a minor in animal behavior studies. Her love affair with clay began in college and, even after completing a degree, remained at Cal Poly for a while to throw pots and pursue artistic opportunities.
Affirmative Action allowed her the opportunity to begin a career as a county vector biologist. During the first few years, she was assigned to inspect commercial egg ranches to evaluate integrated pest management. Sounds impressive? The job was to scoop random piles of chicken manure, identify insect species, and count fly maggots versus good insects. Joyce endured and eventually worked her way into more dignified projects, like trapping ground squirrels for bubonic plague surveillance. Eventually she supervised a CDC sponsored research project to learn the secrets of roof rats, a little understood species at the time. Eventually she was recognized as an expert and educator on roof rat biology. Whether it was jury duty or a trip to the grocery store, someone inevitably would shout out, "There's the rat lady!"
To stave the boredom of a workday world, Joyce became an evening fixture at the Chaffey College clay studio. While there, she also worked on an AA degree in geology.
Life tends to throw curve balls and hers was a man. He wasn't her type, wouldn't go away, and eventually wore her down. She didn't realize for a long time that he was the best thing to happen in her life. They both loved the concept of open spaces and decided to build a house on acreage in Yucaipa. At the same time, she was offered a health officer position in Yucaipa and Redlands. So, life took a whole new direction on all fronts. By the way, after 38 years she's still with this guy.
The quotation "It's never too late to be what you might have been" became Joyce's mantra. As soon as possible, she retired from the professional world and became a farmer. She fulfilled her life long dream to own goats and became a breeder of registered show quality Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats. At its peak, the herd numbered 32 goats. They placed very well in shows with one buck winning best in show. (And yes, goat shows are similar to dog shows.) She learned that the most frightening, most joyful, most humbling experience is to help pull new born kids into the world. The farm is rounded out with two dozen chickens and six guinea fowl. Joyce, forever a cat person, considers her four long hair cats to be her children.
Volunteer research projects are an attractive outlet, especially if they further the study of animal wellbeing. Joyce contributed her time to the Large Animal Research Station at the University of Fairbanks, to study caribou and musk oxen reaction to human stressors. Her work helped determine why declining reproduction and infant mortality were a common result in human disturbed areas.
During primatology classes in college, Joyce followed the maturation of a chimpanzee named Washoe who was taught American Sign Language. Thirty years later, while volunteering at the Chimpanzee Human Language Institute, Joyce was honored to meet Washoe and exchanged ASL pleasantries with her. This institute studies the complexities of ape intelligence and behavior to contradict the government's limited definition of ape enrichment in captivity.
Joyce was ten when she joined 4H Club and spent the next four years learning clothing construction. Dress Revues and fair premiums funded her projects (when fabric was 35 cents per yard). She continued to make all of her clothing well into her adulthood. She thought it was fun to shop goodwill for large clothes, then rip them apart and make custom garments.
Her exposure to quilting was watching her maternal grandmother, who hand quilted in front of the tv every evening. This woman was a dust bowl migrant who used old clothing and left over scraps to make quilts. Everything was hand stitched. And it is wonderful to see grandpa's work shirts in these quilts.
Joyce was in her 40s when she got the quilting itch. Although she had always made her own clothes, something new with fabric sounded enticing. It was a "figure it out as you go" type of endeavor with no formal instruction. A few quilt tops were sewn and only one was completed. A queen size quilt top of her grandmother's was her first and probably last attempt at hand quilting. But she finished it. Sandwiching and quilting by machine seemed formidable. Eventually she discovered CBQ with its learning experiences and encouragement. Quilts were being completed! Most of her quilting in the past six years has been community services projects. She is especially proud of her first king size quilt, made during the pandemic. So, unlike many CBQ members, Joyce is a quilting novice. Therefore, she feels ill equipped to offer any tips or wisdom to quilters except what she tells herself. "Keep trying. Work at it. Don't get frustrated. If you walk away, come back when refreshed. Be persistent." The length of time required to complete a good size quilt is daunting, so keeping an ongoing interest in the project can be difficult for her.
Joyce has a distinct preference for batiks and traditional quilt patterns. However, she occasionally works with reproduction fabric to step away from her comfort zone. She has taken classes from Susan Carlson, noted collage artist and author, and loves the challenges of fabric collage. Pinterest, books, and magazines provide inspiration. She likes to analyze why she is attracted to or away from an image and what modifications might make it more appealing.
Her quilting bucket list? Create a quilt with curved seams. But the real bucket list is to live long enough to see half of her projects come to fruition.
Joyce's first love is still clay. After a long hiatus, she's back in it. Although her deteriorating back and hands prevent wheel work, her focus now is slab ceramics. Joyce has a home studio for creating fine art gourds and has been in shows in California and Arizona. Her work was in a group exhibit at the San Bernardino Feldheym Library. Her use of pine needle coiling and natural materials as embellishment have evolved and now she also coils pine needle baskets. Her husband cuts and polishes gem stones for inclusion in her work. She has taught beginning gourd, color techniques, and basket weaving classes.
Joyce and Bill's love for soft adventure travel has taken them to many places on the map. They met Mary Leakey, discoverer of earliest man, in Nairobi while on safari in Kenya and Tanzania. They learned ocean kayaking while in Costa Rica. They watched and felt a volcano explode in New Zealand. While in the South Pacific, they observed the French holiday season revelries, including festivals, spear competitions and canoe races. They walked on and inside the Jungfrau glacier while touring Switzerland on foot and by train. A few excursions to Alaska included float plane trips to Katmai to photograph grizzly bears. Others included traveling to the back country of Denali and the privilege of flightseeing over Denali when the sky was cloudless. Then there was the time that banditos overtook our train while in Mexco. The list could continue and includes many US and Canada adventures, but of course is not quilting related.
What interesting tidbit do you not know about Joyce? She never meant to be a first. But she was a first female in the college agricultural department, she was the first female in her profession, the first female to assume a supervisory roll in her workplace, and she was the first unattached female to buy a house in California. Caifornia laws changed in 1978, when women were no longer required to have a male cosigner for property purchase. Joyce became a test case and succeeded with buying her home. Although being a first is rarely a pleasant experience, Joyce is proud to have broken barriers for the women who follow her.
Our sincere thanks to Joyce for agreeing to be featured and giving us a glimpse into her very interesting and inspiring life. We also thank her for her many, many years of being our Community Service chairperson. Her efforts and dedication to community service helped us maintain and grow our giving philosophy.
Pictured below are some of Joyce’s beautiful baskets, pottery, gourds and quilts.
(Click on any photo to fully enlarge)
Cal Poly Pomona was the perfect choice for college as Joyce was leaning toward a career in agriculture. However, Cal Poly wasn't ready for Joyce since she was the only woman in her major. After being urged to find a "more appropriate course of study", she enrolled in the school of science and earned a degree in biology with a minor in animal behavior studies. Her love affair with clay began in college and, even after completing a degree, remained at Cal Poly for a while to throw pots and pursue artistic opportunities.
Affirmative Action allowed her the opportunity to begin a career as a county vector biologist. During the first few years, she was assigned to inspect commercial egg ranches to evaluate integrated pest management. Sounds impressive? The job was to scoop random piles of chicken manure, identify insect species, and count fly maggots versus good insects. Joyce endured and eventually worked her way into more dignified projects, like trapping ground squirrels for bubonic plague surveillance. Eventually she supervised a CDC sponsored research project to learn the secrets of roof rats, a little understood species at the time. Eventually she was recognized as an expert and educator on roof rat biology. Whether it was jury duty or a trip to the grocery store, someone inevitably would shout out, "There's the rat lady!"
To stave the boredom of a workday world, Joyce became an evening fixture at the Chaffey College clay studio. While there, she also worked on an AA degree in geology.
Life tends to throw curve balls and hers was a man. He wasn't her type, wouldn't go away, and eventually wore her down. She didn't realize for a long time that he was the best thing to happen in her life. They both loved the concept of open spaces and decided to build a house on acreage in Yucaipa. At the same time, she was offered a health officer position in Yucaipa and Redlands. So, life took a whole new direction on all fronts. By the way, after 38 years she's still with this guy.
The quotation "It's never too late to be what you might have been" became Joyce's mantra. As soon as possible, she retired from the professional world and became a farmer. She fulfilled her life long dream to own goats and became a breeder of registered show quality Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats. At its peak, the herd numbered 32 goats. They placed very well in shows with one buck winning best in show. (And yes, goat shows are similar to dog shows.) She learned that the most frightening, most joyful, most humbling experience is to help pull new born kids into the world. The farm is rounded out with two dozen chickens and six guinea fowl. Joyce, forever a cat person, considers her four long hair cats to be her children.
Volunteer research projects are an attractive outlet, especially if they further the study of animal wellbeing. Joyce contributed her time to the Large Animal Research Station at the University of Fairbanks, to study caribou and musk oxen reaction to human stressors. Her work helped determine why declining reproduction and infant mortality were a common result in human disturbed areas.
During primatology classes in college, Joyce followed the maturation of a chimpanzee named Washoe who was taught American Sign Language. Thirty years later, while volunteering at the Chimpanzee Human Language Institute, Joyce was honored to meet Washoe and exchanged ASL pleasantries with her. This institute studies the complexities of ape intelligence and behavior to contradict the government's limited definition of ape enrichment in captivity.
Joyce was ten when she joined 4H Club and spent the next four years learning clothing construction. Dress Revues and fair premiums funded her projects (when fabric was 35 cents per yard). She continued to make all of her clothing well into her adulthood. She thought it was fun to shop goodwill for large clothes, then rip them apart and make custom garments.
Her exposure to quilting was watching her maternal grandmother, who hand quilted in front of the tv every evening. This woman was a dust bowl migrant who used old clothing and left over scraps to make quilts. Everything was hand stitched. And it is wonderful to see grandpa's work shirts in these quilts.
Joyce was in her 40s when she got the quilting itch. Although she had always made her own clothes, something new with fabric sounded enticing. It was a "figure it out as you go" type of endeavor with no formal instruction. A few quilt tops were sewn and only one was completed. A queen size quilt top of her grandmother's was her first and probably last attempt at hand quilting. But she finished it. Sandwiching and quilting by machine seemed formidable. Eventually she discovered CBQ with its learning experiences and encouragement. Quilts were being completed! Most of her quilting in the past six years has been community services projects. She is especially proud of her first king size quilt, made during the pandemic. So, unlike many CBQ members, Joyce is a quilting novice. Therefore, she feels ill equipped to offer any tips or wisdom to quilters except what she tells herself. "Keep trying. Work at it. Don't get frustrated. If you walk away, come back when refreshed. Be persistent." The length of time required to complete a good size quilt is daunting, so keeping an ongoing interest in the project can be difficult for her.
Joyce has a distinct preference for batiks and traditional quilt patterns. However, she occasionally works with reproduction fabric to step away from her comfort zone. She has taken classes from Susan Carlson, noted collage artist and author, and loves the challenges of fabric collage. Pinterest, books, and magazines provide inspiration. She likes to analyze why she is attracted to or away from an image and what modifications might make it more appealing.
Her quilting bucket list? Create a quilt with curved seams. But the real bucket list is to live long enough to see half of her projects come to fruition.
Joyce's first love is still clay. After a long hiatus, she's back in it. Although her deteriorating back and hands prevent wheel work, her focus now is slab ceramics. Joyce has a home studio for creating fine art gourds and has been in shows in California and Arizona. Her work was in a group exhibit at the San Bernardino Feldheym Library. Her use of pine needle coiling and natural materials as embellishment have evolved and now she also coils pine needle baskets. Her husband cuts and polishes gem stones for inclusion in her work. She has taught beginning gourd, color techniques, and basket weaving classes.
Joyce and Bill's love for soft adventure travel has taken them to many places on the map. They met Mary Leakey, discoverer of earliest man, in Nairobi while on safari in Kenya and Tanzania. They learned ocean kayaking while in Costa Rica. They watched and felt a volcano explode in New Zealand. While in the South Pacific, they observed the French holiday season revelries, including festivals, spear competitions and canoe races. They walked on and inside the Jungfrau glacier while touring Switzerland on foot and by train. A few excursions to Alaska included float plane trips to Katmai to photograph grizzly bears. Others included traveling to the back country of Denali and the privilege of flightseeing over Denali when the sky was cloudless. Then there was the time that banditos overtook our train while in Mexco. The list could continue and includes many US and Canada adventures, but of course is not quilting related.
What interesting tidbit do you not know about Joyce? She never meant to be a first. But she was a first female in the college agricultural department, she was the first female in her profession, the first female to assume a supervisory roll in her workplace, and she was the first unattached female to buy a house in California. Caifornia laws changed in 1978, when women were no longer required to have a male cosigner for property purchase. Joyce became a test case and succeeded with buying her home. Although being a first is rarely a pleasant experience, Joyce is proud to have broken barriers for the women who follow her.
Our sincere thanks to Joyce for agreeing to be featured and giving us a glimpse into her very interesting and inspiring life. We also thank her for her many, many years of being our Community Service chairperson. Her efforts and dedication to community service helped us maintain and grow our giving philosophy.
Pictured below are some of Joyce’s beautiful baskets, pottery, gourds and quilts.
(Click on any photo to fully enlarge)
Sally Peterson - April 2023
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Joined CBQ 2021-2022
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Spring has finally arrived and the world is once again filled with color. We are pleased to present Sally Peterson as our April Featured Member of the Month, a newer CBQ member who definitely has an eye for color.
Sally grew up in Idaho. Her parents moved around a few times while her dad was getting his bachelor’s degree and they ended up in the country outside Boise. Both of Sally’s parents were teachers. They had a cow, calves, a horse, chickens, a dog, and a cat. Her mother sewed and painted. Sally is incredibly lucky that both her great grandmother and grandmother were quilters.
Sally grew up with four siblings and went to school in Meridian, Idaho. She started sewing on her grandmother’s Singer pedal sewing machine at the age of eight years old. At the age of ten, Sally sewed Barbie clothes. She and her sister learned different crafts to keep busy during the summers, and taught herself how to macramé, knit, crochet and needlepoint.
When Sally was thirteen, she took a sewing class at the YWCA and another in high school. At the same time, she began sewing most of her clothes and continued through the 1990s. She was a home economics major at the University of Idaho in Moscow, but only attended for two years.
In 1974, Sally married and moved to Alameda, California where her husband was in the Navy. Sally worked for the federal government as a clerk typist. After her husband got out of the Navy in 1976, they moved to San Diego, where her husband got his masters at San Diego State. They both worked in accounting and systems for the Department of Defense in San Diego until they retired after 30 years. Sally and her husband have two daughters, and also several cats as pets. Sally and a friend learned to cross stitch, and later decided to take Tole painting classes. Sally painted all through the 90s and gave away painted clocks as gifts.
Sally shared that she always wanted to make quilts, so she bought a book in 2000 and made several baby quilts for friends and relatives. She made a quilt for her oldest daughter in 2003, sewing at night after work and on weekends.
In 2008 after she retired, Sally made two landscape quilts, one for her husband, and one for his brother in Montana. She used a photo that was taken in Gibson, Montana where the two brothers spent the first three years of their lives, out on a vast prairie. Their house had burned down after their family moved from Gibson. Sally says a burned tree was still there when they visited.
As empty nesters, Sally and her husband moved to Beaumont in 2009. She started a quilt for her youngest daughter and finished it in 2013. She then joined the Four Seasons (a 55+community) quilting group in 2013 and learned some new techniques. After the Four Seasons quilt group ended, Sally joined the Quilt Enthusiasts group and displayed a few quilts at their Four Seasons quilt shows in 2021 and 2022. She has also been part of the Knitting and Crochet Club, where they make hats and blankets for the VA and local hospitals.
Sally has made (and given away) a lot of table runners, and quilts for her two grandsons. As with most of us, the pandemic allowed plenty of time for quilting. Sally made two quilts for herself, and two to give as gifts.
Sally joined Citrus Belt Quilters Guild in 2021/2022, and explained that she gets ideas for quilts from quilting magazines, Jordan fabrics, quilt shows, Pinterest and Citrus Belt Quilters. She loves to watch a quilt come together from small pieces of fabric!
Sally shared that the most difficult part of quilting for her is piecing triangles and quilting the finished tops. She has purchased quite a few precuts and kits, so has plenty of quilting to do in the future. She would like to try making some more difficult quilts.
We asked Sally what advice she could offer fellow quilters and she offered: ‘My advice to quilters is, try new patterns, even if you think you can’t, because you will always learn something new!’ That’s great advice Sally!
Our thanks to Sally for participating in our monthly feature. If you haven’t met her yet, she usually sits toward the front near the flag pole side of the meeting room. You’ll know it’s her by her warm smile and gracious demeanor.
Below: A sampling of some of Sally’s quilt creations (click on any photo to expand)
Sally grew up in Idaho. Her parents moved around a few times while her dad was getting his bachelor’s degree and they ended up in the country outside Boise. Both of Sally’s parents were teachers. They had a cow, calves, a horse, chickens, a dog, and a cat. Her mother sewed and painted. Sally is incredibly lucky that both her great grandmother and grandmother were quilters.
Sally grew up with four siblings and went to school in Meridian, Idaho. She started sewing on her grandmother’s Singer pedal sewing machine at the age of eight years old. At the age of ten, Sally sewed Barbie clothes. She and her sister learned different crafts to keep busy during the summers, and taught herself how to macramé, knit, crochet and needlepoint.
When Sally was thirteen, she took a sewing class at the YWCA and another in high school. At the same time, she began sewing most of her clothes and continued through the 1990s. She was a home economics major at the University of Idaho in Moscow, but only attended for two years.
In 1974, Sally married and moved to Alameda, California where her husband was in the Navy. Sally worked for the federal government as a clerk typist. After her husband got out of the Navy in 1976, they moved to San Diego, where her husband got his masters at San Diego State. They both worked in accounting and systems for the Department of Defense in San Diego until they retired after 30 years. Sally and her husband have two daughters, and also several cats as pets. Sally and a friend learned to cross stitch, and later decided to take Tole painting classes. Sally painted all through the 90s and gave away painted clocks as gifts.
Sally shared that she always wanted to make quilts, so she bought a book in 2000 and made several baby quilts for friends and relatives. She made a quilt for her oldest daughter in 2003, sewing at night after work and on weekends.
In 2008 after she retired, Sally made two landscape quilts, one for her husband, and one for his brother in Montana. She used a photo that was taken in Gibson, Montana where the two brothers spent the first three years of their lives, out on a vast prairie. Their house had burned down after their family moved from Gibson. Sally says a burned tree was still there when they visited.
As empty nesters, Sally and her husband moved to Beaumont in 2009. She started a quilt for her youngest daughter and finished it in 2013. She then joined the Four Seasons (a 55+community) quilting group in 2013 and learned some new techniques. After the Four Seasons quilt group ended, Sally joined the Quilt Enthusiasts group and displayed a few quilts at their Four Seasons quilt shows in 2021 and 2022. She has also been part of the Knitting and Crochet Club, where they make hats and blankets for the VA and local hospitals.
Sally has made (and given away) a lot of table runners, and quilts for her two grandsons. As with most of us, the pandemic allowed plenty of time for quilting. Sally made two quilts for herself, and two to give as gifts.
Sally joined Citrus Belt Quilters Guild in 2021/2022, and explained that she gets ideas for quilts from quilting magazines, Jordan fabrics, quilt shows, Pinterest and Citrus Belt Quilters. She loves to watch a quilt come together from small pieces of fabric!
Sally shared that the most difficult part of quilting for her is piecing triangles and quilting the finished tops. She has purchased quite a few precuts and kits, so has plenty of quilting to do in the future. She would like to try making some more difficult quilts.
We asked Sally what advice she could offer fellow quilters and she offered: ‘My advice to quilters is, try new patterns, even if you think you can’t, because you will always learn something new!’ That’s great advice Sally!
Our thanks to Sally for participating in our monthly feature. If you haven’t met her yet, she usually sits toward the front near the flag pole side of the meeting room. You’ll know it’s her by her warm smile and gracious demeanor.
Below: A sampling of some of Sally’s quilt creations (click on any photo to expand)
Claudia Gates
Joined CBQ in 2008
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Spring is about to arrive, which is all about new beginnings and transformation. It seems the perfect time to introduce and at the same time, bid farewell to long-time CBQ member Claudia Gates, who will soon be starting a new adventure in the stunningly beautiful state of Oregon.
Claudia was born and raised in Alhambra, CA, where she met her husband Chris at Alhambra High School. They have now been married 57 years. Chris was in the Air Force and during Claudia’s third year of college, married so that she could join him in Germany. Claudia says she was a teenage bride, then turned 20 a week later.
Claudia and Chris moved every few years and lived in Germany, Great Falls, Montana, Vandenberg AFB, CA, Guam, Austin, Texas, Germany (again), Victorville, CA, Vandenberg AFB (again), Hawaii, and San Bernardino. When they arrived in San Bernardino, they bought their first home and have lived there 35 years. Wherever Claudia lived, she worked for the local school district as a teacher’s aide, preschool teacher, or office clerk, etc. She worked for 23 years at the Montessori School in Redlands before retiring in 2008. It was then that she joined CBQ. Chris and Claudia have two adult daughters living in Portland, OR (which explains the fresh start in Oregon).
Claudia’s mother quilted and remembers going into fabric stores with her as a child. When she passed away, Claudia inherited a box of cut quilt pieces for a Fan Quilt. She took a quilt class, taught by a coworker, (everyone else was learning how to make a Log Cabin quilt.) Her first quilt was a Fan Quilt, which she gave to her sister. There were enough cut fan pieces for a second Fan Quilt, which she made and kept for herself. That was in 2001. Claudia found that she loved to quilt, and has made over 200 quilts since then.
Claudia has taken CBQ workshop classes and has learned to sew a variety of sewing methods. She makes a lot of “panel” quilts for they are quick to do and can be donated to Community Service. We often see her beautiful creations during Show & Share. Claudia does most of her piecing on an old 1976 Elna in a cabinet and free motion quilting on a new Viking Husqvarna machine.
We asked Claudia what her typical sewing day looks like, and she offered that when she sews, she listens to FM 99.9 radio station (based in Redlands, CA), and has a cup of hot tea or ice tea within reach. A second bedroom serves as her sewing room and office. She “sandwiches” quilts on her dining room table. She does not have any UFOs for she finishes each quilt she starts. Her sewing room is organized and has eight bins of fabric sorted by small and large pieces, colors, batiks, solids, panels, and future projects. She keeps all of her leftover scraps to make into scrap quilts. “I kick off my shoes when I sew to get a better feel of the foot pedal. I cover my machine when it is not in use to keep the dust out” (we should all be so ambitious!)
Claudia says that quilting gives her a way to be artistic, and to design quilts that she can donate, give to friends, keep, or sell. She is currently making her third Ukraine flag quilt. As with many of us, quilting is relaxing for Claudia.
We asked Claudia what advice she could offer other quilters: “My advice is when you free-motion to have plenty of light. My sewing machine is by a window plus I have a floor and a desk lamp aimed at my needle area. I used to match my thread to the fabric, but it is easier to see your stitches where you have free motioned if you have a contrasting color or a thread that is lighter or darker than the fabric. It also helps if the fabric is not too ‘busy’.”
And finally, we wondered if Claudia might tell us something about herself that perhaps we do not know about her: “You might not know that I am a breast cancer survivor, avid reader, and a Dodger fan. I collect German Hummel figurines and I sing in a church choir. I like to make people laugh! (we are fortunate enough to begin each guild meeting with a hearty chuckle, thanks to Claudia’s amusing and playful inspirational readings). We are putting our house on the market in the spring time. We are moving to Portland, Oregon, to be closer to our two daughters. We will be living at Willamette View, a 27 acre senior retirement community on the Willamette River. I will miss all my friends at Citrus Belt Quilters”.
We will miss you too, Claudia. Thank you for your long time dedication to our guild, and the community we serve. We wish you well in your new life in Oregon. Be well, safe travels and let us know when you find a guild to join. Good luck!
Claudia was born and raised in Alhambra, CA, where she met her husband Chris at Alhambra High School. They have now been married 57 years. Chris was in the Air Force and during Claudia’s third year of college, married so that she could join him in Germany. Claudia says she was a teenage bride, then turned 20 a week later.
Claudia and Chris moved every few years and lived in Germany, Great Falls, Montana, Vandenberg AFB, CA, Guam, Austin, Texas, Germany (again), Victorville, CA, Vandenberg AFB (again), Hawaii, and San Bernardino. When they arrived in San Bernardino, they bought their first home and have lived there 35 years. Wherever Claudia lived, she worked for the local school district as a teacher’s aide, preschool teacher, or office clerk, etc. She worked for 23 years at the Montessori School in Redlands before retiring in 2008. It was then that she joined CBQ. Chris and Claudia have two adult daughters living in Portland, OR (which explains the fresh start in Oregon).
Claudia’s mother quilted and remembers going into fabric stores with her as a child. When she passed away, Claudia inherited a box of cut quilt pieces for a Fan Quilt. She took a quilt class, taught by a coworker, (everyone else was learning how to make a Log Cabin quilt.) Her first quilt was a Fan Quilt, which she gave to her sister. There were enough cut fan pieces for a second Fan Quilt, which she made and kept for herself. That was in 2001. Claudia found that she loved to quilt, and has made over 200 quilts since then.
Claudia has taken CBQ workshop classes and has learned to sew a variety of sewing methods. She makes a lot of “panel” quilts for they are quick to do and can be donated to Community Service. We often see her beautiful creations during Show & Share. Claudia does most of her piecing on an old 1976 Elna in a cabinet and free motion quilting on a new Viking Husqvarna machine.
We asked Claudia what her typical sewing day looks like, and she offered that when she sews, she listens to FM 99.9 radio station (based in Redlands, CA), and has a cup of hot tea or ice tea within reach. A second bedroom serves as her sewing room and office. She “sandwiches” quilts on her dining room table. She does not have any UFOs for she finishes each quilt she starts. Her sewing room is organized and has eight bins of fabric sorted by small and large pieces, colors, batiks, solids, panels, and future projects. She keeps all of her leftover scraps to make into scrap quilts. “I kick off my shoes when I sew to get a better feel of the foot pedal. I cover my machine when it is not in use to keep the dust out” (we should all be so ambitious!)
Claudia says that quilting gives her a way to be artistic, and to design quilts that she can donate, give to friends, keep, or sell. She is currently making her third Ukraine flag quilt. As with many of us, quilting is relaxing for Claudia.
We asked Claudia what advice she could offer other quilters: “My advice is when you free-motion to have plenty of light. My sewing machine is by a window plus I have a floor and a desk lamp aimed at my needle area. I used to match my thread to the fabric, but it is easier to see your stitches where you have free motioned if you have a contrasting color or a thread that is lighter or darker than the fabric. It also helps if the fabric is not too ‘busy’.”
And finally, we wondered if Claudia might tell us something about herself that perhaps we do not know about her: “You might not know that I am a breast cancer survivor, avid reader, and a Dodger fan. I collect German Hummel figurines and I sing in a church choir. I like to make people laugh! (we are fortunate enough to begin each guild meeting with a hearty chuckle, thanks to Claudia’s amusing and playful inspirational readings). We are putting our house on the market in the spring time. We are moving to Portland, Oregon, to be closer to our two daughters. We will be living at Willamette View, a 27 acre senior retirement community on the Willamette River. I will miss all my friends at Citrus Belt Quilters”.
We will miss you too, Claudia. Thank you for your long time dedication to our guild, and the community we serve. We wish you well in your new life in Oregon. Be well, safe travels and let us know when you find a guild to join. Good luck!
Pictured above are a few of Claudia’s quilts, with descriptions provided by her: click on any photo to expand
Curvy Log Cabin Quilt - A CBQ workshop taught me to make Curvy Log Cabin blocks, which is my Valentine Quilt.
Peacock Panel Quilt - I added a thousand sequins to the feathers on these peacocks tails.
Paper Pieced Stepping Stones Quilt - Another CBQ workshop. Used a batik jelly roll and piano key border.
Happy Quilt - This quilt makes me happy. It's batik with free motion quilting and plastic butterflies soaring across it.
Dresden Quilt - I took a CBQ workshop to learn to do these split blade Dresden circles.
Fan Quilt - This was my first quilt that I made, and used pieces that my mother had cut.
Curvy Log Cabin Quilt - A CBQ workshop taught me to make Curvy Log Cabin blocks, which is my Valentine Quilt.
Peacock Panel Quilt - I added a thousand sequins to the feathers on these peacocks tails.
Paper Pieced Stepping Stones Quilt - Another CBQ workshop. Used a batik jelly roll and piano key border.
Happy Quilt - This quilt makes me happy. It's batik with free motion quilting and plastic butterflies soaring across it.
Dresden Quilt - I took a CBQ workshop to learn to do these split blade Dresden circles.
Fan Quilt - This was my first quilt that I made, and used pieces that my mother had cut.
Beth Stanton - February 2023
Joined CBQ in 2022
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This month, we are delighted to introduce Beth Stanton, who joined CBQ in 2022.
Beth was born in Pomona and moved to Wrightwood in 1974 when she was nine years old. She graduated from Serrano High School and then earned a B.A. degree in history from Cal State San Bernardino. She had planned to teach high school but during her senior year in college, changed her mind. While she was figuring out what she would do next, she took a student assistant job in the Purchasing Office at Cal State and then was hired into a full-time position. She progressed from clerical assistant to purchasing agent/buyer to systems analyst and finally to purchasing manager. During those years Beth earned a M.A. in Social Sciences and met and married her husband Chuck who is a mathematics professor. Beth took a very early retirement in 2016, and has tried to keep herself busy since then. Beth lends some of her expertise to the guild’s secretarial duties, capturing important information for our record keeping during monthly general meetings and board meetings (and we appreciate every word and detail).
It was Beth’s mother who introduced her to sewing. Beth’s mother sewed many of their clothes and did embroidery, knitting and other crafts. She taught her embroidery first, and then taught her to use her sewing machine when she was about 10 years old. Beth was making some of her own clothes by the time she was 12. Beth’s mother was not a quilter, though. The first quilted item Beth remembers making was a monkey wrench block. She recalls she was in 4th grade when she joined the quilting club at her elementary school. Students learned to trace the pattern pieces onto fabric, cut the pieces out out, and hand piece them into a block. Beth’s was green gingham with a white background. She made a quilt sandwich and stretched it on a small wooden frame and hand quilted it. She took that block and made it into a pillow cover which she had on her bed for a long time. Beth thinks the next quilt she made was about ten years later, when she saw a Trip Around the World quilt that her sister had made from a pattern in a magazine. She borrowed the pattern from her and made one of her own that she machine pieced and hand quilted. Beth made a couple more quilts in the next ten years, but only when she wanted to cover a bed.
It wasn’t until Beth joined the Pine Needles Quilt Guild in Wrightwood in 2003 that she learned that people made quilts for fun and that machine quilting could be done in something other than straight lines. She started taking guild classes, going to quilt shows to see amazing quilts and taking classes at the shows, and eventually attending retreats where she could take 5-day in depth classes with some truly talented quilters.
Beth describes herself as a contemporary quilter but has dabbled in a little bit of everything. On one hand, she really likes doing paper piecing, but on the other hand, her favorite quilts are ones that are based on photographs she has taken that she has inked onto plain fabric. She does free motion quilting on both domestic and longarm machines… but also occasionally quilts by check.
We asked Beth what her favorite kind of fabric is, and like most of our featured members of the month, could not pick just one. Beth explained that it is the quilt design that guides her on fabric choice. She responded “batiks and hand dyes are lovely but prints are great, too. That being said, I am typically drawn to bright, clear colors. If a light background is needed, 9.9 times out of 10 I will choose a white over a cream or other color. Red and yellow are not really in my color palette, but give me a bright orange or magenta and I’m a happy camper: I am even happier with blues, purples and greens”.
We were curious how Beth decides on her next project, quilt or pattern, and wondered where her inspiration comes from? “Most of my recent projects seem to originate in classes I have taken, from friendship group projects, or something easy to clear my head. I started and finished a jelly roll project recently because I needed to complete something…anything to help get me out of a slump I’ve been in for far too long. I had a jelly roll (ideal because I didn’t have to make color or pattern decisions), some white yardage in my stash, and a pattern in a book I owned. I started sewing strips together while I waited for Amazon to deliver a new triangle template. Once that arrived, I was able to quickly finish the top, quilt it on my longarm and bind it. My head is now buzzing with ideas on how I am going to put my latest friendship group project together”.
We also asked Beth to tell us about her favorite quilting tool, and she had to think about that for a long time. “I used templates and scissors for my first quilt block, so I know from personal experience that a rotary cutter and rulers make quilting life so much easier, but I decided that my sewing machines are my favorite tools. I could not have accomplished as much as I
have over the years without them. I have also learned that having a good quality machine makes the sewing experience so much more enjoyable”.
If any of you have read Beth’s minutes from our meetings, you’ll notice that they are meticulously constructed, so, we thought it would be fun to ask “on any given day, what does her sewing room look like? She surprised us by answering “My sewing room is in a constant state of disorder. I moved into my Redlands home about 18 months ago and the boxes were piled in the sewing room. I have unpacked many items and have setup the main units such as the sewing station, cutting table, ironing station, and longarm but much still remains in boxes or placed where I cannot find what I need when I need it so it’s frustrating. I am slowly getting things where they need to be, but it is still sometimes a struggle”.
We were interested if Beth had any other hobbies or interests besides quilting? She explained that although quilting is her primary hobby, she still occasionally does embroidery, crewel, cross stitch, and knitting and keeps trying to crochet. She has done calligraphy, although not recently. Before Beth got into quilting, she did stained glass, too. She offered that the process of making stained glass art is actually quite similar to making a quilt. “You trace from templates onto pieces of glass, cut the glass, and then use lead came and solder to join the cut pieces into a new whole”.
As with most of our members, Beth answered with ease when we asked what quilting does for her: “Quilting helps to occupy my mind and my hands. It challenges my problem solving skills, for example, when I have had to figure out how to combine the friendship blocks or some guild block-of-the-quarter blocks where one person interpreted the instructions differently than all the other makers and used odd background colors. I could have put the odd blocks onto the back of the quilts, but it was far more satisfying to blend them into the tops. Quilting allows me to develop creative and technical skills. Most importantly, however, it provides the opportunity to meet other quilters and make new friends”.
Making new friends is one of the many benefits of joining a guild and Beth nostalgically reflected “I would love to sit and sew again with my longstanding friendship group, the CutUps. We used meet every month at each of our homes in turn to chat about our quilting projects and enjoy each other’s company. We would also typically do an annual sewing weekend together somewhere away from home. We still meet monthly via Zoom and we still do group projects, but between the ten of us, we now live in five different states and have only met in person sporadically since Covid upended everything. We haven’t sewed together for at least four years now”.
It’s always interesting to inquire of our featured members what pearl of wisdom they can share with fellow quilters? Beth offered:
“Don’t be afraid to try anything new. If you don’t think you can figure it out on your own with a book or YouTube video, try to find a class. Look to the guild’s classes or check out what’s offered at quilt shows. If you see a class that you want to take but you think you don’t have the right skills, TAKE THE CLASS. It’s being offered so that you can gain the experience. Don’t be intimidated. There will be others in the class who have never done that technique either”.
And finally, just for fun, we asked Beth to tell us something about herself that that might surprise us, or no one knows about her:
“I am drawn to trains. I have taken two long round-trip rail journeys; one from Indio to New Orleans with a side trip to Atlanta and back and another from San Bernardino to Kansas City and back. While rail travel was fairly common for the generation before me, it is far less common for people my age. I find that it is a great way to see the country without the stress of driving and to meet new people, but I have learned that Amtrak does not keep to its published schedule so you have to keep your own schedule flexible and accept that you will likely not arrive at your destination at the expected time, but that you will get there eventually”.
Thank you Beth for giving us a peek into your sewing life and quilting journey. We appreciate you sharing your story and letting us get to know you better. We hope there are many train trips in your future! We can’t wait to hear about those too!
Beth was born in Pomona and moved to Wrightwood in 1974 when she was nine years old. She graduated from Serrano High School and then earned a B.A. degree in history from Cal State San Bernardino. She had planned to teach high school but during her senior year in college, changed her mind. While she was figuring out what she would do next, she took a student assistant job in the Purchasing Office at Cal State and then was hired into a full-time position. She progressed from clerical assistant to purchasing agent/buyer to systems analyst and finally to purchasing manager. During those years Beth earned a M.A. in Social Sciences and met and married her husband Chuck who is a mathematics professor. Beth took a very early retirement in 2016, and has tried to keep herself busy since then. Beth lends some of her expertise to the guild’s secretarial duties, capturing important information for our record keeping during monthly general meetings and board meetings (and we appreciate every word and detail).
It was Beth’s mother who introduced her to sewing. Beth’s mother sewed many of their clothes and did embroidery, knitting and other crafts. She taught her embroidery first, and then taught her to use her sewing machine when she was about 10 years old. Beth was making some of her own clothes by the time she was 12. Beth’s mother was not a quilter, though. The first quilted item Beth remembers making was a monkey wrench block. She recalls she was in 4th grade when she joined the quilting club at her elementary school. Students learned to trace the pattern pieces onto fabric, cut the pieces out out, and hand piece them into a block. Beth’s was green gingham with a white background. She made a quilt sandwich and stretched it on a small wooden frame and hand quilted it. She took that block and made it into a pillow cover which she had on her bed for a long time. Beth thinks the next quilt she made was about ten years later, when she saw a Trip Around the World quilt that her sister had made from a pattern in a magazine. She borrowed the pattern from her and made one of her own that she machine pieced and hand quilted. Beth made a couple more quilts in the next ten years, but only when she wanted to cover a bed.
It wasn’t until Beth joined the Pine Needles Quilt Guild in Wrightwood in 2003 that she learned that people made quilts for fun and that machine quilting could be done in something other than straight lines. She started taking guild classes, going to quilt shows to see amazing quilts and taking classes at the shows, and eventually attending retreats where she could take 5-day in depth classes with some truly talented quilters.
Beth describes herself as a contemporary quilter but has dabbled in a little bit of everything. On one hand, she really likes doing paper piecing, but on the other hand, her favorite quilts are ones that are based on photographs she has taken that she has inked onto plain fabric. She does free motion quilting on both domestic and longarm machines… but also occasionally quilts by check.
We asked Beth what her favorite kind of fabric is, and like most of our featured members of the month, could not pick just one. Beth explained that it is the quilt design that guides her on fabric choice. She responded “batiks and hand dyes are lovely but prints are great, too. That being said, I am typically drawn to bright, clear colors. If a light background is needed, 9.9 times out of 10 I will choose a white over a cream or other color. Red and yellow are not really in my color palette, but give me a bright orange or magenta and I’m a happy camper: I am even happier with blues, purples and greens”.
We were curious how Beth decides on her next project, quilt or pattern, and wondered where her inspiration comes from? “Most of my recent projects seem to originate in classes I have taken, from friendship group projects, or something easy to clear my head. I started and finished a jelly roll project recently because I needed to complete something…anything to help get me out of a slump I’ve been in for far too long. I had a jelly roll (ideal because I didn’t have to make color or pattern decisions), some white yardage in my stash, and a pattern in a book I owned. I started sewing strips together while I waited for Amazon to deliver a new triangle template. Once that arrived, I was able to quickly finish the top, quilt it on my longarm and bind it. My head is now buzzing with ideas on how I am going to put my latest friendship group project together”.
We also asked Beth to tell us about her favorite quilting tool, and she had to think about that for a long time. “I used templates and scissors for my first quilt block, so I know from personal experience that a rotary cutter and rulers make quilting life so much easier, but I decided that my sewing machines are my favorite tools. I could not have accomplished as much as I
have over the years without them. I have also learned that having a good quality machine makes the sewing experience so much more enjoyable”.
If any of you have read Beth’s minutes from our meetings, you’ll notice that they are meticulously constructed, so, we thought it would be fun to ask “on any given day, what does her sewing room look like? She surprised us by answering “My sewing room is in a constant state of disorder. I moved into my Redlands home about 18 months ago and the boxes were piled in the sewing room. I have unpacked many items and have setup the main units such as the sewing station, cutting table, ironing station, and longarm but much still remains in boxes or placed where I cannot find what I need when I need it so it’s frustrating. I am slowly getting things where they need to be, but it is still sometimes a struggle”.
We were interested if Beth had any other hobbies or interests besides quilting? She explained that although quilting is her primary hobby, she still occasionally does embroidery, crewel, cross stitch, and knitting and keeps trying to crochet. She has done calligraphy, although not recently. Before Beth got into quilting, she did stained glass, too. She offered that the process of making stained glass art is actually quite similar to making a quilt. “You trace from templates onto pieces of glass, cut the glass, and then use lead came and solder to join the cut pieces into a new whole”.
As with most of our members, Beth answered with ease when we asked what quilting does for her: “Quilting helps to occupy my mind and my hands. It challenges my problem solving skills, for example, when I have had to figure out how to combine the friendship blocks or some guild block-of-the-quarter blocks where one person interpreted the instructions differently than all the other makers and used odd background colors. I could have put the odd blocks onto the back of the quilts, but it was far more satisfying to blend them into the tops. Quilting allows me to develop creative and technical skills. Most importantly, however, it provides the opportunity to meet other quilters and make new friends”.
Making new friends is one of the many benefits of joining a guild and Beth nostalgically reflected “I would love to sit and sew again with my longstanding friendship group, the CutUps. We used meet every month at each of our homes in turn to chat about our quilting projects and enjoy each other’s company. We would also typically do an annual sewing weekend together somewhere away from home. We still meet monthly via Zoom and we still do group projects, but between the ten of us, we now live in five different states and have only met in person sporadically since Covid upended everything. We haven’t sewed together for at least four years now”.
It’s always interesting to inquire of our featured members what pearl of wisdom they can share with fellow quilters? Beth offered:
“Don’t be afraid to try anything new. If you don’t think you can figure it out on your own with a book or YouTube video, try to find a class. Look to the guild’s classes or check out what’s offered at quilt shows. If you see a class that you want to take but you think you don’t have the right skills, TAKE THE CLASS. It’s being offered so that you can gain the experience. Don’t be intimidated. There will be others in the class who have never done that technique either”.
And finally, just for fun, we asked Beth to tell us something about herself that that might surprise us, or no one knows about her:
“I am drawn to trains. I have taken two long round-trip rail journeys; one from Indio to New Orleans with a side trip to Atlanta and back and another from San Bernardino to Kansas City and back. While rail travel was fairly common for the generation before me, it is far less common for people my age. I find that it is a great way to see the country without the stress of driving and to meet new people, but I have learned that Amtrak does not keep to its published schedule so you have to keep your own schedule flexible and accept that you will likely not arrive at your destination at the expected time, but that you will get there eventually”.
Thank you Beth for giving us a peek into your sewing life and quilting journey. We appreciate you sharing your story and letting us get to know you better. We hope there are many train trips in your future! We can’t wait to hear about those too!
Displayed below are a few of Beth’s quilts and wall hangings
Click on any photo to fully expand
Click on any photo to fully expand
Nelda Stuck - January 2023
Joined CBQ in 1986
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Happy New Year to our members! Welcome 2023!
Our Featured Member of the Month continues to be the most visited page on the CBQ website, and we plan to keep the ball rolling. To kick off the new year, we are pleased to feature long-time member Nelda Stuck, who joined the guild 36 years ago in 1986.
Nelda grew up in East Lansing, Michigan, received her bachelor's degree from Michigan State in journalism in 1959, and returned in 1969 to earn her master's degree in radio and television news during the year when husband Monte was on his year's non-accompanied Vietnam War tour. Nelda was always writing for newspapers, and when they were luckily able to return to Redlands for Monte's military retirement after 26 years, she immediately applied for a job at the Redlands Daily Facts. She replaced the society reporter who had been there 30 years, and held the “wonderful job” of community reporter/editor for 22 years until retirement in 2002. Their two children graduated from Redlands High school: son Brook, has worked as a registered nurse for 35 years at the Loma Linda University Medical Center, and daughter Holly, an attorney and an assistant chief counsel for the IRS in DC.
Nelda has an interesting path into quilting. She and her family lived outside Washington, DC, at the time of the USA Bicentennial and she took a beginning quilting class at a famous shop in Fairfax. The well-known quilt teacher had participants make several small squares into a pillow top. Most of the class time was spent in learning/recognizing quilt patterns, and she was not inspired to continue. However, Nelda and Monte were antiquers, and at one sale she came across a block of old unfinished squares. Thus began a continuing concern for orphan projects that needed to be finished. Nelda explains “unfortunately that turned into a king-sized quilt, because nobody told me NEVER to make a king-size quilt”. She jokingly says “we all learn from experience”.
Like many of our featured members, Nelda basically learned to quilt on her own, picking up better practices from better quilters as she went along. She would observe how much antique quilts cost, and figured she could make one (Double Wedding Ring, for example). Her early inspiration to quilt came from her aunt in Iowa where farmers' wives were proud to show off their work - the one way they could show their creativity. Nelda’s aunt made Monte and Nelda an embroidered states birds quilt for their wedding. “We loved it and used it and washed it and regret not knowing better how to care for it”.
If anyone has seen one of the many beautiful creations Nelda often shares during CBQ meetings, there’s no question as to the type of quilter she is. All of Nelda’s quilts are hand-pieced and 95% hand-quilted, and today she only make quilts that tell the story of Redlands, most in a traditional layout. Just as beautiful are her work-of-art labels, detailing the inspiration for the quilt, facts about its recipient and the reason the quilt was created. Labels are a joint effort between Nelda and her husband, and they have perfected the ideal method for telling the story of every quilt.
When asked where Nelda gets her inspiration for quilts and color palettes, she offers the following explanation: “While I very much appreciate other quilters' abilities to match ornately designed fabric, I am drawn to color patterns or plain material that won't distract from the pictures of Redlands I am trying to share. I pick up ideas from seeing other CBQ quilts in Show and Share, and I am inspired from commercial advertising designs or mosaics or museum artworks I see”.
Nelda prefers not to quilt by machine, because she does not have a sewing room. She offers “I guess that is because we have a piano room and I've never felt I could ask for another special room for me. Therefore, when I do quilt a community service quilt by machine, it means setting it up in the living room and making a mess for several days. I prefer keeping hand-quilting in a corner so that we can maintain a presentable public living space. Not having tables and a sewing area is actually quite restricting, and I am in awe of other CBQ members' crafts rooms”.
We asked Nelda to describe her typical sewing day, and she chucked! “I NEVER have a typical sewing day when I sit down and sew. It's always a spare five minutes here and there while I am waiting for something else that needs to be done. It's amazing, however, what can be done five or 10 minutes every day. When I'm sewing, that process settles any anxieties. However, I often feel guilty that the rest of my work isn't getting done. Actually, I use evening quilting as my reward that the rest of the chores got done”.
We asked Nelda what other hobbies she has besides quilting, and she explained that she definitely has other hobbies, but “quilting is an absolute necessity in my life because I can never just sit. I always worry that I won't live to finish my current project and wonder who will do that for me”… we can relate to that sentiment.
Her hobbies are mainly a lifetime of music: piano, years of teaching piano, years of performing with an eight-hand piano quartet and today, a six-hand trio using one piano. She is always up for accompanying any soloist who needs an accompanist. Nelda is an Iowa farmer's daughter and loves gardening, basically tending to fruit trees, from which they eat year-round. Nelda and Monte are active with their First Congregational Church, enjoy theater and concerts, a dozen community organizations, and for 22 years now, getting the Museum of Redlands up and running.
Wanting to capitalize on our time with Nelda, we asked her to share a tip and a piece of advice for us fellow quilters and members: “The quilting tip I wish I'd learned when I first started is make sure your fabric is 100 percent cotton. Who knows what went into the early quilts!? My advice to new quilters is to join CBQ for all its inspiration through the years and for the wonderful women/friends that result. I've never met a quilter I didn't like - their qualities as women and the wide variety of inspiration I've received”. Nelda modestly offers “I have no advice for seasoned quilters because they all are so far ahead of me that I am trying to catch up”.
Every quilter has a bucket list so we asked Nelda to share what she still wants to experience: “I’d like to go to the Houston quilt show or Sisters, Oregon exhibit, and right now I'd like to finish the difficult appliqué "Redlands Phrases" lettering quilt I envision and have barely started” (we can’t wait for that one, Nelda!)
And as always, we wanted to know something about Nelda that is new to us, or that no one in the guild knows about her. She stated “I asked my daughter in DC how I might answer this, and she immediately emailed back this quote: "You don't waste anything - not a bucket of water, a canceled postage stamp, or a scrap of material. Though maybe they know that about you especially given your last quilt! You'll definitely point out that quilting now gives you another venue to be a cheerleader for Redlands”.
And finally, Nelda’s charming husband made a suggestion. Monte feels we should ask ‘the husband’ how he feels about our members’ quilting, then added: "My answer would be, I'm looking forward to seeing what the color of our living room rug is when the quilts are picked up." Hahaha!
Like with many of us, partners naturally become an integral part of our quilting journeys. Nelda says “actually, Monte is wonderfully supportive - whether helping with a design problem, or patiently interested and helpful when I shop for the exact materials I need. How’s that for support?”
Thank you Nelda (and Monte) for this inspiring, informative interview. It’s been a pleasure learning more about your story and we look forward to seeing your 2023 creations. You are both Redlands at its best!
Shown below is a sampling of some of Nelda’s creations
Click on photo to fully expand
Our Featured Member of the Month continues to be the most visited page on the CBQ website, and we plan to keep the ball rolling. To kick off the new year, we are pleased to feature long-time member Nelda Stuck, who joined the guild 36 years ago in 1986.
Nelda grew up in East Lansing, Michigan, received her bachelor's degree from Michigan State in journalism in 1959, and returned in 1969 to earn her master's degree in radio and television news during the year when husband Monte was on his year's non-accompanied Vietnam War tour. Nelda was always writing for newspapers, and when they were luckily able to return to Redlands for Monte's military retirement after 26 years, she immediately applied for a job at the Redlands Daily Facts. She replaced the society reporter who had been there 30 years, and held the “wonderful job” of community reporter/editor for 22 years until retirement in 2002. Their two children graduated from Redlands High school: son Brook, has worked as a registered nurse for 35 years at the Loma Linda University Medical Center, and daughter Holly, an attorney and an assistant chief counsel for the IRS in DC.
Nelda has an interesting path into quilting. She and her family lived outside Washington, DC, at the time of the USA Bicentennial and she took a beginning quilting class at a famous shop in Fairfax. The well-known quilt teacher had participants make several small squares into a pillow top. Most of the class time was spent in learning/recognizing quilt patterns, and she was not inspired to continue. However, Nelda and Monte were antiquers, and at one sale she came across a block of old unfinished squares. Thus began a continuing concern for orphan projects that needed to be finished. Nelda explains “unfortunately that turned into a king-sized quilt, because nobody told me NEVER to make a king-size quilt”. She jokingly says “we all learn from experience”.
Like many of our featured members, Nelda basically learned to quilt on her own, picking up better practices from better quilters as she went along. She would observe how much antique quilts cost, and figured she could make one (Double Wedding Ring, for example). Her early inspiration to quilt came from her aunt in Iowa where farmers' wives were proud to show off their work - the one way they could show their creativity. Nelda’s aunt made Monte and Nelda an embroidered states birds quilt for their wedding. “We loved it and used it and washed it and regret not knowing better how to care for it”.
If anyone has seen one of the many beautiful creations Nelda often shares during CBQ meetings, there’s no question as to the type of quilter she is. All of Nelda’s quilts are hand-pieced and 95% hand-quilted, and today she only make quilts that tell the story of Redlands, most in a traditional layout. Just as beautiful are her work-of-art labels, detailing the inspiration for the quilt, facts about its recipient and the reason the quilt was created. Labels are a joint effort between Nelda and her husband, and they have perfected the ideal method for telling the story of every quilt.
When asked where Nelda gets her inspiration for quilts and color palettes, she offers the following explanation: “While I very much appreciate other quilters' abilities to match ornately designed fabric, I am drawn to color patterns or plain material that won't distract from the pictures of Redlands I am trying to share. I pick up ideas from seeing other CBQ quilts in Show and Share, and I am inspired from commercial advertising designs or mosaics or museum artworks I see”.
Nelda prefers not to quilt by machine, because she does not have a sewing room. She offers “I guess that is because we have a piano room and I've never felt I could ask for another special room for me. Therefore, when I do quilt a community service quilt by machine, it means setting it up in the living room and making a mess for several days. I prefer keeping hand-quilting in a corner so that we can maintain a presentable public living space. Not having tables and a sewing area is actually quite restricting, and I am in awe of other CBQ members' crafts rooms”.
We asked Nelda to describe her typical sewing day, and she chucked! “I NEVER have a typical sewing day when I sit down and sew. It's always a spare five minutes here and there while I am waiting for something else that needs to be done. It's amazing, however, what can be done five or 10 minutes every day. When I'm sewing, that process settles any anxieties. However, I often feel guilty that the rest of my work isn't getting done. Actually, I use evening quilting as my reward that the rest of the chores got done”.
We asked Nelda what other hobbies she has besides quilting, and she explained that she definitely has other hobbies, but “quilting is an absolute necessity in my life because I can never just sit. I always worry that I won't live to finish my current project and wonder who will do that for me”… we can relate to that sentiment.
Her hobbies are mainly a lifetime of music: piano, years of teaching piano, years of performing with an eight-hand piano quartet and today, a six-hand trio using one piano. She is always up for accompanying any soloist who needs an accompanist. Nelda is an Iowa farmer's daughter and loves gardening, basically tending to fruit trees, from which they eat year-round. Nelda and Monte are active with their First Congregational Church, enjoy theater and concerts, a dozen community organizations, and for 22 years now, getting the Museum of Redlands up and running.
Wanting to capitalize on our time with Nelda, we asked her to share a tip and a piece of advice for us fellow quilters and members: “The quilting tip I wish I'd learned when I first started is make sure your fabric is 100 percent cotton. Who knows what went into the early quilts!? My advice to new quilters is to join CBQ for all its inspiration through the years and for the wonderful women/friends that result. I've never met a quilter I didn't like - their qualities as women and the wide variety of inspiration I've received”. Nelda modestly offers “I have no advice for seasoned quilters because they all are so far ahead of me that I am trying to catch up”.
Every quilter has a bucket list so we asked Nelda to share what she still wants to experience: “I’d like to go to the Houston quilt show or Sisters, Oregon exhibit, and right now I'd like to finish the difficult appliqué "Redlands Phrases" lettering quilt I envision and have barely started” (we can’t wait for that one, Nelda!)
And as always, we wanted to know something about Nelda that is new to us, or that no one in the guild knows about her. She stated “I asked my daughter in DC how I might answer this, and she immediately emailed back this quote: "You don't waste anything - not a bucket of water, a canceled postage stamp, or a scrap of material. Though maybe they know that about you especially given your last quilt! You'll definitely point out that quilting now gives you another venue to be a cheerleader for Redlands”.
And finally, Nelda’s charming husband made a suggestion. Monte feels we should ask ‘the husband’ how he feels about our members’ quilting, then added: "My answer would be, I'm looking forward to seeing what the color of our living room rug is when the quilts are picked up." Hahaha!
Like with many of us, partners naturally become an integral part of our quilting journeys. Nelda says “actually, Monte is wonderfully supportive - whether helping with a design problem, or patiently interested and helpful when I shop for the exact materials I need. How’s that for support?”
Thank you Nelda (and Monte) for this inspiring, informative interview. It’s been a pleasure learning more about your story and we look forward to seeing your 2023 creations. You are both Redlands at its best!
Shown below is a sampling of some of Nelda’s creations
Click on photo to fully expand
Maria Hootman - October 2022
Joined CBQ in 2021
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October finds us proudly presenting Maria Hootman as our CBQ Featured Member of the Month. Many of you recognize Maria as someone who joyfully shows her quilts and other sewing projects during Show & Share. Her beaming smile reveals the enthusiasm (and pride) she experiences with creating fun items.
Maria was born in East LA, and grew up in Baldwin Park. She received her GED at age 15, had her son Nicholas at the age of 16, and daughter Nancy at age 19. Maria courageously shares that her first marriage was horrific, and lived in a Women's shelter for a bit. She divorced in 2004, after enduring years of abuse.
Maria says God blessed her with a 2nd husband, who she loves to pieces, describing him as the kindest, most loving person you will ever meet. Mike and Maria met in 2007, and were married in 2010. He has 2 sons (Kyle and Scott), so she now has 4 kids, and is also a ‘gran’ to 5 kids. Maria worked for GTE/Verizon/Frontier for over 34 years, and happily retired January 15, 2020. Maria has lived in San Bernardino since 1985.
Maria always wanted to learn how to sew, but never had the time. Her first machine was a very basic Brother. Her friends all sewed and took her under their wings. Maria bravely provided an example of her lack of sewing knowledge when her aunt asked her if she had a seam ripper… Maria answered ‘yes’, and showed it to her…. her aunt said “honey that’s not a seam ripper, that’s a corn-on-the-cob holder!!!” They laughed hysterically!!!
She must have figured it out though, because Maria went on to successfully complete her first project, an apron.
Although there are seamstresses, crocheters, and needle pointers in her family, Maria is the first quilter. She credits her friends Kathleen, Cal, and Georgetta with teaching her how to quilt. During the pandemic when there were no classes (and meeting with quilting friends became impossible), Maria turned to YouTube, where by watching LOTS of tutorials, learned 90% of her additional skills and techniques.
Maria describes herself as a traditional quilter, preferring to “keep the old styles alive”, and replicating what others have made. Maria particularly enjoys patriotic designs, where she often utilizes fabrics in her favorite color, red.
Joining CBQ in the summer of 2021, Maria is one of our newest members. She obviously has caught the quilting bug, and explains that it gives her joy to give something that she has made by hand to someone else.
Maria plans to someday tackle a hexagon quilt (it’s on her quilt bucket list), and maybe consider learning paper piecing which, like with many of us, considers intimidating, difficult and time consuming.
Maria’s current project is a memory quilt for a friend who worked for the San Dimas Rodeo. He gave her his old Cowboy shirts and asked her to make him something with them (this just in: Maria finished it in time to furnish a photo - see below).
Finally, as we do with all of our featured members, we asked Maria to tell us something about herself that might surprise us, or that no one in the guild knows about her: “I went skydiving in Oahu”. Whoa! That sounds like a great experience!
Thank you Maria for sharing your story and helping us to know more about you. Your smile says a lot and your warmth is truly genuine. We appreciate you and what you add to the guild.
Pictured below are some of Maria’s creations
(click on any photo to fully expand)
Maria was born in East LA, and grew up in Baldwin Park. She received her GED at age 15, had her son Nicholas at the age of 16, and daughter Nancy at age 19. Maria courageously shares that her first marriage was horrific, and lived in a Women's shelter for a bit. She divorced in 2004, after enduring years of abuse.
Maria says God blessed her with a 2nd husband, who she loves to pieces, describing him as the kindest, most loving person you will ever meet. Mike and Maria met in 2007, and were married in 2010. He has 2 sons (Kyle and Scott), so she now has 4 kids, and is also a ‘gran’ to 5 kids. Maria worked for GTE/Verizon/Frontier for over 34 years, and happily retired January 15, 2020. Maria has lived in San Bernardino since 1985.
Maria always wanted to learn how to sew, but never had the time. Her first machine was a very basic Brother. Her friends all sewed and took her under their wings. Maria bravely provided an example of her lack of sewing knowledge when her aunt asked her if she had a seam ripper… Maria answered ‘yes’, and showed it to her…. her aunt said “honey that’s not a seam ripper, that’s a corn-on-the-cob holder!!!” They laughed hysterically!!!
She must have figured it out though, because Maria went on to successfully complete her first project, an apron.
Although there are seamstresses, crocheters, and needle pointers in her family, Maria is the first quilter. She credits her friends Kathleen, Cal, and Georgetta with teaching her how to quilt. During the pandemic when there were no classes (and meeting with quilting friends became impossible), Maria turned to YouTube, where by watching LOTS of tutorials, learned 90% of her additional skills and techniques.
Maria describes herself as a traditional quilter, preferring to “keep the old styles alive”, and replicating what others have made. Maria particularly enjoys patriotic designs, where she often utilizes fabrics in her favorite color, red.
Joining CBQ in the summer of 2021, Maria is one of our newest members. She obviously has caught the quilting bug, and explains that it gives her joy to give something that she has made by hand to someone else.
Maria plans to someday tackle a hexagon quilt (it’s on her quilt bucket list), and maybe consider learning paper piecing which, like with many of us, considers intimidating, difficult and time consuming.
Maria’s current project is a memory quilt for a friend who worked for the San Dimas Rodeo. He gave her his old Cowboy shirts and asked her to make him something with them (this just in: Maria finished it in time to furnish a photo - see below).
Finally, as we do with all of our featured members, we asked Maria to tell us something about herself that might surprise us, or that no one in the guild knows about her: “I went skydiving in Oahu”. Whoa! That sounds like a great experience!
Thank you Maria for sharing your story and helping us to know more about you. Your smile says a lot and your warmth is truly genuine. We appreciate you and what you add to the guild.
Pictured below are some of Maria’s creations
(click on any photo to fully expand)
Emily Smith - September 2022
Joined CBQ in 2021
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As September begins, we are pleased and excited to feature Emily Smith as our Featured Member of the Month. Emily is a newer member, joining CBQ in 2021, and has recently expressed interest in assisting our current 2nd VP’s in arranging future workshops (thank you Emily!).
Born and raised in nearby Yucaipa, Emily is the eldest with 1 sister and 2 brothers. Her father’s parents owned an egg ranch and she grew up collecting eggs and playing with baby chicks. In high school, she joined the Future Farmers of America, and was a part of the FFA all through high school. Emily raised cows, pigs and sheep.
Emily now lives in Calimesa, with her husband of 15 years Jason, and 14 year-old daughter Gwenyth, who loves art and guinea pigs. Together they own and operate a street sweeper. Jason works on highway and residential road construction sites.
In addition to being a new member, Emily is also a new quilter. Quilting just two short years, Emily credits her grandmother for sparking her love for the art. Emily’s grandmother is Mary Perisits, a former member of CBQ. Emily recalls her grandmother bringing her to a few meetings, and having pot lucks. She also brought Emily to a lot of quilt shows. “I always admired her quilts and appreciated the talent and time she put into them”.
Emily shares that she doesn’t know exactly why it took her so long to get into quilting, but she is glad she did. During COVID she asked her husband for a sewing machine for Christmas. He got one for her, and she has been sewing ever since.
Emily’s first quilt was a small wall hanging, using a pattern out of Pat Sloan’s book called ‘Teach Me To Make My First Quilt’. The book offered Emily great reference material. Perhaps it’s her grandmother’s influence, but Emily leans more toward traditional quilts. She likes the patterns and the stories behind the blocks.
Like many of us, Emily finds herself quilting for others. When she does, she chooses a pattern and fabric based on what she feels represents that person, as well as their personality. If she is quilting for herself, then she selects patterns and colors based on whatever speaks to her at that moment. Red and green are her favorite colors.
We asked Emily what her typical sewing day looks like. She shared “before I sit down to sew, I like to have my to-do list done. Then when I know I don’t have anything pressing to do, I can relax and enjoy my sewing time more”.
As a new(er) quilter, we were curious what intimidates Emily. She shares “sewing curves is what intimidates me… and although I have done a few, I always get a little anxious when it comes time to do mitered corners while putting the binding on” (you’re not alone with that anxiety Emily). She also says as she wishes she had learned the importance of the seam allowance when she first started quilting. “So many times my blocks would come out wonky and almost always it was my seam allowance”.
Emily’s advice to new quilters is:
“Have patience, take classes, get to know your fellow quilters - I don’t stress over things I can’t control”.
When asked what quilting does for her, Emily gives a common response… “it relieves stress”. But quilting isn’t her only outlet. Emily also loves to garden, bake, cook and raise chickens. She and her family love to camp, (especially in the desert), and go off-roading. They do yearly trips to Glamis, Johnson Valley and Calico. They have a toy hauler that they load their Razor (an recreational off-road vehicle) up into it, and head off for fun. Emily’s favorite time to go is during the week of Thanksgiving. They camp with a group of friends and everyone helps cook the Thanksgiving meal, ending the day with a sunset ride (sounds magical Emily!)
We also asked Emily what’s on her quilting bucket list:
“I would love to do paper piecing and hand appliqué”.
And finally, we asked Emily to share something about herself that might surprise us, or that her fellow guild members don’t know about her…
“I was a nurse for 15 years. I decided it was time to move on, so I left nursing and enrolled in the culinary program at San Bernardino Valley community college. I completed the program and now have my own small catering business called Iron Skillet Catering. I enjoy it very much and it's a lot of fun”.
Thank you Emily for participating in this monthly feature. We enjoyed learning more about you and your evolving quilting journey. We know you will continue to grow with each project. You are MORE THAN on your way!
Born and raised in nearby Yucaipa, Emily is the eldest with 1 sister and 2 brothers. Her father’s parents owned an egg ranch and she grew up collecting eggs and playing with baby chicks. In high school, she joined the Future Farmers of America, and was a part of the FFA all through high school. Emily raised cows, pigs and sheep.
Emily now lives in Calimesa, with her husband of 15 years Jason, and 14 year-old daughter Gwenyth, who loves art and guinea pigs. Together they own and operate a street sweeper. Jason works on highway and residential road construction sites.
In addition to being a new member, Emily is also a new quilter. Quilting just two short years, Emily credits her grandmother for sparking her love for the art. Emily’s grandmother is Mary Perisits, a former member of CBQ. Emily recalls her grandmother bringing her to a few meetings, and having pot lucks. She also brought Emily to a lot of quilt shows. “I always admired her quilts and appreciated the talent and time she put into them”.
Emily shares that she doesn’t know exactly why it took her so long to get into quilting, but she is glad she did. During COVID she asked her husband for a sewing machine for Christmas. He got one for her, and she has been sewing ever since.
Emily’s first quilt was a small wall hanging, using a pattern out of Pat Sloan’s book called ‘Teach Me To Make My First Quilt’. The book offered Emily great reference material. Perhaps it’s her grandmother’s influence, but Emily leans more toward traditional quilts. She likes the patterns and the stories behind the blocks.
Like many of us, Emily finds herself quilting for others. When she does, she chooses a pattern and fabric based on what she feels represents that person, as well as their personality. If she is quilting for herself, then she selects patterns and colors based on whatever speaks to her at that moment. Red and green are her favorite colors.
We asked Emily what her typical sewing day looks like. She shared “before I sit down to sew, I like to have my to-do list done. Then when I know I don’t have anything pressing to do, I can relax and enjoy my sewing time more”.
As a new(er) quilter, we were curious what intimidates Emily. She shares “sewing curves is what intimidates me… and although I have done a few, I always get a little anxious when it comes time to do mitered corners while putting the binding on” (you’re not alone with that anxiety Emily). She also says as she wishes she had learned the importance of the seam allowance when she first started quilting. “So many times my blocks would come out wonky and almost always it was my seam allowance”.
Emily’s advice to new quilters is:
“Have patience, take classes, get to know your fellow quilters - I don’t stress over things I can’t control”.
When asked what quilting does for her, Emily gives a common response… “it relieves stress”. But quilting isn’t her only outlet. Emily also loves to garden, bake, cook and raise chickens. She and her family love to camp, (especially in the desert), and go off-roading. They do yearly trips to Glamis, Johnson Valley and Calico. They have a toy hauler that they load their Razor (an recreational off-road vehicle) up into it, and head off for fun. Emily’s favorite time to go is during the week of Thanksgiving. They camp with a group of friends and everyone helps cook the Thanksgiving meal, ending the day with a sunset ride (sounds magical Emily!)
We also asked Emily what’s on her quilting bucket list:
“I would love to do paper piecing and hand appliqué”.
And finally, we asked Emily to share something about herself that might surprise us, or that her fellow guild members don’t know about her…
“I was a nurse for 15 years. I decided it was time to move on, so I left nursing and enrolled in the culinary program at San Bernardino Valley community college. I completed the program and now have my own small catering business called Iron Skillet Catering. I enjoy it very much and it's a lot of fun”.
Thank you Emily for participating in this monthly feature. We enjoyed learning more about you and your evolving quilting journey. We know you will continue to grow with each project. You are MORE THAN on your way!
Pictured below are some of Emily’s completed quilts
(click on any photo to fully expand)
(click on any photo to fully expand)
Susan Wamsley - August 2022
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Joined CBQ in 2011
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August finds us celebrating long-time CBQ member and current guild treasurer (for the past several years actually), Susan Wamsley. Susan is a delightful woman, who can be counted on (without fail) to keep us in stitches with her refreshing and positive outlook on life.
Susan claims she recently made herself aware of the fact that she is a mid-century modern woman, born at the mid century mark. She was raised in a very small town in Eastern Oregon, where her graduating class totaled 25, with only 100 students in the entire high school. Yes, everyone knew everyone else in town… and in the next small town too. She is the 4th child of 6 children born to parents who were both in the field of education; Susan’s father a school Superintendent, her mom a school bookkeeper and supporter of every school sport.
Susan says she is blessed with 2 daughters, both of whom have children; she has three grandkids. The oldest, Samantha just obtained her Masters of Social Work and has a job too! Susan taught her to sew when she was 4 or 5 and she made one of her earlier education teachers a small wall hanging on which Susan did the binding.
When asked about pets, Susan explains that she raised a few chickens (6) but over time, were unfortunately killed by random raccoons looking for a chicken dinner. During the onset of COVID, Susan found it difficult to find chicks, so the hen house has remained closed.
As is the case with many of us, Susan’s mother sewed much of the clothing for her girls in early years, but Susan didn’t really get serious about the art/craft until the late 70’s, making a few baby quilts for others (with no rotary cutter, using flannel and making 2” blocks). The early ones were all hand tied. When Susan heard about Eleanor Burns and picked up her Log Cabin In-A-Day book, she began with earnest honing the skill of the ¼ inch seam.
Susan learned to sew at home and in her high school home economics class, where she made pj’s, blouses, and most important: how to thread a needle and sew by hand. Her sister has become a quilting enthusiast too, only very serious in the last 20 years. She is very prolific in her quilting and supports many groups with charity quilts.
Susan feels most comfortable working in a traditional quilting style and block building. However she finds herself trying to be modern in her approach as of late, and as a way to experiment with her stash. She feels confident in the artistry of quilt-making.
We asked Susan where she finds inspiration for her fabric choices, patterns and color palettes. She offers: “by far and large, my fabric choices come from ‘what’s in the store’. My stash abounds with batiks, CherryWood, grunge (which is running low) and fabric I just love (to the extent they are in my stash and not in a quilt). I love books, therefore I have several shelves of pattern books (quite a few of Eleanor’s books but other authors as well- CT Publishing puts out great quilter’s books), and 2 drawers of individual patterns. During COVID I followed Alex Anderson on her Facebook page sessions most Monday, Wed., and Fridays for an hour. She had a variety of projects we could work on with her. She was great, just another quilter, who made a few mistakes and showed us how to get around them, exposed her “not always neat” workshop, but always with a smile and best wishes letting us see that sometimes blocks go together without a hitch and sometimes not. I recognized the value of having subscribed to TQS (The Quilt Show) back in the mid 90’s. All those wonderful resources available such as nationally recognized quilters showing their how-to’s”.
We also asked Susan what’s on her quilting to-do list: “I would like to get more of my quilt projects out of their boxes (so would we Susan!). Also I have an electric GO machine and would like to get more adept at using it to cut simple shapes for projects that call for multiple cuts”.
We figured that with Susan’s curious nature, she’d have other hobbies or interests besides quilting… she says she enjoys a good book, reading either in a hardcopy or using the Overdrive application to check out either audio or on-line books from the library.
Susan has a number of quilts in progress. She explains that she likes making the tops, but is slower getting the backing, quilting and binding on; so she has a pile of about 8 (that’s all??) she’s trying to get through. She’s also working on TQS 2021 Block of the Month “Color My World” by Wendy Williams. “I have the final tall building section to paper piece together. I have been very pleased with my progress so far; my medallion mariner’s compass fit right into the smaller buildings without adjustment. Hooray for the accuracy of a ¼” seam. My goal is to have it done before 2022 ends”.
We wondered if Susan has a quilting bucket list?
“No bucket list, however I do have some hand embroidery projects I need to take by the horn. I always marveled at Susan Astran who seemed to always have an embroidery project in her hands at board meetings and got much accomplished. Other than that, I just go for whatever the day brings me… the joy of not having animals or a husband: I can get up and go when and where I want!”
And this month, for the first time, we asked Susan to be our trial Guinea pig, and asked her to complete these sentences:
✏️The quilting tip I wished I’d learned when I first started is:
“Don’t be afraid, that’s why your machine came with a seam ripper”.
✏️My advice to new quilters is:
“Learn to use a ¼ inch, not 3/8’s, not 3/16. Practice the ¼ inch”.
✏️My advice to experienced quilters is:
“Share when you can”.
✏️When I’m sewing, I don’t worry about:
“much”.
And finally, just for fun, we asked Susan to tell us something about herself that might surprise us, or no one knows about her. And in her typical humorous style, Susan offered:
“Well, I have rafted the Colorado River twice. On one trip, while taking a break, lunching and chatting with a fellow rafter, I felt something drop on my head. Looking up, I thought I saw a very big chicken in the tree but the color was wrong, and the raft captain let us know it was a bald eagle, and he stayed in the tree for another few minutes, quite enough to give my fellow travelers’ a “kodak moment” and then he gracefully flew away to the other side of the river. It is considered to be very lucky to have a bald eagle crap on your head! Also, I always carry a sewing machine with me while on road trips (usually it’s my Featherweight). You never know when you’ll run across an electrical outlet!”
Thank you Susan! We appreciate you taking the time to share your story, and letting us get to know you more. We look forward to seeing your finished projects, as well as your smiling face in future meetings
Susan claims she recently made herself aware of the fact that she is a mid-century modern woman, born at the mid century mark. She was raised in a very small town in Eastern Oregon, where her graduating class totaled 25, with only 100 students in the entire high school. Yes, everyone knew everyone else in town… and in the next small town too. She is the 4th child of 6 children born to parents who were both in the field of education; Susan’s father a school Superintendent, her mom a school bookkeeper and supporter of every school sport.
Susan says she is blessed with 2 daughters, both of whom have children; she has three grandkids. The oldest, Samantha just obtained her Masters of Social Work and has a job too! Susan taught her to sew when she was 4 or 5 and she made one of her earlier education teachers a small wall hanging on which Susan did the binding.
When asked about pets, Susan explains that she raised a few chickens (6) but over time, were unfortunately killed by random raccoons looking for a chicken dinner. During the onset of COVID, Susan found it difficult to find chicks, so the hen house has remained closed.
As is the case with many of us, Susan’s mother sewed much of the clothing for her girls in early years, but Susan didn’t really get serious about the art/craft until the late 70’s, making a few baby quilts for others (with no rotary cutter, using flannel and making 2” blocks). The early ones were all hand tied. When Susan heard about Eleanor Burns and picked up her Log Cabin In-A-Day book, she began with earnest honing the skill of the ¼ inch seam.
Susan learned to sew at home and in her high school home economics class, where she made pj’s, blouses, and most important: how to thread a needle and sew by hand. Her sister has become a quilting enthusiast too, only very serious in the last 20 years. She is very prolific in her quilting and supports many groups with charity quilts.
Susan feels most comfortable working in a traditional quilting style and block building. However she finds herself trying to be modern in her approach as of late, and as a way to experiment with her stash. She feels confident in the artistry of quilt-making.
We asked Susan where she finds inspiration for her fabric choices, patterns and color palettes. She offers: “by far and large, my fabric choices come from ‘what’s in the store’. My stash abounds with batiks, CherryWood, grunge (which is running low) and fabric I just love (to the extent they are in my stash and not in a quilt). I love books, therefore I have several shelves of pattern books (quite a few of Eleanor’s books but other authors as well- CT Publishing puts out great quilter’s books), and 2 drawers of individual patterns. During COVID I followed Alex Anderson on her Facebook page sessions most Monday, Wed., and Fridays for an hour. She had a variety of projects we could work on with her. She was great, just another quilter, who made a few mistakes and showed us how to get around them, exposed her “not always neat” workshop, but always with a smile and best wishes letting us see that sometimes blocks go together without a hitch and sometimes not. I recognized the value of having subscribed to TQS (The Quilt Show) back in the mid 90’s. All those wonderful resources available such as nationally recognized quilters showing their how-to’s”.
We also asked Susan what’s on her quilting to-do list: “I would like to get more of my quilt projects out of their boxes (so would we Susan!). Also I have an electric GO machine and would like to get more adept at using it to cut simple shapes for projects that call for multiple cuts”.
We figured that with Susan’s curious nature, she’d have other hobbies or interests besides quilting… she says she enjoys a good book, reading either in a hardcopy or using the Overdrive application to check out either audio or on-line books from the library.
Susan has a number of quilts in progress. She explains that she likes making the tops, but is slower getting the backing, quilting and binding on; so she has a pile of about 8 (that’s all??) she’s trying to get through. She’s also working on TQS 2021 Block of the Month “Color My World” by Wendy Williams. “I have the final tall building section to paper piece together. I have been very pleased with my progress so far; my medallion mariner’s compass fit right into the smaller buildings without adjustment. Hooray for the accuracy of a ¼” seam. My goal is to have it done before 2022 ends”.
We wondered if Susan has a quilting bucket list?
“No bucket list, however I do have some hand embroidery projects I need to take by the horn. I always marveled at Susan Astran who seemed to always have an embroidery project in her hands at board meetings and got much accomplished. Other than that, I just go for whatever the day brings me… the joy of not having animals or a husband: I can get up and go when and where I want!”
And this month, for the first time, we asked Susan to be our trial Guinea pig, and asked her to complete these sentences:
✏️The quilting tip I wished I’d learned when I first started is:
“Don’t be afraid, that’s why your machine came with a seam ripper”.
✏️My advice to new quilters is:
“Learn to use a ¼ inch, not 3/8’s, not 3/16. Practice the ¼ inch”.
✏️My advice to experienced quilters is:
“Share when you can”.
✏️When I’m sewing, I don’t worry about:
“much”.
And finally, just for fun, we asked Susan to tell us something about herself that might surprise us, or no one knows about her. And in her typical humorous style, Susan offered:
“Well, I have rafted the Colorado River twice. On one trip, while taking a break, lunching and chatting with a fellow rafter, I felt something drop on my head. Looking up, I thought I saw a very big chicken in the tree but the color was wrong, and the raft captain let us know it was a bald eagle, and he stayed in the tree for another few minutes, quite enough to give my fellow travelers’ a “kodak moment” and then he gracefully flew away to the other side of the river. It is considered to be very lucky to have a bald eagle crap on your head! Also, I always carry a sewing machine with me while on road trips (usually it’s my Featherweight). You never know when you’ll run across an electrical outlet!”
Thank you Susan! We appreciate you taking the time to share your story, and letting us get to know you more. We look forward to seeing your finished projects, as well as your smiling face in future meetings
Pictured below are some of Susan’s creations
(click on any photo to expand)
(click on any photo to expand)
Marilyn Simone - July 2022
Joined CBQ in 1995
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This month, CBQ is pleased to introduce Marilyn Simone, an active member since 1995 . Many of us know Marilyn as a ‘bright face’ during our meetings, with a wide, inviting smile, and happy disposition.
Marilyn grew up in New York City, and got all of her schooling there, right up through college, where she graduated from City College of New York, with a degree in Electrical Engineering. She was one of only three women in her graduating class. When she met her future husband during college, he had said that as soon as they were out of school, they would move to California. After graduation, Marilyn got a job offer from Hughes Aircraft, and as planned, off to California they went.
Marilyn’s family consists of her husband, four daughters and a dog (she has had lots of dogs through the years). Since some family remained on the east coast, they made many return trips via car or plane to visit them. Along the way, visiting National Parks and state capitols was always on their agenda. In fact, Marilyn says that traveling was always on their list of things to do. Going to Yosemite was a yearly necessity. Their daughters are still very close, and all have maintained their love of travelling.
Marilyn explains that she has always liked doing crafty things, and in the 1970’s, belonged to a small group of women who would get together once a week and work on projects. Each person took her turn in choosing, teaching, and hosting a project. One of the women in the group liked to do small sewing projects, including quilts. Marilyn says she enjoyed them, but felt inadequate since she was ‘scissor challenged’ (claiming her cutting was never accurate). When her daughters went off to college, she thought that a quilt for their bed would be a good idea… but impossible. Then she saw Eleanor Burns on TV, cutting with a new-fangled tool, called a rotary cutter! There was her salvation! She made a “quilt” for two of her girls for their dorm rooms; tied, with a sheet on the back, of course!
Many years later, Mariyn was laid off from her job, living in a newish place, and not knowing many people. So she joined AAUW (American Association of University Women) in Redlands, which had an affiliate in Sun Lakes in Banning. There Lyn Whan was making a quilt for a raffle for the group. Marilyn joined in, followed Lyn everywhere, and eventually joined CBQ and “became a quilter”. Marilyn credits Lyn as being very influential in her learning to quilt (some may remember Lyn). Marilyn says no one in her family had ever quilted, but she loved every aspect of it.
Fast forward to today, and Marilyn has been making quilts for her family for years, many times at their request, but more often at her choice. In recent years, Marilyn has made a big commitment to finishing some of the many projects that she has started. She has been in a swap group since 1998, and has only recently started to put some of those blocks together. But she is working diligently on that, hence the UFO Bowling (which many of us are participating in and joining Marilyn in the get-it-done club).
When asked where she gets her inspiration for her fabric choices, patterns and color palettes, Marilyn says she gets it from the colors of nature. She likes ‘clear colors’, all kinds of styles, including traditional quilts with a twist of modernism, geometric themes, bargello, and kalaidoscope designs. Currently, she is working on a snowflake wall hanging, in her daughter’s colors, which she found on Pinterest.
Marilyn seems the curious type, so we figured there must be something that she would like to try that she hasn’t attempted yet… she explains: “I’ve tried most quilting techniques, but I have English Paper Piecing on my bucket list. I’m working on a hand project of a cross-stitch Christmas stocking for my new great-grandson; so I won’t start until that’s off the table”.
Marilyn astounds us with her boundless energy, so we were sure she had additional hobbies (other than quilting). She shared “My son-in-law has been doing Iron Man and marathon competitions to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society for twenty years. Although I wouldn’t quite call it a hobby I’ve enjoyed watching him participate. He is currently doing some Gran Prix of marathons around the world. I’ve been to Boston, New York, Hawaii, and this autumn will go to London to see him run. This also fans my love of travel. My husband enjoyed driving, so one of my favorite trips was driving across the country during the fall change of colors, going to Niagara Falls, a family wedding, visiting friends, stopping in Florida to see Lyn before she passed, and somehow being in Houston during their annual quilt show.
For fun, we asked Marilyn to share a couple of things that might surprise us, or that no one in the guild knows about her:
“My secret ‘accomplishment’ is having hiked the high country camps of Yosemite, a hike of 51 miles. And I did a half-marathon in San Francisco once!” Whoa, Marilyn!
And finally, we always benefit from asking our featured members to provide a pearl of wisdom: “My advice to anyone for anything, (not only quilting) is to do what makes you happy. If you’re not enjoying your project, you probably won’t do a great job. If it’s something you’re enjoying, you look forward to doing it, and you do better and it’s fun. Don’t sweat the small stuff…I guess that’s my philosophy for life also”.
Thank you Marilyn. It’s been a pleasure hearing your story and getting to know more about you. And sorry but, although you claim to have lost your ‘New York accent’ many of us can still detect a hint of it now and then. We find it delightful, just like you.
Marilyn grew up in New York City, and got all of her schooling there, right up through college, where she graduated from City College of New York, with a degree in Electrical Engineering. She was one of only three women in her graduating class. When she met her future husband during college, he had said that as soon as they were out of school, they would move to California. After graduation, Marilyn got a job offer from Hughes Aircraft, and as planned, off to California they went.
Marilyn’s family consists of her husband, four daughters and a dog (she has had lots of dogs through the years). Since some family remained on the east coast, they made many return trips via car or plane to visit them. Along the way, visiting National Parks and state capitols was always on their agenda. In fact, Marilyn says that traveling was always on their list of things to do. Going to Yosemite was a yearly necessity. Their daughters are still very close, and all have maintained their love of travelling.
Marilyn explains that she has always liked doing crafty things, and in the 1970’s, belonged to a small group of women who would get together once a week and work on projects. Each person took her turn in choosing, teaching, and hosting a project. One of the women in the group liked to do small sewing projects, including quilts. Marilyn says she enjoyed them, but felt inadequate since she was ‘scissor challenged’ (claiming her cutting was never accurate). When her daughters went off to college, she thought that a quilt for their bed would be a good idea… but impossible. Then she saw Eleanor Burns on TV, cutting with a new-fangled tool, called a rotary cutter! There was her salvation! She made a “quilt” for two of her girls for their dorm rooms; tied, with a sheet on the back, of course!
Many years later, Mariyn was laid off from her job, living in a newish place, and not knowing many people. So she joined AAUW (American Association of University Women) in Redlands, which had an affiliate in Sun Lakes in Banning. There Lyn Whan was making a quilt for a raffle for the group. Marilyn joined in, followed Lyn everywhere, and eventually joined CBQ and “became a quilter”. Marilyn credits Lyn as being very influential in her learning to quilt (some may remember Lyn). Marilyn says no one in her family had ever quilted, but she loved every aspect of it.
Fast forward to today, and Marilyn has been making quilts for her family for years, many times at their request, but more often at her choice. In recent years, Marilyn has made a big commitment to finishing some of the many projects that she has started. She has been in a swap group since 1998, and has only recently started to put some of those blocks together. But she is working diligently on that, hence the UFO Bowling (which many of us are participating in and joining Marilyn in the get-it-done club).
When asked where she gets her inspiration for her fabric choices, patterns and color palettes, Marilyn says she gets it from the colors of nature. She likes ‘clear colors’, all kinds of styles, including traditional quilts with a twist of modernism, geometric themes, bargello, and kalaidoscope designs. Currently, she is working on a snowflake wall hanging, in her daughter’s colors, which she found on Pinterest.
Marilyn seems the curious type, so we figured there must be something that she would like to try that she hasn’t attempted yet… she explains: “I’ve tried most quilting techniques, but I have English Paper Piecing on my bucket list. I’m working on a hand project of a cross-stitch Christmas stocking for my new great-grandson; so I won’t start until that’s off the table”.
Marilyn astounds us with her boundless energy, so we were sure she had additional hobbies (other than quilting). She shared “My son-in-law has been doing Iron Man and marathon competitions to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society for twenty years. Although I wouldn’t quite call it a hobby I’ve enjoyed watching him participate. He is currently doing some Gran Prix of marathons around the world. I’ve been to Boston, New York, Hawaii, and this autumn will go to London to see him run. This also fans my love of travel. My husband enjoyed driving, so one of my favorite trips was driving across the country during the fall change of colors, going to Niagara Falls, a family wedding, visiting friends, stopping in Florida to see Lyn before she passed, and somehow being in Houston during their annual quilt show.
For fun, we asked Marilyn to share a couple of things that might surprise us, or that no one in the guild knows about her:
“My secret ‘accomplishment’ is having hiked the high country camps of Yosemite, a hike of 51 miles. And I did a half-marathon in San Francisco once!” Whoa, Marilyn!
And finally, we always benefit from asking our featured members to provide a pearl of wisdom: “My advice to anyone for anything, (not only quilting) is to do what makes you happy. If you’re not enjoying your project, you probably won’t do a great job. If it’s something you’re enjoying, you look forward to doing it, and you do better and it’s fun. Don’t sweat the small stuff…I guess that’s my philosophy for life also”.
Thank you Marilyn. It’s been a pleasure hearing your story and getting to know more about you. And sorry but, although you claim to have lost your ‘New York accent’ many of us can still detect a hint of it now and then. We find it delightful, just like you.
Some of Marilyn’s quilts are pictured below:
Cindy Chrisler - June 2022
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Joined CBQ in 2002
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This month, we feature CBQ member (now Texas resident) Cindy Chrisler. Cindy is unique in that she is one of our three out-of-state members, and we are honored that she maintains her membership.
Cindy grew up in Houston, Texas, and attended college at Texas A&M University where she graduated with a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, intending to become a park ranger. However, jobs were thin when she graduated, and ended up at the San Antonio Zoo, where she worked a little over a year before leaving to get another degree in Veterinary Technology, hoping to increase her job prospects. She subsequently worked for a number of laboratory animal research facilities and ended up in California, joining the team at Loma Linda University (for 7 years) and California State University, San Bernardino (for 29 years) with some overlap with LLU.
Cindy’s mother taught her to sew at a very young age, and Cindy made her first shorts and top set at the age of 10-- on her grandmother's treadle (which had been motorized). Cindy made all her clothes while in high school, and her first job was at ClothWorld (which later merged with JoAnn's).
Although Cindy’s mother taught her how to sew, her mother was never interested in quilting. Cindy was inspired to begin quilting when she found a pieced top in her great-grandmother's trunk after her death. Her mother borrowed a frame from someone and they set it up in the den so Cindy could work on it out of the way. She explains that she used the "stab" method to get the stitching she wanted, totally oblivious to the method of loading a needle with tiny stitches. Some of Cindy’s neighbors at the time were intrigued and wanted to help (Cindy ended up ripping out their work, describing it as even worse than her own!). She ended up with a nice quilt that she used as a bedspread for all her college dorm years. Cindy shares that that particular quilt was loved to death, and she disposed of it prior to joining CBQ. She regrets that to this day! Cindy describes it as having an interesting block, and made with depression era scraps of shirts, dresses, and possibly flour sacks.
Cindy’s second quilt was a baby quilt for the secretary of the department she worked at as a senior in college. It was "rob Peter to pay Paul" and Cindy explains “I'll never forget the look she gave me when she opened the box (she was so happy)”.
Cindy quilted on and off for years, until her kids were born, and decided to join a quilt guild. Cindy shared that when she joined CBQ, she was working two jobs and couldn't attend daytime meetings. “Fortunately for me, CBQ had a thriving Moonligher's meeting when I joined in 1999 (Jeri Reed was in charge of that!), and I ended up chairing it myself for four years after Jeri”. Cindy fondly remembers that she met so many wonderful and inspiring people, some are no longer with us: Mona Busick, Don Beld, Barbara Maineri; many have moved away: Connie Green (Utah), Cyndi Holman (Colorado), Jessica Cook (Oklahoma), Trisha Williams (Washington), Cathy Kreter (Texas)
When asked to describe what kind of quilter she is, Cindy shared that she likes all sorts of quilting. “I have done hand applique, paper piecing, traditional bocks, art quilts, and modern quilts. When I knew I was going to retire, I decided that part of my "retirement career" would center around quilting, and set aside money to purchase a mid-arm quilting machine. For years I was using my Janome 6300 for free motion quilting, but the tension is never quite right and it has a small throat, making it difficult to do anything over twin size. I don't consider myself a fiber artist, but I do enjoy learning about methods of embellishment”.
We asked Cindy what kind of fabric she likes most, to which she answered “ALL fabric is my favorite fabric! I collect "good" yellows, which are very hard to find”. She goes on to say “I couldn't exactly tell you what makes a yellow "good," but it has to do with not veering toward orange or gold! That said, I am partial to 30s reproduction fabrics and batiks. But it all depends on the project at hand”.
We also asked Cindy to tell us if she has a favorite quilting tool: “ROTARY CUTTERS!!! I didn't discover them until about 1995, and I had spent hours and hours cutting out 2.5" squares for a large quilt for my daughter before "discovering" them. Oh, the time I could have saved!! I have several sizes now, and just got an ergonomic handled cutter, I'll be testing that soon. I've trimmed a couple of fingernails with them but have managed not to cut my fingers with one yet! (knock on wood!)
And although we thought we knew the answer to the question ‘what would you like to do in the world of quilting that you haven’t done yet?’ (confident Cindy has done it all), she surprised us by sharing “there are certain patterns, usually traditional, that I want to try. A Double Wedding Ring, for instance. I've made two: one for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary, with a "family tree" with pictures centered in the quilt. They hung it in their house until my mother moved out in 2015, and she hung it in her apartment at the senior community where she resided until her death in 2019. The other was made for my niece, the first of that generation to get married. That has cured me of wanting to do more! I also wanted to try Drunkard's Path, so I made one for my middle son when he graduated college. That also cured me of doing that pattern again! I'm getting into scrappy quilts, which is good because I have soooooooo many scraps. Trying to sew down that stash!! (maniacal laughter). I would like to do Dear Jane, but those blocks are tiny and complicated and I just may not have the patience to do that for a while. (*you need to speak to Bernice Foster, Cindy)
Many of us know Cindy as a prolific quilter, and wondered if she’d ever had a “quilting disaster, and how she fixed it… “My worst disaster was getting rid of the quilt from my great-grandmother's chest that I used in college. There's no fixing that! But one day I want to re-create it and have been collecting fabrics for that. Unfortunately I have no good pictures of that quilt. My bad!!!
This is a newer question for our member interviews, and it’s been fun hearing the answers:
On any given day, what does your sewing room look like? Be honest…
“My sewing room is a total disaster right now. I put a bunch (not all!!) of my orphan blocks on a design wall, and will start making community service quilts out of them. Sewing and quilting have taken a back seat to my Master Naturalist activities, which has really surprised me. With the heat of the summer, though, I'll probably spend more time indoors and will get more sewing done”.
When asked how she decides on her next project, quilt pattern and quilt, Cindy explains that “projects depend on what's happening in the family. I have a niece expecting her first baby, so an alphabet quilt is on the list of projects. My middle son just got his PhD in anthropology, and I'll be making a quilt for that. I want to do a desert landscape with saguaro cactus; he lives in the Phoenix area and enjoys camping and bike riding out there. My daughter is getting married in September, so there's another quilt to make! Hers will be a scrappy quilt. I'm not as inspired by the quilt guild here as I was with CBQ, sad to say. No Lynn Hanna or Sally Granado or Bernice Foster or Violet Vaughnes!
One of our favorite questions is to ask is ‘what pearl of wisdom she can you share with us fellow quilters?’ Cindy replied “Do what makes you happy. Use the fabric you want, the pattern you like, the quilting you like. It's yours, and you can do whatever you want”. GREAT advice!
As with many of us, Cindy shares that quilting makes her happy (as does looking at the wildflowers and native plants she now has growing in her yard, as opposed to the monkey grass and nandina the previous owners had). “Some quilts I make for utilitarian purposes (ie, alphabet quilts for kids; lap quilt for my aunt in a nursing home); others are decorative (wedding quilt for another niece, it was based on a design by Frank Lloyd Wright). I also feel like I can pass on my bounty to those in need by contributing to community service organizations. The local guild donates to Linus Connection, which is associated with Project Linus. I try to donate at least one quilt a month for that purpose”.
Curious, we asked Cindy if she has any other hobbies or interests besides quilting. She explains “when we moved to Texas, I envisioned a neat retirement with my time divided between several activities. I planned on joining a quilt guild, of course, and wanted to join a community choir like I had in California. I "auditioned" the concerts of a couple of local community choirs, and tried to join the one I liked best, but never heard back from them. I started volunteering at the local animal shelter, socializing cats and walking dogs. I joined the local quilt guild, Chisholm Trails Quilt Guild and am now the recording secretary and in charge of the Free Table. It's like the Sew What? Table, but we don't sell, we just give away donations. Items that don't go after a month or two are donated to a non-profit called Austin Creative Re-Use. I wanted to become a master gardener here like I was in California, but the local chapter wasn't holding classes, so I ended up signing up to become a Master Naturalist. Then Covid happened! The choirs went silent (not that I had joined one); the quilt guild switched to zoom meetings, so at least we could have a speaker and share photos of our quilts; I still walked dogs but eventually quit that as I felt like I had no guidance from the staff on how to handle difficult dogs; the Master Naturalist class also moved to online and field trips were cancelled. However, there were volunteer activities we could participate in with Master Naturalists because they were outdoors and we could socially distance during the worst of the pandemic. I now participate in many activities with Master Naturalists and the local chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas. I volunteer regularly at Berry Springs Park and Preserve as a Master Naturalist, helping with pollinator gardens, invasive species removal, pond clean up, and monarch waystation monitoring. I also do a regular butterfly survey for the Texas Butterfly Monitoring Network at the family property in Spicewood, TX, about 50 miles from where we live. I participate in several "citizen science" projects and recently gave a lecture on "Weed or Wildflower," based on the plants I encounter as I maintain the pollinator gardens at Berry Springs. Joining the Master Naturalists was the best thing I did since I moved to Texas. I'm using what I originally studied in college (although things have changed quite a bit since I got my degree!) and I've made some great friends that have shared interests.
Just for fun, we asked Cindy to tell us something about herself that might surprise us, or that no one knows about her: “I've killed two peach trees since I moved here. Can you believe it?? One of my neighbors has peach trees in his yard, so go figure. I really miss my fruit trees. I had apricots, peaches, and oranges in California. I put in a low-chill cherry, a four-in-one pear, an apricot, a lime, and a mango in addition to the peach trees here. The only survivors have been the apricot and the pear, although they have not borne fruit yet. The jury is still out with the cherry. Winter Storm Uri really took a toll on my yard in 2021”.
And finally, we asked Cindy what her favorite guilty pleasure is?
Ice cream! If you've ever been to Texas, you probably have heard about Bluebell Ice Cream. In California, it was Rite Aide's ice cream, which is very good (Black Cherry! Mint Chocolate Chip!). But here in Texas you should really try Bluebell. I love their Dutch Chocolate and the Strawberry flavors. Oddly, I don't care for their mint and chocolate chip, which was my favorite Rite Aide flavor. And for vanilla ice cream to accompany pie or cobbler, the best brand to use is from HEB, the grocery chain here. HEB is sort of a cross between Stater Brothers (best prices), Whole Foods (decent wine selection and quality meats), and Sprouts (excellent fresh vegetable section). Can you tell I'm an ice cream snob?” We wouldn’t call you a snob Cindy… just a dedicated connoisseur.
Thank you Cindy for sharing your interesting journey, both as a quilter and as a Texas/California/Texas girl.
We miss your enthusiastic presence at CBQ, and wish you well! Don’t forget us! 🪡
Quilts pictured below are all made by Cindy (click on photo to see description)
Cindy grew up in Houston, Texas, and attended college at Texas A&M University where she graduated with a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, intending to become a park ranger. However, jobs were thin when she graduated, and ended up at the San Antonio Zoo, where she worked a little over a year before leaving to get another degree in Veterinary Technology, hoping to increase her job prospects. She subsequently worked for a number of laboratory animal research facilities and ended up in California, joining the team at Loma Linda University (for 7 years) and California State University, San Bernardino (for 29 years) with some overlap with LLU.
Cindy’s mother taught her to sew at a very young age, and Cindy made her first shorts and top set at the age of 10-- on her grandmother's treadle (which had been motorized). Cindy made all her clothes while in high school, and her first job was at ClothWorld (which later merged with JoAnn's).
Although Cindy’s mother taught her how to sew, her mother was never interested in quilting. Cindy was inspired to begin quilting when she found a pieced top in her great-grandmother's trunk after her death. Her mother borrowed a frame from someone and they set it up in the den so Cindy could work on it out of the way. She explains that she used the "stab" method to get the stitching she wanted, totally oblivious to the method of loading a needle with tiny stitches. Some of Cindy’s neighbors at the time were intrigued and wanted to help (Cindy ended up ripping out their work, describing it as even worse than her own!). She ended up with a nice quilt that she used as a bedspread for all her college dorm years. Cindy shares that that particular quilt was loved to death, and she disposed of it prior to joining CBQ. She regrets that to this day! Cindy describes it as having an interesting block, and made with depression era scraps of shirts, dresses, and possibly flour sacks.
Cindy’s second quilt was a baby quilt for the secretary of the department she worked at as a senior in college. It was "rob Peter to pay Paul" and Cindy explains “I'll never forget the look she gave me when she opened the box (she was so happy)”.
Cindy quilted on and off for years, until her kids were born, and decided to join a quilt guild. Cindy shared that when she joined CBQ, she was working two jobs and couldn't attend daytime meetings. “Fortunately for me, CBQ had a thriving Moonligher's meeting when I joined in 1999 (Jeri Reed was in charge of that!), and I ended up chairing it myself for four years after Jeri”. Cindy fondly remembers that she met so many wonderful and inspiring people, some are no longer with us: Mona Busick, Don Beld, Barbara Maineri; many have moved away: Connie Green (Utah), Cyndi Holman (Colorado), Jessica Cook (Oklahoma), Trisha Williams (Washington), Cathy Kreter (Texas)
When asked to describe what kind of quilter she is, Cindy shared that she likes all sorts of quilting. “I have done hand applique, paper piecing, traditional bocks, art quilts, and modern quilts. When I knew I was going to retire, I decided that part of my "retirement career" would center around quilting, and set aside money to purchase a mid-arm quilting machine. For years I was using my Janome 6300 for free motion quilting, but the tension is never quite right and it has a small throat, making it difficult to do anything over twin size. I don't consider myself a fiber artist, but I do enjoy learning about methods of embellishment”.
We asked Cindy what kind of fabric she likes most, to which she answered “ALL fabric is my favorite fabric! I collect "good" yellows, which are very hard to find”. She goes on to say “I couldn't exactly tell you what makes a yellow "good," but it has to do with not veering toward orange or gold! That said, I am partial to 30s reproduction fabrics and batiks. But it all depends on the project at hand”.
We also asked Cindy to tell us if she has a favorite quilting tool: “ROTARY CUTTERS!!! I didn't discover them until about 1995, and I had spent hours and hours cutting out 2.5" squares for a large quilt for my daughter before "discovering" them. Oh, the time I could have saved!! I have several sizes now, and just got an ergonomic handled cutter, I'll be testing that soon. I've trimmed a couple of fingernails with them but have managed not to cut my fingers with one yet! (knock on wood!)
And although we thought we knew the answer to the question ‘what would you like to do in the world of quilting that you haven’t done yet?’ (confident Cindy has done it all), she surprised us by sharing “there are certain patterns, usually traditional, that I want to try. A Double Wedding Ring, for instance. I've made two: one for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary, with a "family tree" with pictures centered in the quilt. They hung it in their house until my mother moved out in 2015, and she hung it in her apartment at the senior community where she resided until her death in 2019. The other was made for my niece, the first of that generation to get married. That has cured me of wanting to do more! I also wanted to try Drunkard's Path, so I made one for my middle son when he graduated college. That also cured me of doing that pattern again! I'm getting into scrappy quilts, which is good because I have soooooooo many scraps. Trying to sew down that stash!! (maniacal laughter). I would like to do Dear Jane, but those blocks are tiny and complicated and I just may not have the patience to do that for a while. (*you need to speak to Bernice Foster, Cindy)
Many of us know Cindy as a prolific quilter, and wondered if she’d ever had a “quilting disaster, and how she fixed it… “My worst disaster was getting rid of the quilt from my great-grandmother's chest that I used in college. There's no fixing that! But one day I want to re-create it and have been collecting fabrics for that. Unfortunately I have no good pictures of that quilt. My bad!!!
This is a newer question for our member interviews, and it’s been fun hearing the answers:
On any given day, what does your sewing room look like? Be honest…
“My sewing room is a total disaster right now. I put a bunch (not all!!) of my orphan blocks on a design wall, and will start making community service quilts out of them. Sewing and quilting have taken a back seat to my Master Naturalist activities, which has really surprised me. With the heat of the summer, though, I'll probably spend more time indoors and will get more sewing done”.
When asked how she decides on her next project, quilt pattern and quilt, Cindy explains that “projects depend on what's happening in the family. I have a niece expecting her first baby, so an alphabet quilt is on the list of projects. My middle son just got his PhD in anthropology, and I'll be making a quilt for that. I want to do a desert landscape with saguaro cactus; he lives in the Phoenix area and enjoys camping and bike riding out there. My daughter is getting married in September, so there's another quilt to make! Hers will be a scrappy quilt. I'm not as inspired by the quilt guild here as I was with CBQ, sad to say. No Lynn Hanna or Sally Granado or Bernice Foster or Violet Vaughnes!
One of our favorite questions is to ask is ‘what pearl of wisdom she can you share with us fellow quilters?’ Cindy replied “Do what makes you happy. Use the fabric you want, the pattern you like, the quilting you like. It's yours, and you can do whatever you want”. GREAT advice!
As with many of us, Cindy shares that quilting makes her happy (as does looking at the wildflowers and native plants she now has growing in her yard, as opposed to the monkey grass and nandina the previous owners had). “Some quilts I make for utilitarian purposes (ie, alphabet quilts for kids; lap quilt for my aunt in a nursing home); others are decorative (wedding quilt for another niece, it was based on a design by Frank Lloyd Wright). I also feel like I can pass on my bounty to those in need by contributing to community service organizations. The local guild donates to Linus Connection, which is associated with Project Linus. I try to donate at least one quilt a month for that purpose”.
Curious, we asked Cindy if she has any other hobbies or interests besides quilting. She explains “when we moved to Texas, I envisioned a neat retirement with my time divided between several activities. I planned on joining a quilt guild, of course, and wanted to join a community choir like I had in California. I "auditioned" the concerts of a couple of local community choirs, and tried to join the one I liked best, but never heard back from them. I started volunteering at the local animal shelter, socializing cats and walking dogs. I joined the local quilt guild, Chisholm Trails Quilt Guild and am now the recording secretary and in charge of the Free Table. It's like the Sew What? Table, but we don't sell, we just give away donations. Items that don't go after a month or two are donated to a non-profit called Austin Creative Re-Use. I wanted to become a master gardener here like I was in California, but the local chapter wasn't holding classes, so I ended up signing up to become a Master Naturalist. Then Covid happened! The choirs went silent (not that I had joined one); the quilt guild switched to zoom meetings, so at least we could have a speaker and share photos of our quilts; I still walked dogs but eventually quit that as I felt like I had no guidance from the staff on how to handle difficult dogs; the Master Naturalist class also moved to online and field trips were cancelled. However, there were volunteer activities we could participate in with Master Naturalists because they were outdoors and we could socially distance during the worst of the pandemic. I now participate in many activities with Master Naturalists and the local chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas. I volunteer regularly at Berry Springs Park and Preserve as a Master Naturalist, helping with pollinator gardens, invasive species removal, pond clean up, and monarch waystation monitoring. I also do a regular butterfly survey for the Texas Butterfly Monitoring Network at the family property in Spicewood, TX, about 50 miles from where we live. I participate in several "citizen science" projects and recently gave a lecture on "Weed or Wildflower," based on the plants I encounter as I maintain the pollinator gardens at Berry Springs. Joining the Master Naturalists was the best thing I did since I moved to Texas. I'm using what I originally studied in college (although things have changed quite a bit since I got my degree!) and I've made some great friends that have shared interests.
Just for fun, we asked Cindy to tell us something about herself that might surprise us, or that no one knows about her: “I've killed two peach trees since I moved here. Can you believe it?? One of my neighbors has peach trees in his yard, so go figure. I really miss my fruit trees. I had apricots, peaches, and oranges in California. I put in a low-chill cherry, a four-in-one pear, an apricot, a lime, and a mango in addition to the peach trees here. The only survivors have been the apricot and the pear, although they have not borne fruit yet. The jury is still out with the cherry. Winter Storm Uri really took a toll on my yard in 2021”.
And finally, we asked Cindy what her favorite guilty pleasure is?
Ice cream! If you've ever been to Texas, you probably have heard about Bluebell Ice Cream. In California, it was Rite Aide's ice cream, which is very good (Black Cherry! Mint Chocolate Chip!). But here in Texas you should really try Bluebell. I love their Dutch Chocolate and the Strawberry flavors. Oddly, I don't care for their mint and chocolate chip, which was my favorite Rite Aide flavor. And for vanilla ice cream to accompany pie or cobbler, the best brand to use is from HEB, the grocery chain here. HEB is sort of a cross between Stater Brothers (best prices), Whole Foods (decent wine selection and quality meats), and Sprouts (excellent fresh vegetable section). Can you tell I'm an ice cream snob?” We wouldn’t call you a snob Cindy… just a dedicated connoisseur.
Thank you Cindy for sharing your interesting journey, both as a quilter and as a Texas/California/Texas girl.
We miss your enthusiastic presence at CBQ, and wish you well! Don’t forget us! 🪡
Quilts pictured below are all made by Cindy (click on photo to see description)
Tessa Phillippi- May 2022
Joined CBQ in 2013
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This month we celebrate and introduce Tessa Phillippi, CBQ member since 2013, and our current guild president. Tessa was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and moved to Whittier, California when she was 8 years old. There she attended Lincoln Elementary, Dexter Jr. High and Whittier High School. She went on to attend Fullerton Jr. College, and married in 1964.
Tessa has a rather large family, with four grown children, six grandchildren, and by the end of this coming August, six GREAT grandchildren. Most of her family live in the Murrieta, Menifee, Wildomar and Lake Elsinore area. Tessa has always had pets (both dogs and cats), and is currently owned by a rather temper mental Siamese.
Tessa spent most of her working life in a career with Rockwell International in Anaheim, and then the remaining years with Kaiser Permanente.
When asked who taught her to quilt, Tessa explains that like many of us, she took classes to learn. She attended Mojave Community College in Lake Havasu, AZ in 1993 or 1994, where she began to learn the basics of quilting. Because there are no there quilters in her family (with the exception of an inspiring sister-in-law who did all her quilting by hand, and never used a machine or rotary cutter), classes became her means to learn.
Tessa describes herself as “pretty much a traditional quilter”, and loves batiks, Kaffe Fassett fabric, and all bright colors. She would eventually like to attempt English paper piecing, but hasn’t ventured there yet. Her favorite tools are her rotary cutter and wool pressing mat.
We have seen some of Tessa’s beautiful quilts when she presents at Show & Share, so we asked her where she gets her inspiration. She shares that sometimes her next projects are ruled by things that are happening in her family… births, marriages, etc (we can all relate to that). She also gains inspiration from classes and workshops sponsored by CBQ, and YouTube videos.
Just for fun, we asked Tessa what her sewing room looks like on any given day (and insisted she be honest)… she responded “oh my gosh, my sewing room is a royal mess right now. I have 6 babies coming into the family in the next few months. Three are great grands, two are step great grands, and one is a great grand nephew in Indiana. I have been busy sewing blankets, burp cloths, bibs and such and the fabric is out of control in some parts of the room”.
We asked Tessa if she had any pearls of wisdom she could share with her fellow quilters, and here’s what she offered: “always read your pattern first, and know what you need from the get-go. There is nothing worse than to discover you’re short of fabric for an important part of your project”. (we detect a hint of personal experience here, Tessa).
Although Tessa also enjoys cross-stitch, crochet and knitting and spending time with family, it is quilting that gives her a great feeling of accomplishing something with her hands, and depending on who it’s for, a great feeling of giving someone a gift that was made from the heart (with a pinch of soul thrown in).
Finally, as we do with many of our featured members, we asked Tessa to share something that no one in the guild knows about her. Tessa shared “I’m not sure if people know that I moved from Lake Havasu after being laid off from Rockwell to pursue more college and hopefully a nursing career. Well, it was too HOT there for my liking, and I stuck it out for three years. I didn’t get picked from the lottery for a nursing program (a process when there are more students than openings), so I came back to California and hired on at Kaiser”.
Thank you Tessa, for giving us a peek into your life outside CBQ. We appreciate knowing more about you, and that we share many of the joys that come from family, quilting and giving.🪡
Tessa has a rather large family, with four grown children, six grandchildren, and by the end of this coming August, six GREAT grandchildren. Most of her family live in the Murrieta, Menifee, Wildomar and Lake Elsinore area. Tessa has always had pets (both dogs and cats), and is currently owned by a rather temper mental Siamese.
Tessa spent most of her working life in a career with Rockwell International in Anaheim, and then the remaining years with Kaiser Permanente.
When asked who taught her to quilt, Tessa explains that like many of us, she took classes to learn. She attended Mojave Community College in Lake Havasu, AZ in 1993 or 1994, where she began to learn the basics of quilting. Because there are no there quilters in her family (with the exception of an inspiring sister-in-law who did all her quilting by hand, and never used a machine or rotary cutter), classes became her means to learn.
Tessa describes herself as “pretty much a traditional quilter”, and loves batiks, Kaffe Fassett fabric, and all bright colors. She would eventually like to attempt English paper piecing, but hasn’t ventured there yet. Her favorite tools are her rotary cutter and wool pressing mat.
We have seen some of Tessa’s beautiful quilts when she presents at Show & Share, so we asked her where she gets her inspiration. She shares that sometimes her next projects are ruled by things that are happening in her family… births, marriages, etc (we can all relate to that). She also gains inspiration from classes and workshops sponsored by CBQ, and YouTube videos.
Just for fun, we asked Tessa what her sewing room looks like on any given day (and insisted she be honest)… she responded “oh my gosh, my sewing room is a royal mess right now. I have 6 babies coming into the family in the next few months. Three are great grands, two are step great grands, and one is a great grand nephew in Indiana. I have been busy sewing blankets, burp cloths, bibs and such and the fabric is out of control in some parts of the room”.
We asked Tessa if she had any pearls of wisdom she could share with her fellow quilters, and here’s what she offered: “always read your pattern first, and know what you need from the get-go. There is nothing worse than to discover you’re short of fabric for an important part of your project”. (we detect a hint of personal experience here, Tessa).
Although Tessa also enjoys cross-stitch, crochet and knitting and spending time with family, it is quilting that gives her a great feeling of accomplishing something with her hands, and depending on who it’s for, a great feeling of giving someone a gift that was made from the heart (with a pinch of soul thrown in).
Finally, as we do with many of our featured members, we asked Tessa to share something that no one in the guild knows about her. Tessa shared “I’m not sure if people know that I moved from Lake Havasu after being laid off from Rockwell to pursue more college and hopefully a nursing career. Well, it was too HOT there for my liking, and I stuck it out for three years. I didn’t get picked from the lottery for a nursing program (a process when there are more students than openings), so I came back to California and hired on at Kaiser”.
Thank you Tessa, for giving us a peek into your life outside CBQ. We appreciate knowing more about you, and that we share many of the joys that come from family, quilting and giving.🪡
A few quilts (pictured below) by Tessa Phillippi
Jim Spence - April 2022
Joined CBQ in 2014
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This month we are pleased to introduce Jim Spence (pictured left above) as our April 2022 Featured Member of the Month. Jim became a California boy at the age of 10, moving to Sunland (a Los Angeles City neighborhood within the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains) from Chicago, Illinois. He lived in that area for 43 years, attending local schools (Sunland Elementary, Mt. Gleason Junior High, and Verdugo Hills High School). He graduated from Glendale College, with an AA in Humanities (Photography and Data Processing). In 2004, Jim relocated to Canoga Park, due to his rental home being sold, and being closer to work). An involuntary retirement (lay off) in 2012 brought Jim to Riverside, where he now lives with his partner Steve (above right). Jim and Steve have been together for 18 years. Steve is a former curator at UCR Botanic Gardens.
Jim describes his career as a ‘series of jobs’, and varied in nature: cafeteria worker, up to assistant manager, a Storekeeper at Lockheed, Hospital Radiology darkroom tech and receptionist, Hospital medical transcriber, Production Manager for a national magazine doing old-fashioned manual paste-up (Square Dancing), Proprietor of Word Processing Service, Accounts Payable Jr. Accountant for a Fortune 500 defense contractor (Litton, which was bought out by Northrop Grumman), 22 years and NOW RETIRED (congratulations Jim!)
Jim describes himself as a self-taught quilter, beginning to quilt in 2014. He learned mostly by watching PBS quilting shows and YouTube videos (he credits Missouri Star Quilt Company and thanks them for the many tutorials). Jim does not know of any other quilters in his family.
When asked what kind of quilter he is, Jim responded that he is pretty much a traditional quilter, or as he says “a traditional piecer”. He admits to having a lot of UFOs, and lots of quilt tops that he just doesn’t seem to get around to finishing (we can ALL relate to that). Jim gets his inspiration from bright color combinations (he is fond of batiks, especially bright ones), and enjoys fairly simple blocks with well written instructions. He confesses to having tried paper foundation piecing, but did not really care for it.
Jim explains that his favorite quilting tool is his sewing machine, and considers it one of the MOST important inventions of the 19th century, further stating he knows some came earlier, but it was Mr. Singer who really perfected it. Finding a Featherweight on eBay, he became a collector of all types of machines. “It’s an illness!” Jim explains, and shares that he has about 30 sewing machines (see photos below). His ‘smoothest’ machine is a Singer 201 from the 1950s, with is super quiet, and produces a great stitch! His most ‘unusual’ machine is a Singer Izek, one of their first attempts at a computerized machine, which uses a GameBoy as its brain! Jim also collects typewriters, antique mechanical calculators, cameras, watches, stamps, currency and coins.
Jim also belongs to the Inland Empire Quilters Guild (in Corona) and maintains their website. He was also previously a member of the Raincross Quilt Guild, but has not maintained his membership since the pandemic began.
When asked what other hobbies or interests Jim has, he shared that he has been involved in square dancing for almost 50 years, having started with a PE class he took in college. Along with it, he became a Round Dancer teacher (which is part of the overall square dance picture and now called choreographed ballroom dancing), and has done that for more than 45 years.
Jim and Steve look forward to attending square dance convention each year, put on by the International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs. It attracts between 800 to 1100 people each year, however it has not been held for the past two years due to COVID. And although Jim is not dancing anymore due to knee and hip problems, he does enjoy getting together with old friends - and explains it’s much like a giant family reunion.
Jim and Steve are currently signed up for this year’s convention, planned for Minneapolis on Memorial Day weekend, taking the train from Seattle to get there. They are also signed up for a Mediterranean cruise in September, again with a bunch of square dance friends.
Finally, when asked what advice or pearl of wisdom he could share with his fellow guild members, Jim offers the following: “don’t be afraid to try something new, and don’t fret over your small boo-boos… no one will notice when they look at the whole quilt. And remember, if it was perfect, it would be made by a machine”.
It has been a pleasure learning about Jim and taking a peek into his life outside the guild. Thank you Jim for taking the time to share your story. We hear there are many quilt shops in the Seattle area, and hope you get a few extra moments to check them out before dancing your way to Minneapolis. We’ll be expecting a report out on quilting in the Mediterranean as soon as you return! Enjoy your time away! 🪡
Beautiful Hawaiian print quilt by Jim Spence (below)
Jim describes his career as a ‘series of jobs’, and varied in nature: cafeteria worker, up to assistant manager, a Storekeeper at Lockheed, Hospital Radiology darkroom tech and receptionist, Hospital medical transcriber, Production Manager for a national magazine doing old-fashioned manual paste-up (Square Dancing), Proprietor of Word Processing Service, Accounts Payable Jr. Accountant for a Fortune 500 defense contractor (Litton, which was bought out by Northrop Grumman), 22 years and NOW RETIRED (congratulations Jim!)
Jim describes himself as a self-taught quilter, beginning to quilt in 2014. He learned mostly by watching PBS quilting shows and YouTube videos (he credits Missouri Star Quilt Company and thanks them for the many tutorials). Jim does not know of any other quilters in his family.
When asked what kind of quilter he is, Jim responded that he is pretty much a traditional quilter, or as he says “a traditional piecer”. He admits to having a lot of UFOs, and lots of quilt tops that he just doesn’t seem to get around to finishing (we can ALL relate to that). Jim gets his inspiration from bright color combinations (he is fond of batiks, especially bright ones), and enjoys fairly simple blocks with well written instructions. He confesses to having tried paper foundation piecing, but did not really care for it.
Jim explains that his favorite quilting tool is his sewing machine, and considers it one of the MOST important inventions of the 19th century, further stating he knows some came earlier, but it was Mr. Singer who really perfected it. Finding a Featherweight on eBay, he became a collector of all types of machines. “It’s an illness!” Jim explains, and shares that he has about 30 sewing machines (see photos below). His ‘smoothest’ machine is a Singer 201 from the 1950s, with is super quiet, and produces a great stitch! His most ‘unusual’ machine is a Singer Izek, one of their first attempts at a computerized machine, which uses a GameBoy as its brain! Jim also collects typewriters, antique mechanical calculators, cameras, watches, stamps, currency and coins.
Jim also belongs to the Inland Empire Quilters Guild (in Corona) and maintains their website. He was also previously a member of the Raincross Quilt Guild, but has not maintained his membership since the pandemic began.
When asked what other hobbies or interests Jim has, he shared that he has been involved in square dancing for almost 50 years, having started with a PE class he took in college. Along with it, he became a Round Dancer teacher (which is part of the overall square dance picture and now called choreographed ballroom dancing), and has done that for more than 45 years.
Jim and Steve look forward to attending square dance convention each year, put on by the International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs. It attracts between 800 to 1100 people each year, however it has not been held for the past two years due to COVID. And although Jim is not dancing anymore due to knee and hip problems, he does enjoy getting together with old friends - and explains it’s much like a giant family reunion.
Jim and Steve are currently signed up for this year’s convention, planned for Minneapolis on Memorial Day weekend, taking the train from Seattle to get there. They are also signed up for a Mediterranean cruise in September, again with a bunch of square dance friends.
Finally, when asked what advice or pearl of wisdom he could share with his fellow guild members, Jim offers the following: “don’t be afraid to try something new, and don’t fret over your small boo-boos… no one will notice when they look at the whole quilt. And remember, if it was perfect, it would be made by a machine”.
It has been a pleasure learning about Jim and taking a peek into his life outside the guild. Thank you Jim for taking the time to share your story. We hear there are many quilt shops in the Seattle area, and hope you get a few extra moments to check them out before dancing your way to Minneapolis. We’ll be expecting a report out on quilting in the Mediterranean as soon as you return! Enjoy your time away! 🪡
Beautiful Hawaiian print quilt by Jim Spence (below)
A few of Jim’s collectible vintage sewing machines (below)
Robin Grube - March 2022
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Joined CBQ in 1982
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This month, we are pleased to present a familiar face… Robin Grube. Many of us know Robin; her presence is effervescent and enthusiastic as she tirelessly promotes our guild in a positive and encouraging manner. Her energy is admirable!
Robin is a California girl, but has lived in multiple places. Her dad was a doctor, and between the ages of 11-15, her family lived in Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar), which borders India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand. Her father worked in a mission hospital there, and Robin went to a Burmese school for two years, sometimes being the only non-native pupil in her class. The last two years, she attended boarding school in India. Robin explains those were formative years, and she was always glad to have had the opportunity to see how others lived, and to have experienced some of the adventures she could not have had in her previous school (in Denver, Colorado).
Robin says those years required her to travel by herself, and to become somewhat self-reliant. She jokingly shares “those who know me today as a scatterbrained blonde might be surprised to know that”. But with that background, it’s no surprise that when Robin had the chance to spend a year studying abroad in France during her sophomore year in college, she jumped at the opportunity.
Today, Robin’s zest for travel has influenced her whole family. Her husband is quite proud of the thousands of miles he has driven on the “wrong side” of the road in England, New Zealand and the Caribbean. Their two sons (of whom they are INCREDIBLY proud), live near and far. One son lives here in Southern California, while the other lives in London.
When asked who taught her to quilt, Robin shares that she mostly learned from classes taken at a local quilt shop. She was pregnant, and thought it might be safer to sew than paint with the oil paints she had been using, so she enrolled. Robin admits to jumping around in her interests, and had no idea she would stick with quilting for so many years.
Robin considers herself a contemporary quilter, as she likes using whatever fabrics are current and also enjoys using new techniques. “I am a piecer, and really love fussy-cutting and kaleidoscope designs”. She often finds herself gravitating toward ombré fabric, using them to add shading to her designs… she explains that could be an extension of her love of sunsets.
When asked what other hobbies or interests she has, Robin says “there really aren’t enough hours in the day to really keep up with my other interests, but my husband and I collect some antiques”. She hesitantly admits she is amazed at how much time she can spend on genealogy, while reading consumes ‘more time than it should’.
For those of you who have not interacted with Robin during a guild meeting, you’re missing out… she is without a doubt one of the most inviting members you’ll come across. She makes you feel welcome and a part of the group during every encounter. It’s been a pleasure getting to know her better. Thank you Robin, for letting us into a corner of your much traveled world. 🪡
Robin is a California girl, but has lived in multiple places. Her dad was a doctor, and between the ages of 11-15, her family lived in Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar), which borders India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand. Her father worked in a mission hospital there, and Robin went to a Burmese school for two years, sometimes being the only non-native pupil in her class. The last two years, she attended boarding school in India. Robin explains those were formative years, and she was always glad to have had the opportunity to see how others lived, and to have experienced some of the adventures she could not have had in her previous school (in Denver, Colorado).
Robin says those years required her to travel by herself, and to become somewhat self-reliant. She jokingly shares “those who know me today as a scatterbrained blonde might be surprised to know that”. But with that background, it’s no surprise that when Robin had the chance to spend a year studying abroad in France during her sophomore year in college, she jumped at the opportunity.
Today, Robin’s zest for travel has influenced her whole family. Her husband is quite proud of the thousands of miles he has driven on the “wrong side” of the road in England, New Zealand and the Caribbean. Their two sons (of whom they are INCREDIBLY proud), live near and far. One son lives here in Southern California, while the other lives in London.
When asked who taught her to quilt, Robin shares that she mostly learned from classes taken at a local quilt shop. She was pregnant, and thought it might be safer to sew than paint with the oil paints she had been using, so she enrolled. Robin admits to jumping around in her interests, and had no idea she would stick with quilting for so many years.
Robin considers herself a contemporary quilter, as she likes using whatever fabrics are current and also enjoys using new techniques. “I am a piecer, and really love fussy-cutting and kaleidoscope designs”. She often finds herself gravitating toward ombré fabric, using them to add shading to her designs… she explains that could be an extension of her love of sunsets.
When asked what other hobbies or interests she has, Robin says “there really aren’t enough hours in the day to really keep up with my other interests, but my husband and I collect some antiques”. She hesitantly admits she is amazed at how much time she can spend on genealogy, while reading consumes ‘more time than it should’.
For those of you who have not interacted with Robin during a guild meeting, you’re missing out… she is without a doubt one of the most inviting members you’ll come across. She makes you feel welcome and a part of the group during every encounter. It’s been a pleasure getting to know her better. Thank you Robin, for letting us into a corner of your much traveled world. 🪡
Quilts by Robin Grube
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Debi Gardner - February 2022
Joined CBQ in 2009
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This month, we are pleased to introduce Debi Gardner, a lovely (and like many of us, a somewhat shy and modest) woman, with over 40 years of quilting expertise. Debi joined CBQ in 2009, where she initially attended Moonlighters (the evening branch of our Guild). A busy, working mom, Debi cleverly used the business part of the meeting to grade papers… which takes us to the beginning of her story.
Debi is a third generation native of San Bernardino, and a third generation graduate of San Bernardino High School. Initially she delayed further education in favor of raising her two daughters, but later attended San Bernardino Valley College to obtain her certificate in childhood education. That enabled her to teach pre-school for a few years, and although she enjoyed working with two year olds, Debi grew to realize that teaching pre-school was not a very lucrative career choice for a single mom. Her invested years in education helped her make the decision to continue along a similar path. While working full time in mortgage banking and title insurance, Debi continued her education at her local community college, receiving her Associates degree in early childhood education. And she didn’t stop there… knowing she had always wanted to teach, she continued her education at Cal State San Bernardino, while still raising two small children, and working full time (no small feat!). After what Debi describes as a lifetime, she received her BA in Liberal Arts, with a minor in Psychology. After two additional years, she received her multiple subject teaching credential, and began career #2, as an Elementary school teacher (gosh, we have a lot of teachers in CBQ!). Debi taught at Fremont Elementary school in Riverside, where she began as a first grade teacher, but over the next fifteen years, also taught third, fourth, fifth, sixth (and combos of those) grades. Debi says “sixth grade was by far my favorite”.
Despite being a dedicated educator, Debi’s earliest artistic aspiration was drawing and fashion design. As a child, Debi says she was either drawing or designing clothes, first paper dolls, then later for her Barbie doll. She took every art class she could in both junior high and high school, and even entering a couple of Scholastic Art competitions. She enjoyed advertising art and portrait drawing, working mainly with pen and ink. That was about the time she became very interested in fashion design (see photo below). Debi experienced what many of us “real women” experienced… she wanted the latest fashions, but could never find what she wanted in stores. “I was not 5’ 10” and 115 lbs, so I started drawing what I wanted. My mother was a seamstress, and very good at creating clothes from drawings. She made wedding ensembles, custom costumes, and home decor. I would design what I wanted, find the fabric, and my mom would make a custom outfit”. Debi explains “it was the time of the latest London look fashion of the 1960s, but nothing anyone else in school had… kind of cool. I always thought it would be fun to design fashionable clothes for women who didn’t look like a stick figure” (you’re a woman after our own hearts Debi).
When asked who taught her to quilt, Debi explains she basically taught herself “through trial and error”, but was inspired by her paternal grandmother, who not only quilted, but also knitted, crocheted, tatted and sewed. She learned from books, such as those written by Georgia Bonesteel (author of the classic Lap Quilting). She hand cut pieces using templates, and hand pieced and hand quilted “almost everything”. Debi amusingly says “I’m surprised some of my early quilts are still intact… I was clueless about seam allowances, fabrics, and binding. I never paid attention to whether fabric was cotton or poly cotton or garment fabric; if I liked it, I used it” (we can all relate to that Debi). Finally, she realized that all of that hand piecing “was very silly and very time consuming”, so she began piecing by machine, but clung to hand quilting to finish her quilts. At one point, a friend who was also a long time quilter, introduced Debi to the rotary cutter, ruler and mat. “WOW, what a concept!” Debi exclaims.
Having retired in 2011, Debi finds herself with lots of time to quilt, read, garden and travel. She has six grandchildren and three great grandchildren. And despite discovering the tools that helped speed the process, Debi still hand quilts on occasion. In fact, her favorite tool is her walking foot, using it experiment and play around.
Debi credits Moonlighters as the place where she “really started to learn how to quilt properly”. At that point, she had never really machine quilted. After retiring, Debi was able to attend daytime guild meetings and workshops. She found herself trying more challenging patterns and designs. In reflecting, Debi says her quilting style (and her fabric tastes) have changed over time. “I rarely make traditional quilts anymore… I like modern scrappy designs and I am currently moving in the direction of art quilts”.
Debi now sticks to good quality cotton for her quilts and her favorite fabric designers are Tula Pink and Kaffe Fassett. No dull, muted colors for Debi! Looking to the future, she is excited to experiment with some other fabrics and textures as she tries more art quilts.
With Debi being one of our valued members with a quilting journey of 40 years, we asked what advice she can offer newer quilters… she responded “ my advice is to just DO it. Try whatever looks fun. Don’t be afraid to step out of the box and experiment. Don’t worry about mistakes and do not apologize for them. It’s all a learning journey. Have fun along the road”. That’s sage advice that we can ALL benefit from.
Thank you Debi for stepping out of your own personal comfort zone and allowing us a peek into your story. It is a pleasure getting to know you better. We look forward to viewing your upcoming creations as your journey continues.
Debi is a third generation native of San Bernardino, and a third generation graduate of San Bernardino High School. Initially she delayed further education in favor of raising her two daughters, but later attended San Bernardino Valley College to obtain her certificate in childhood education. That enabled her to teach pre-school for a few years, and although she enjoyed working with two year olds, Debi grew to realize that teaching pre-school was not a very lucrative career choice for a single mom. Her invested years in education helped her make the decision to continue along a similar path. While working full time in mortgage banking and title insurance, Debi continued her education at her local community college, receiving her Associates degree in early childhood education. And she didn’t stop there… knowing she had always wanted to teach, she continued her education at Cal State San Bernardino, while still raising two small children, and working full time (no small feat!). After what Debi describes as a lifetime, she received her BA in Liberal Arts, with a minor in Psychology. After two additional years, she received her multiple subject teaching credential, and began career #2, as an Elementary school teacher (gosh, we have a lot of teachers in CBQ!). Debi taught at Fremont Elementary school in Riverside, where she began as a first grade teacher, but over the next fifteen years, also taught third, fourth, fifth, sixth (and combos of those) grades. Debi says “sixth grade was by far my favorite”.
Despite being a dedicated educator, Debi’s earliest artistic aspiration was drawing and fashion design. As a child, Debi says she was either drawing or designing clothes, first paper dolls, then later for her Barbie doll. She took every art class she could in both junior high and high school, and even entering a couple of Scholastic Art competitions. She enjoyed advertising art and portrait drawing, working mainly with pen and ink. That was about the time she became very interested in fashion design (see photo below). Debi experienced what many of us “real women” experienced… she wanted the latest fashions, but could never find what she wanted in stores. “I was not 5’ 10” and 115 lbs, so I started drawing what I wanted. My mother was a seamstress, and very good at creating clothes from drawings. She made wedding ensembles, custom costumes, and home decor. I would design what I wanted, find the fabric, and my mom would make a custom outfit”. Debi explains “it was the time of the latest London look fashion of the 1960s, but nothing anyone else in school had… kind of cool. I always thought it would be fun to design fashionable clothes for women who didn’t look like a stick figure” (you’re a woman after our own hearts Debi).
When asked who taught her to quilt, Debi explains she basically taught herself “through trial and error”, but was inspired by her paternal grandmother, who not only quilted, but also knitted, crocheted, tatted and sewed. She learned from books, such as those written by Georgia Bonesteel (author of the classic Lap Quilting). She hand cut pieces using templates, and hand pieced and hand quilted “almost everything”. Debi amusingly says “I’m surprised some of my early quilts are still intact… I was clueless about seam allowances, fabrics, and binding. I never paid attention to whether fabric was cotton or poly cotton or garment fabric; if I liked it, I used it” (we can all relate to that Debi). Finally, she realized that all of that hand piecing “was very silly and very time consuming”, so she began piecing by machine, but clung to hand quilting to finish her quilts. At one point, a friend who was also a long time quilter, introduced Debi to the rotary cutter, ruler and mat. “WOW, what a concept!” Debi exclaims.
Having retired in 2011, Debi finds herself with lots of time to quilt, read, garden and travel. She has six grandchildren and three great grandchildren. And despite discovering the tools that helped speed the process, Debi still hand quilts on occasion. In fact, her favorite tool is her walking foot, using it experiment and play around.
Debi credits Moonlighters as the place where she “really started to learn how to quilt properly”. At that point, she had never really machine quilted. After retiring, Debi was able to attend daytime guild meetings and workshops. She found herself trying more challenging patterns and designs. In reflecting, Debi says her quilting style (and her fabric tastes) have changed over time. “I rarely make traditional quilts anymore… I like modern scrappy designs and I am currently moving in the direction of art quilts”.
Debi now sticks to good quality cotton for her quilts and her favorite fabric designers are Tula Pink and Kaffe Fassett. No dull, muted colors for Debi! Looking to the future, she is excited to experiment with some other fabrics and textures as she tries more art quilts.
With Debi being one of our valued members with a quilting journey of 40 years, we asked what advice she can offer newer quilters… she responded “ my advice is to just DO it. Try whatever looks fun. Don’t be afraid to step out of the box and experiment. Don’t worry about mistakes and do not apologize for them. It’s all a learning journey. Have fun along the road”. That’s sage advice that we can ALL benefit from.
Thank you Debi for stepping out of your own personal comfort zone and allowing us a peek into your story. It is a pleasure getting to know you better. We look forward to viewing your upcoming creations as your journey continues.
This is an illustration of one of the outfits I designed and had my mother make for me. It was inspired by an old fashioned British school girl's uniform. Fabric swatches attached. Done in 1964.
Pictured below (by Debi Gardner)
Millifiore quilt . "La Passacaglia". Pattern by Willyne Hammerstein English paper pieced and hand quilted. An epic journey.
There are over 2,000 very small pieces.
2018
Millifiore quilt . "La Passacaglia". Pattern by Willyne Hammerstein English paper pieced and hand quilted. An epic journey.
There are over 2,000 very small pieces.
2018
Circular Motion"
Pattern: “Circle Game" by Jen Kingwell.
Hand pieced and hand quilted.
Debi’s most recent art quilt
"From the Redwood Forest"
Inspired by a photo I took while visiting the Redwood Forest with my daughter this past September (2021)
"From the Redwood Forest"
Inspired by a photo I took while visiting the Redwood Forest with my daughter this past September (2021)
"NOLA Weaving" 2020
This was my entry into the Desert Guilds Quilt show challenge. Lynn Hanna challenged us to go "out of the box." I saw a weaving at the New Orleans Museum of Art that was made with fibers dyed with silt from the Mississippi River at different tidal levels and different seasons. I thought it would make a great quilt, so l designed this art quilt from a picture of the original weaving.
This was my entry into the Desert Guilds Quilt show challenge. Lynn Hanna challenged us to go "out of the box." I saw a weaving at the New Orleans Museum of Art that was made with fibers dyed with silt from the Mississippi River at different tidal levels and different seasons. I thought it would make a great quilt, so l designed this art quilt from a picture of the original weaving.
Lynn Hanna - January 2022
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Joined CBQ in 2013
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This year, we continue our ongoing monthly series by featuring Lynn Hanna, CBQ member since 2013.
Lynn grew up in Tarzana, CA, where she and her younger brother enjoyed summers backpacking in the Sierras, rafting rivers, and visiting exotic places. Her dad also loved adventure. She went to college at UC Santa Barbara and received her teaching credential at San Jose State University. Lynn did her student teaching at an alternative school in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where the elementary aged students planned the curriculum themselves. As Lynn describes it, “the students mostly wanted to explore and play, so we built rafts on the pond, caught frogs, and played games invented by the students”.
Upon graduation, Lynn’s first job was teaching first grade in Queensland, Australia, where school norms were quite prescriptive (to say the least). In a small rural vacation town on the coast, known for growing pineapples and macadamia nuts, Lynn lived on a pineapple farm in a house owned by the recently widowed town librarian. There she enjoyed small, sweet and juicy pineapples for lunch every day, and drove a motorcycle to get around and saved enough money for an adventurous trip home.
And that’s what she did… a friend flew to Australia to meet her, and they spent the next year on trains, boats, busses, (and any number of odd vehicles), as they made their way (literally), around the world. “We left Australia for Bali, then traveled through Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Borneo, the Philippines, Burma, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, and finally into Europe”. Lynn arrived home in time for Thanksgiving dinner that year.
Upon her return, Lynn felt she needed something less restrictive than her teaching in Australia, but with a bit more substance than the Santa Cruz school, so she worked at the Orange County Outdoor Science School for the next twenty years. She received her master’s degree in administration at San Bernardino State and became the principal. As Lynn joyfully explains, “I loved my job! I taught outdoors in the snow, rain, and sun, hiked every day, and they provided meals and housing. I met the love of my life, and everything was great… until I decided I wanted to start a family”.
You see, the residential nature of Lynn’s job didn’t work with an infant, school, soccer, and whatever else comes with raising kids. So, she returned to the classroom and taught third grade at Franklin Elementary in Redlands for the next sixteen years.
Lynn and her wife have two boys, now 26 and 30 years old. Tricia and Lynn will celebrate their 42nd anniversary later this month. She is now retired (congratulations Lynn), and besides quilting, Lynn says the travel bug is ‘brewing’.
Lynn has no quilters in her family, but lots of artists. Her mom is an artist, known for her abstract acrylic paintings and art therapy work with sand trays. Her grandma taught her to knit when she was about 12. She worked with ceramics and ran a wholesale nursery. Her other grandma was a milliner. She designed and made fancy hats for wealthy women. Her son is an artist known for his realistic portraits of imaginary creatures (as well as birds), while her other son is an artistic director of a choir.
When asked to describe her style of quilting, Lynn says she is an artist rather than a quilter, and uses fabric as her medium and quilting techniques to construct her artwork. She explains that she has always enjoyed fiber arts, and primarily makes quilts that are art pieces, intended for the wall. Lynn enjoys free form shapes, organic images, curves, and nature scenes. She does do a lot of ‘improvisational quilting’, but also enjoys paper piecing when she want spiky spikes and pointy triangles. Lynn also enjoys dying fabric, and playing around with paint and printing techniques. She designs all her own images and favors abstract designs.
When asked about her early quilting journey, Lynn’s story is familiar to many of us:
“When Tricia and I bought our first house I decided we needed a quilt for the bed. Eleanor Burns ‘Quilt in a Day’ book had just hit the stores with directions for a log cabin quilt. I have the first printing edition on my bookshelf to this day. Like so many others, that was my first attempt. I still have the quilt in the closet, complete with torn strips (pre rotary cutter days), 5/8th inch seams, tied centers, polyester batting, and a pillowcase edge instead of binding”. Now that takes us back Lynn!
It’s always a privilege to see Lynn’s creations when she presents at Show & Share, and many of us wonder “where does she get her inspiration?”
Lynn states she enjoys challenges and calls for entry. Sponsors give a theme, or a few “rules” or guidelines that help generate ideas to start. She takes photos on her travels that inspire images. Currently she is working on an abstract piece inspired by the orange and red sandstone curves of a recent visit to Antelope Canyon. She’s also working on a piece for a challenge inspired by a fortune cookie. “My fortune cookie says, ‘Perseverance pays off’, and I plan to make a rock that is worn away by water – perseverance. (We can’t wait to see these Lynn!)
When asked what her friends/family say about her creations, Lynn responds: “I love sharing my quilts with my son, Ross. As an artist himself, he really appreciates the “art”, and we talk about the designs from an artist standpoint. We are working on a collaboration right now. He is drawing a design that I will translate into fabric. I’m excited about it. My wife is very happy I have something I enjoy doing. She has requested twelve table runners, one for each month of the year. I have made seven so far. I am currently designing one for July. I stenciled and embellished images of fireworks on some squares. That’s as far as I’ve gotten. I’m not sure what will come of the design. She proudly displays my table runners and changes them out periodically. She also enjoys favorite quilts hanging along with other artwork around the house”.
Lynn says her mom is her biggest fan, and continues to believe she ‘is the best thing since sliced bread’. She loves to shop for fabric with her, and always selects a fat quarter of the ugliest fabric she can find that day to add to the shopping cart. “She says you need the ugly fabrics to make the pretty ones sing”. It is her encouragement and endless love and support that keep me going when times are tough.
Like many of us, Lynn has other hobbies outside of quilting. She truly enjoys the outdoors, especially interesting rocks and geological formations. She also enjoys birding and hiking, or what she humorously calls ‘strolling’. She can’t wait for the world to open up again for travel. At the top of her list is visiting Greenland and the Northern Lights.
Just for fun, we asked Lynn a couple of questions:
What’s your favorite guilty pleasure? To which she unabashedly replied “ice cream”.
And, we asked her to give us a fun or interesting fact about herself:
“I have a separate bank account for my quilting hobby. I put money into it when I sell a quilt. I use it to buy fabric and supplies. No money, no purchase allowed”.
Now that takes discipline, Lynn!
Lynn makes it all look so simple… yet her work makes us realize exactly how much thought and effort she puts into every piece she creates. When asked what advice she can offer her fellow guild members, Lynn shared: “It’s OK to drop a project before completion if it stops being enjoyable. The process of creating and experiencing is the most important part of making art. When you have done that sufficiently with a project, and continuing it is a chore, drop it, even if you haven’t completed the piece”. GREAT ADVICE LYNN!
And finally, Lynn shares this exciting bit of news with all of us:
“My New Year’s Resolution for 2021 was to start an “Artistic Journey Group.” I want to meet with 8 – 12 people who are also interested in improving their artistic skills, are wanting to create art using fabric, and want to share in the process together. I want to explore the principles of art, critique work, and share our journeys together. I am excited to tell you that it is actually starting to happen! If you are interested in joining a group like this, please let me know! I’d love to talk art quilting with you!”
Lynn’s life is so full that the details we learned could not be all shared in this featured write-up. If you’d like to know more, spend some time with this delightful, energetic, generous, joyful and giving woman.
Thank you Lynn for taking the time to tell us about yourself and your ‘beyond interesting’ life. It is a pleasure getting to know you and your precious family. 🪡
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Coming Out
This is a very personal quilt about my lifelong experience of coming out. It’s like peeling layers of an onion, revealing a bit more with each encounter. You see this idea near the top of the image. There is always a risk when you allow yourself to be vulnerable. Sometimes sharing the very personal information becomes part of a support structure for my life and builds into a meaningful relationship. Other times the vulnerable moment drops away, crumbles, and any future contact is avoided. You see that idea near the bottom of the image. |
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A Deep Problem
This quilt is about the excessive amount of plastic in the ocean. The giant garbage patch of almost solid plastic floating on the surface in the Pacific Ocean stretches over an area larger than the size of Texas. That’s just one of many gyres. As alarming as that is, scientists recently discovered that the concentration of plastic about 600 feet below the surface is as great or greater that the concentration at the surface in the giant gyres. That’s where many animals hunt for food, and consume plastic instead. The quilt shows bubbles of plastic, the density of plastic in the bubbles reflecting the density of plastic at various depth. A plastic bag was even photographed at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest place on earth. |
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Sunset Over Stones
A fun landscape quilt I made.
A fun landscape quilt I made.
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A Purposeful End
This was made at the beginning of the pandemic as I faced the real possibility that just grocery shopping could result in illness and possible death. I struggled to find meaning, and referenced the children’s book by Shel Silverstein, “The Giving Tree”, and how the tree had purpose throughout its life, ending as a stump for sitting. |
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“Shapes of Chilnualna Creek”
This is a memory of a hike in Yosemite on a grey, misty, wintery day. I loved the icy dark water slipping like ribbons over the smooth, rounded rocks, creating interesting shapes as it gurgled along. I dyed the fabric for these shapes and love the subtle quilting lines suggesting rocks and trees along the bank of the creek. |
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Hollie Flores - November 2021Joined CBQ in 2015
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CBQ is proud (and pleased) to introduce Hollie Flores as our November 2021 featured member of the month. Hollie is very active in our guild, serving as 2nd Co-VP, along with her dear friend Linda Deering. For anyone who has encountered Hollie during a guild meeting or workshop, you know she is enthusiastic, energetic, quick witted, and always has a bright smile to help members feel welcome.
Hollie grew up in Garden Grove, California, (located in northern Orange County), and graduated from Garden Grove high school. She worked in the nursing community for about five years in Tacoma, Washington. She has three sons, and took 10 years off from working outside the home to raise her boys. Then she worked for Albertsons grocery store for 26 years.
Linda started quilting around 23 years ago, (in 1998), when Linda Deering lived next-door, and Lorraine Patterson (1st VP and CBQ member since 2015) lived across the street. Between these two wonderful friends, and a sister who quilts, Hollie says she was surrounded by great teachers, offering lots of inspiration and encouragement.
A few years after beginning her quilting journey, Hollie was one of a group of five friends who began quilting together. Hollie explains: “We would get together, and make quilts, and do things like challenges, where you all get the fabric, and see what each person made from it. It was a lot of fun to see everyone’s projects. The five of us are still great friends!”
When asked what quilting does for her, Hollie responds: “Quilting is my… ‘me’ time, and my ‘friend’ time. I meet new friends, who love to quilt, all the time. And through these friends (life changing friends, as she calls them), I became a member of CBQ”. Hollie is also a member of Material Girls 2, and Hot Mamas. She really enjoys getting to know each of the members in all the groups she belongs to. As she puts it, “to see the joy in their face as they talk about their quilts, and their families,,, that says it all”.
Hollie describes herself as a modern quilter, but is open to trying anything… as long as it has sparkles in it! When asked what other hobbies she enjoys, Hollie shared that she loves crafty things, but is also quick to state that she enjoys EVERYTHING… “Bring it on!”
Hollie has a garden full of all kinds of plants that she enjoys. In addition to gardening, Hollie humorously says she also “collects children”. With 12 grandchildren, she has found herself raising some of them, and is down to her last two (see photo above of Hollie and her grandson Seth). She also has three Yorkies (Bree who is 12 years old, Mr. Buttons who is 9 years old - and cute as a button, and Miss Lola, who runs the house - all 3 pounds of her)… I love my fur babies…”.
It is a pleasure to get to know the beautiful lady behind all our workshops. Thank you Hollie for sharing your story. We appreciate you participating, and giving us a glimpse into your quilting journey. We hope to see you in something sparkly soon! 🪡
Below: Three quilts created by Hollie Flores
Hollie grew up in Garden Grove, California, (located in northern Orange County), and graduated from Garden Grove high school. She worked in the nursing community for about five years in Tacoma, Washington. She has three sons, and took 10 years off from working outside the home to raise her boys. Then she worked for Albertsons grocery store for 26 years.
Linda started quilting around 23 years ago, (in 1998), when Linda Deering lived next-door, and Lorraine Patterson (1st VP and CBQ member since 2015) lived across the street. Between these two wonderful friends, and a sister who quilts, Hollie says she was surrounded by great teachers, offering lots of inspiration and encouragement.
A few years after beginning her quilting journey, Hollie was one of a group of five friends who began quilting together. Hollie explains: “We would get together, and make quilts, and do things like challenges, where you all get the fabric, and see what each person made from it. It was a lot of fun to see everyone’s projects. The five of us are still great friends!”
When asked what quilting does for her, Hollie responds: “Quilting is my… ‘me’ time, and my ‘friend’ time. I meet new friends, who love to quilt, all the time. And through these friends (life changing friends, as she calls them), I became a member of CBQ”. Hollie is also a member of Material Girls 2, and Hot Mamas. She really enjoys getting to know each of the members in all the groups she belongs to. As she puts it, “to see the joy in their face as they talk about their quilts, and their families,,, that says it all”.
Hollie describes herself as a modern quilter, but is open to trying anything… as long as it has sparkles in it! When asked what other hobbies she enjoys, Hollie shared that she loves crafty things, but is also quick to state that she enjoys EVERYTHING… “Bring it on!”
Hollie has a garden full of all kinds of plants that she enjoys. In addition to gardening, Hollie humorously says she also “collects children”. With 12 grandchildren, she has found herself raising some of them, and is down to her last two (see photo above of Hollie and her grandson Seth). She also has three Yorkies (Bree who is 12 years old, Mr. Buttons who is 9 years old - and cute as a button, and Miss Lola, who runs the house - all 3 pounds of her)… I love my fur babies…”.
It is a pleasure to get to know the beautiful lady behind all our workshops. Thank you Hollie for sharing your story. We appreciate you participating, and giving us a glimpse into your quilting journey. We hope to see you in something sparkly soon! 🪡
Below: Three quilts created by Hollie Flores
Bernice Foster - October 2021
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Joined CBQ in 1994
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This month, CBQ is honored to present Bernice Foster, an accomplished and extraordinarily talented quilter.
Born on a farm in Northeastern Iowa, Bernice spent much of her time with her great grandmother, who was a sewer and quilter. Using a box that enabled her to reach the peddle, Bernice first learned to sew on her great grandmother’s treadle machine. Her father was a farmer, but hated the cold winters, and decided he wanted to make his fortune as an auto body mechanic in sunny California. When Bernice was eight years old, her family moved out west.
Bernice started sewing doll clothes ‘in her single digits’, and then began sewing clothes for herself as she reached her teens. That skill proved invaluable when she won Miss San Bernardino in 1971, with fashion design as her featured talent… a great departure from the usual Miss America candidates, who sang and danced their way to the crown. Bernice’s first television appearance was that same year, in the Miss California pageant, but as she modestly explains, she ‘was not pretty enough’ to make the final cut, so didn’t make it to Atlantic City and the ‘big show’.
Bernice’s career in law enforcement as a deputy with the San Bernardino County Marshal's Office, and raising two sons, kept her busy with no time to sew, until she retired in 1995, from the Sheriff’s Office as a Captain and Area Commander. She joined Citrus Belt Quilters in 1994 and jumped into quilting in a big way. She took every workshop offered, as well as classes at the local quilt shops.
Bernice has held nearly every position on the CBQ Board, and enjoyed bringing our quilt show to a new height with quilts presented for display inside Redlands historical homes, and in Smiley Park in the early 2000s. She has helped make more opportunity quilts ‘than she can remember’ and has collaborated with ‘some of the greats’ in our guild including Cindy Rinne, Robin Grube, Don Beld, Margauarette Tate, Theresa Law, Linda Kraft, Jone Lewis, and Mary Aslanis.
Bernice shares that “most recently, Mary and I worked on pieces using a panel from “The Outlander” (see photo below). She did the piecing and embroidery, and I did the quilting.
Bernice is well traveled, having been to Europe several times, as well as South America and most recently, a photo safari in several countries in South Africa. Her travels have inspired several of her quilts. After visiting the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, she decided to copy one of his paintings in fabric, which she just finished (see photo below).. Entitled “Girl Before A Mirror”, Bernice hopes to see it accepted into the Road2California Quilters Conference and Showcase in 2022.
As with many of our featured members, family is a common thread, but Bernice’s story is a bit different. Although we usually learn about the influence mothers have over our sewing, it is her father who Bernice acknowledges. She explains that she (as well as her sister, the only other sewer in the family), got their talent with machines and mechanics from their dad. She explains that he was a genius with machinery, building a combustion engine in the barn when he was only 12 years old. That must have rubbed off on Bernice and her sister, because they both have several sewing machines, and are ALSO very good with power tools and hand guns.
Bernice has three sisters, but her sister Bonnie (who we often see at CBQ meetings and pictured below), actually lives next door, and they enjoy spending a good deal of time sewing and doing quilting projects together. Many of us have been fortunate enough to see (in person) a large quilt Bernice and Bonnie made together, from clothing labels that Bonnie had saved since she was 15 years old (see photo below). This quilt is featured in The American Quilter magazine, November 2020. That’s quite an honor ladies! Bonnie is also a talented doll maker (see photo below of one of her beautiful creations).
When asked what quilting does for her, Bernice replied “Quilting is my art form, and it makes me feel calm and in harmony with the world, no matter what else is happening in these crazy times we find ourselves living in”.
When asked to give us her thoughts on quilting, Bernice goes on to say “I quilt for myself and those that I love, rarely for money. I enjoy competing my quilts in shows. I never make the same piece twice. I never show unfinished pieces. Although I can do hand quilting, I prefer to use the machines. I sew and quilt on Berninas and have never used a long arm quilting machine. I drop the feed dogs on my sewing machine and quilt free motion although sometimes I follow a chalk design. My best advice in quilting is if you make a mistake that you cannot live with, stop, rip it out, do it over again, otherwise you will always be bugged by it and never like the piece” (that sounds like sage advice to us Bernice!)
Finally, Bernice leaves us with these words of wisdom: “any quilt made by human hands will have mistakes, and that’s okay too”.
Thank you Bernice for sharing your story, and personal insight into your world of quilting. It is a pleasure getting to know you.
Born on a farm in Northeastern Iowa, Bernice spent much of her time with her great grandmother, who was a sewer and quilter. Using a box that enabled her to reach the peddle, Bernice first learned to sew on her great grandmother’s treadle machine. Her father was a farmer, but hated the cold winters, and decided he wanted to make his fortune as an auto body mechanic in sunny California. When Bernice was eight years old, her family moved out west.
Bernice started sewing doll clothes ‘in her single digits’, and then began sewing clothes for herself as she reached her teens. That skill proved invaluable when she won Miss San Bernardino in 1971, with fashion design as her featured talent… a great departure from the usual Miss America candidates, who sang and danced their way to the crown. Bernice’s first television appearance was that same year, in the Miss California pageant, but as she modestly explains, she ‘was not pretty enough’ to make the final cut, so didn’t make it to Atlantic City and the ‘big show’.
Bernice’s career in law enforcement as a deputy with the San Bernardino County Marshal's Office, and raising two sons, kept her busy with no time to sew, until she retired in 1995, from the Sheriff’s Office as a Captain and Area Commander. She joined Citrus Belt Quilters in 1994 and jumped into quilting in a big way. She took every workshop offered, as well as classes at the local quilt shops.
Bernice has held nearly every position on the CBQ Board, and enjoyed bringing our quilt show to a new height with quilts presented for display inside Redlands historical homes, and in Smiley Park in the early 2000s. She has helped make more opportunity quilts ‘than she can remember’ and has collaborated with ‘some of the greats’ in our guild including Cindy Rinne, Robin Grube, Don Beld, Margauarette Tate, Theresa Law, Linda Kraft, Jone Lewis, and Mary Aslanis.
Bernice shares that “most recently, Mary and I worked on pieces using a panel from “The Outlander” (see photo below). She did the piecing and embroidery, and I did the quilting.
Bernice is well traveled, having been to Europe several times, as well as South America and most recently, a photo safari in several countries in South Africa. Her travels have inspired several of her quilts. After visiting the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, she decided to copy one of his paintings in fabric, which she just finished (see photo below).. Entitled “Girl Before A Mirror”, Bernice hopes to see it accepted into the Road2California Quilters Conference and Showcase in 2022.
As with many of our featured members, family is a common thread, but Bernice’s story is a bit different. Although we usually learn about the influence mothers have over our sewing, it is her father who Bernice acknowledges. She explains that she (as well as her sister, the only other sewer in the family), got their talent with machines and mechanics from their dad. She explains that he was a genius with machinery, building a combustion engine in the barn when he was only 12 years old. That must have rubbed off on Bernice and her sister, because they both have several sewing machines, and are ALSO very good with power tools and hand guns.
Bernice has three sisters, but her sister Bonnie (who we often see at CBQ meetings and pictured below), actually lives next door, and they enjoy spending a good deal of time sewing and doing quilting projects together. Many of us have been fortunate enough to see (in person) a large quilt Bernice and Bonnie made together, from clothing labels that Bonnie had saved since she was 15 years old (see photo below). This quilt is featured in The American Quilter magazine, November 2020. That’s quite an honor ladies! Bonnie is also a talented doll maker (see photo below of one of her beautiful creations).
When asked what quilting does for her, Bernice replied “Quilting is my art form, and it makes me feel calm and in harmony with the world, no matter what else is happening in these crazy times we find ourselves living in”.
When asked to give us her thoughts on quilting, Bernice goes on to say “I quilt for myself and those that I love, rarely for money. I enjoy competing my quilts in shows. I never make the same piece twice. I never show unfinished pieces. Although I can do hand quilting, I prefer to use the machines. I sew and quilt on Berninas and have never used a long arm quilting machine. I drop the feed dogs on my sewing machine and quilt free motion although sometimes I follow a chalk design. My best advice in quilting is if you make a mistake that you cannot live with, stop, rip it out, do it over again, otherwise you will always be bugged by it and never like the piece” (that sounds like sage advice to us Bernice!)
Finally, Bernice leaves us with these words of wisdom: “any quilt made by human hands will have mistakes, and that’s okay too”.
Thank you Bernice for sharing your story, and personal insight into your world of quilting. It is a pleasure getting to know you.
Girl Before a Mirror by Bernice Foster 2021
Below: doll made by Bonnie (Bernice’s sister and sewing buddy), Outlander quilt, (made by Bernice and fellow CBQ member Mary Aslanis), Bernice and Bonnie, and the clothing label quilt (created by the dynamic sister team).
Vicky Gutierrez - September 2021
Joined CBQ in 1997
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This month, we are pleased to feature CBQ member Vicky Gutierrez. A local girl (in every sense of the word), Vicky is probably our only member who can say that she is the 4th generation in her family to graduate from Redlands High School. Her family’s roots run deep in the community of Redlands, as well as in quilting. She proudly states ‘quilting is in her genes’.
Vicky started quilting somewhat by choice (at the age of 13), when she was asked if she wanted to make a quilt one summer. She began the quilt top, which ended up taking more than one summer to complete. That top was then hand quilted by her grandmother, Joanna Danielson. Vicky was 15 by the time the quilt was completed, (a red and white double nine patch), which hung in a CBQ Quilt Show. Thinking she was not likely to return to quilting, she went about life as a teenager, when five years later, a quilting catalog landed in her mailbox (addressed to a previous resident), with colorful and alluring contents calling her name. She placed an order, and well… there was no turning back.
Vicky was taught to quilt by her mother, Sally Granado, who we all know as a long time CBQ member, and past Guild President. Vicky is a 4th generation quilter, and now her two lovely daughters (Violet, age 24 and Lily, age 21) are joining the ranks, making them the 5th generation to carry on the tradition.
Vicky says she gravitates toward modern quilts, but really enjoys traditional designs, and likes to merge the two. She pieces by machine, then uses her newly acquired longarm to machine finish them. In fact, she calls her longarm her ‘favorite quilting tool’.
When asked what is the biggest change she has experienced since beginning to quilt, Vicky says that for her, it’s come in the way of pattern creation and design. “I see far more quilters making their own patterns and designs, as I like to do myself. Quilting started with a make-it-up-as-you-go approach, then designs became mainstream and many followed published patterns… today I see the make-it-up-as-you-go approach returning and taking the lead once again”.
Vicky shares that if she were not a quilter, she would still be a creator. She feels compelled to create in some form, be it with fabric or some other media. “I cannot imagine what it might be like for people who do not have this same desire” (neither can we, Vicky). To Vicky, the desire to create, to make, and to experiment, is as natural as eating or sleeping… it is a part of her.
The only thing more consistent and steady in Vicky’s life (other than quilting), is running. Vicky is a distance runner, and a FAST one at that. In fact, her very deserved nickname is ‘Rocket’, which was lovingly given to her by her husband. She has run competitively since the age of 11, and once had her eye set on being an Olympic runner. She excels in the sport, and modestly describes herself as “a very good high school and collegiate runner”. Vicky runs every day with her ‘other child’, Steve, a Vizsla, who by the way, has his own Instagram account (@SteveRunsWithRocket). Together, they run mostly on off-road trails, a staggering average of 4-6 miles each morning, followed by an additional 4-6 miles of walking later in the day. Vicky has run a few marathons (that’s 26.2 miles for those of us who have always wondered), but prefers shorter distances like 10Ks (6.2 miles). Her sewing room contains many of the awards that she has won over the years.
Today Vicky is a full time stay-at-home-mom, and has been married for 26 years, but if she could go ‘back in time’, she pulls once again from her quilting roots, and says she would love to sew with her grandmother, Joanna. You see, as Vicky was rediscovering quilting, Joanna was nearing the end of her life. In fact, Vicky shares that the last quilt Joanna hand quilted was one that Vicky made, from that order she placed from that catalog so many years ago. It’s a tree quilt… what a cherished quilt that must be.
Thank you Vicky, for taking the time to let us get to know you, and the generational devotion to quilting that you share with your grandmother, mom, and daughters. 🪡
Banner made by Vicky (left) which hangs in her sewing room.
Close-up detail of banner quilting (center)
Steve the Vizsla (right)
Vicky started quilting somewhat by choice (at the age of 13), when she was asked if she wanted to make a quilt one summer. She began the quilt top, which ended up taking more than one summer to complete. That top was then hand quilted by her grandmother, Joanna Danielson. Vicky was 15 by the time the quilt was completed, (a red and white double nine patch), which hung in a CBQ Quilt Show. Thinking she was not likely to return to quilting, she went about life as a teenager, when five years later, a quilting catalog landed in her mailbox (addressed to a previous resident), with colorful and alluring contents calling her name. She placed an order, and well… there was no turning back.
Vicky was taught to quilt by her mother, Sally Granado, who we all know as a long time CBQ member, and past Guild President. Vicky is a 4th generation quilter, and now her two lovely daughters (Violet, age 24 and Lily, age 21) are joining the ranks, making them the 5th generation to carry on the tradition.
Vicky says she gravitates toward modern quilts, but really enjoys traditional designs, and likes to merge the two. She pieces by machine, then uses her newly acquired longarm to machine finish them. In fact, she calls her longarm her ‘favorite quilting tool’.
When asked what is the biggest change she has experienced since beginning to quilt, Vicky says that for her, it’s come in the way of pattern creation and design. “I see far more quilters making their own patterns and designs, as I like to do myself. Quilting started with a make-it-up-as-you-go approach, then designs became mainstream and many followed published patterns… today I see the make-it-up-as-you-go approach returning and taking the lead once again”.
Vicky shares that if she were not a quilter, she would still be a creator. She feels compelled to create in some form, be it with fabric or some other media. “I cannot imagine what it might be like for people who do not have this same desire” (neither can we, Vicky). To Vicky, the desire to create, to make, and to experiment, is as natural as eating or sleeping… it is a part of her.
The only thing more consistent and steady in Vicky’s life (other than quilting), is running. Vicky is a distance runner, and a FAST one at that. In fact, her very deserved nickname is ‘Rocket’, which was lovingly given to her by her husband. She has run competitively since the age of 11, and once had her eye set on being an Olympic runner. She excels in the sport, and modestly describes herself as “a very good high school and collegiate runner”. Vicky runs every day with her ‘other child’, Steve, a Vizsla, who by the way, has his own Instagram account (@SteveRunsWithRocket). Together, they run mostly on off-road trails, a staggering average of 4-6 miles each morning, followed by an additional 4-6 miles of walking later in the day. Vicky has run a few marathons (that’s 26.2 miles for those of us who have always wondered), but prefers shorter distances like 10Ks (6.2 miles). Her sewing room contains many of the awards that she has won over the years.
Today Vicky is a full time stay-at-home-mom, and has been married for 26 years, but if she could go ‘back in time’, she pulls once again from her quilting roots, and says she would love to sew with her grandmother, Joanna. You see, as Vicky was rediscovering quilting, Joanna was nearing the end of her life. In fact, Vicky shares that the last quilt Joanna hand quilted was one that Vicky made, from that order she placed from that catalog so many years ago. It’s a tree quilt… what a cherished quilt that must be.
Thank you Vicky, for taking the time to let us get to know you, and the generational devotion to quilting that you share with your grandmother, mom, and daughters. 🪡
Banner made by Vicky (left) which hangs in her sewing room.
Close-up detail of banner quilting (center)
Steve the Vizsla (right)
Linda Deering - August 2021
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Joined CBQ in 2016
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This month, we proudly introduce our members to Linda Deering, a CBQ member since 2016. Many of us see Linda assisting our guild at monthly meetings, where she serves as a 2nd VP, co-chairing workshop and speaker responsibilities. Like many of us, Linda comes from a family of women who sew. Her great grandmother was a quilter, and Linda inherited some of her crazy quilts when she passed away. She feels her great grandmother was a big influence on her quilting. Her grandmother made tie quilts for her grand children, and great grands as well. It was Linda’s mother who introduced her to sewing when she was a young girl, and Linda soon found herself making Barbie doll clothes. Those skills evolved into making clothes for herself, and her family.
Linda started quilting when she was about to become a grandmother herself, 26 years ago. “I watched a lot of Eleanor Burns on TV to learn the art of quilting”, Linda explains. As with many quilters, Linda is “sorta self-taught”, learning by trial and error, and by watching the teachers we bring into our guild workshops. Linda started by making what she describes as ‘simple quilts’ for her grandchIldren, and now these same grandchildren receive quilts for graduations and other life milestones. With two children, and seven grandchildren, Linda’s time at the sewing machine adds up. Luckily, she has “two very spoiled dogs” that keep her company in her sewing room.
In Linda’s household, quilting is a family affair. While her son took sewing in high school, (although it may have been the girls that he was most interested in), her first grandchild learned to sew while sitting on her knee, and even won 1st place by making an embroidered bird block that he turned into a bean bag in his kindergarten class. A proud grandmother moment! Linda’s daughter is not a quilter, but a talented crafter, as are her two daughters. Her second grand daughter likes to design quilts, and then make the quilt in her limited spare time away from law school. Her other grand daughter likes to help plan and design the quilts that Linda makes for her, but like her mom, is mostly a crafter. The remaining grandchildren like to sew when they visit. And although Linda’s son, (who served as a Marine for 20 years) missed out on a sewing career, we’re sure Linda would gladly teach him anything he wanted to know about quilting today.
Linda says she was lucky enough to be a ‘domestic engineer’ (AKA stay-at-home mom) for the first 25 years of marriage. Being married to a Marine, she found herself moving every three years (like clock work). “It’s not for everyone, but I loved it, and so did my kids”. Once her kids were off on their own, Linda became restless, and went to work as a clerk for Albertsons. After 11 years of cashiering, she retired to make quilts.
Linda’s ‘other hobbies’ include going on retreats with her quilting buddies, going on shop-hops, and hanging out in her sewing room with her BFF Hollie. Do those really count as other hobbies Linda?
Linda describes herself primarily as a traditional quilter, but enjoys traditional quilts with a modern flair. When she finds herself with only a few minutes to sew, Linda enjoys crumb piecing. Using tiny pieces of fabric to create new (larger) custom fabrics, she creates bags, totes and gifts. Linda also enjoys creating small landscape quilts.
When asked what she wished someone would have told her as a new quilter, Linda says she wished she would have known that it’s OK if the edges of her quilt are not perfectly straight, and it’s OK if a point (or two) in flying geese are sewn into a seam allowance. “I learned this by looking at quilts in magazines… if a published quilt wasn’t PERFECT, then it was OK if MY quilts weren’t perfect. I gave myself permission to make an imperfect quilt”. Since adopting that attitude, Linda feels she is enjoying quilting much more. “As the saying goes, finsihed is better than perfect”, Oh, we can ALL relate, Linda!
For fun, Linda was asked to answer this question: ‘If you could only have one type of fabric for the rest of your life, what would it be?’
And in true quilter fashion, Linda couldn’t limit herself to one.
”Only one??? I guess that would be batiks… or 30s reproduction prints… that’s a hard one. Do cottons count as one?”
In Linda’s words, ”quilting gives me a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and peacefulness. I love making quilts for my grandchildren and loved ones, and recently, making quilts for community service”.
In closing, Linda feels blessed with a supportive husband and great friends. “There isn’t much I would change about my life, and I would like to thank the guild for letting me serve as Co-2nd VP with Hollie Flores. It is a pleasure to do what I do for the guild”.
Thank you Linda, for helping us get to know you better. It’s been a pleasure learning about your quilting journey and how love for family and friends enriches your life. 🪡
Flower and Butterfly Wall Hanging by Linda Deering
Linda started quilting when she was about to become a grandmother herself, 26 years ago. “I watched a lot of Eleanor Burns on TV to learn the art of quilting”, Linda explains. As with many quilters, Linda is “sorta self-taught”, learning by trial and error, and by watching the teachers we bring into our guild workshops. Linda started by making what she describes as ‘simple quilts’ for her grandchIldren, and now these same grandchildren receive quilts for graduations and other life milestones. With two children, and seven grandchildren, Linda’s time at the sewing machine adds up. Luckily, she has “two very spoiled dogs” that keep her company in her sewing room.
In Linda’s household, quilting is a family affair. While her son took sewing in high school, (although it may have been the girls that he was most interested in), her first grandchild learned to sew while sitting on her knee, and even won 1st place by making an embroidered bird block that he turned into a bean bag in his kindergarten class. A proud grandmother moment! Linda’s daughter is not a quilter, but a talented crafter, as are her two daughters. Her second grand daughter likes to design quilts, and then make the quilt in her limited spare time away from law school. Her other grand daughter likes to help plan and design the quilts that Linda makes for her, but like her mom, is mostly a crafter. The remaining grandchildren like to sew when they visit. And although Linda’s son, (who served as a Marine for 20 years) missed out on a sewing career, we’re sure Linda would gladly teach him anything he wanted to know about quilting today.
Linda says she was lucky enough to be a ‘domestic engineer’ (AKA stay-at-home mom) for the first 25 years of marriage. Being married to a Marine, she found herself moving every three years (like clock work). “It’s not for everyone, but I loved it, and so did my kids”. Once her kids were off on their own, Linda became restless, and went to work as a clerk for Albertsons. After 11 years of cashiering, she retired to make quilts.
Linda’s ‘other hobbies’ include going on retreats with her quilting buddies, going on shop-hops, and hanging out in her sewing room with her BFF Hollie. Do those really count as other hobbies Linda?
Linda describes herself primarily as a traditional quilter, but enjoys traditional quilts with a modern flair. When she finds herself with only a few minutes to sew, Linda enjoys crumb piecing. Using tiny pieces of fabric to create new (larger) custom fabrics, she creates bags, totes and gifts. Linda also enjoys creating small landscape quilts.
When asked what she wished someone would have told her as a new quilter, Linda says she wished she would have known that it’s OK if the edges of her quilt are not perfectly straight, and it’s OK if a point (or two) in flying geese are sewn into a seam allowance. “I learned this by looking at quilts in magazines… if a published quilt wasn’t PERFECT, then it was OK if MY quilts weren’t perfect. I gave myself permission to make an imperfect quilt”. Since adopting that attitude, Linda feels she is enjoying quilting much more. “As the saying goes, finsihed is better than perfect”, Oh, we can ALL relate, Linda!
For fun, Linda was asked to answer this question: ‘If you could only have one type of fabric for the rest of your life, what would it be?’
And in true quilter fashion, Linda couldn’t limit herself to one.
”Only one??? I guess that would be batiks… or 30s reproduction prints… that’s a hard one. Do cottons count as one?”
In Linda’s words, ”quilting gives me a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and peacefulness. I love making quilts for my grandchildren and loved ones, and recently, making quilts for community service”.
In closing, Linda feels blessed with a supportive husband and great friends. “There isn’t much I would change about my life, and I would like to thank the guild for letting me serve as Co-2nd VP with Hollie Flores. It is a pleasure to do what I do for the guild”.
Thank you Linda, for helping us get to know you better. It’s been a pleasure learning about your quilting journey and how love for family and friends enriches your life. 🪡
Flower and Butterfly Wall Hanging by Linda Deering
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Joined CBQ in 2017
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This month, we proudly feature Sandi Cannarella (pictured above). Sandi grew up sewing! Her mother and maternal grandmother sewed all their lives, so it was one of the first things Sandi learned to do. Sandi has a rich history of family needleworkers. Her Belgium grandmother not only sewed, but also knitted, crocheted, and tatted (a word we don't hear much anymore... lace making). And as if that wasn't challenging enough, her grandmother also worked in many of the large fashion houses in Chicago, and sewed gowns for silent film star Gloria Swanson. Sandi says her dolls were dressed in creations made from the 'scraps' of Miss Swanson's frocks. Sandi's mother made all their clothes, and taught Sandi to do the same. Her first Cirl Scout badge was for sewing, something many of us can relate to.
Sandi loved to draw, paint, and sculpt, but it was biology (and eventually medicine) that proved to be her long-term career path. Sandi entered nurse's training, and early on in Boston, was introduced to open heart surgery and organ transplantation. She worked at the Peter Bent Brigham-Harvard unit, where her knowledge base in medicine and medical research expanded. Later in New York, she helped set up a transplant research unit and performed more than 400 kidney, 200+ lung, and about 100 heart transplants in laboratory animals. She then decided to pursue Immunology (the study of the immune system), studying in England, under Sir Peter Medawar (1960 Noble Laureate), and receiving her diploma in 1971 (handed to her by none other than Prince Phillip). Returning to NYC, Sandi headed a clinical Immunobiology unit, then in 1984, was invited to Southern California to consult on a proposal to use
animal hearts for babies with fatal heart defects. Her skill, talent and unique expertise resulted in participation as the Transplant Immunologist in the Baby Fae baboon heart transplant case, with an eventual move to Loma Linda University Medical Center to create an Immunology Center. After 17 “wonderful" years, Sandi was offered yet another challenging opportunity, as Director of Transplant
Immunology at the Detroit Medical Center at Wayne State University.
At the age of 69, Sandi joined her husband in retirement, finally free to pursue her love of art, music and sewing. She quickly discovered ways to stretch her creativity, and found herself designing patterns, exploring appliqué, and collecting threads and batik fabrics that fueled her imagination, originality and ingenuity. Sandi explains that she can no longer single out one specific quilter that inspires her own creativity, because there are so many talented artists out there" She says she learns from ALL of them, and reads
articles and books by the leading quilt artists of our time.
Eight years ago, Sandi purchased a HandiQuilter Avante with a 12 foot table, and has not stopped quilting
since! Sandi has a few suggestions for success with long arm quilting (that have worked for her):
Practice, practice, practice
Take it slow and easy
Watch advanced quilters work whenever you can
Learn to use rulers and templates to guide free-motion quilting
Watch videos on the Internet that teach about tools and technique (they are abundantly available)
Finally, many of us have been fortunate to see Sandi's creations up close because she generously shares (and often donates) them at guild meetings, or when she is a featured speaker during one of our workshops. However, Sandi's award winning quilts can also be seen at quilt shows, including the Road2CA Showcase, where she has been awarded ribbons for excellence. Sandi modestly states the ribbons are "just lucky bonuses". She greatly values the judge's feedback and evaluations.
Thank you Sandi for sharing your fascinating story. It is a delight getting to know more about you. 🪡
Sandi loved to draw, paint, and sculpt, but it was biology (and eventually medicine) that proved to be her long-term career path. Sandi entered nurse's training, and early on in Boston, was introduced to open heart surgery and organ transplantation. She worked at the Peter Bent Brigham-Harvard unit, where her knowledge base in medicine and medical research expanded. Later in New York, she helped set up a transplant research unit and performed more than 400 kidney, 200+ lung, and about 100 heart transplants in laboratory animals. She then decided to pursue Immunology (the study of the immune system), studying in England, under Sir Peter Medawar (1960 Noble Laureate), and receiving her diploma in 1971 (handed to her by none other than Prince Phillip). Returning to NYC, Sandi headed a clinical Immunobiology unit, then in 1984, was invited to Southern California to consult on a proposal to use
animal hearts for babies with fatal heart defects. Her skill, talent and unique expertise resulted in participation as the Transplant Immunologist in the Baby Fae baboon heart transplant case, with an eventual move to Loma Linda University Medical Center to create an Immunology Center. After 17 “wonderful" years, Sandi was offered yet another challenging opportunity, as Director of Transplant
Immunology at the Detroit Medical Center at Wayne State University.
At the age of 69, Sandi joined her husband in retirement, finally free to pursue her love of art, music and sewing. She quickly discovered ways to stretch her creativity, and found herself designing patterns, exploring appliqué, and collecting threads and batik fabrics that fueled her imagination, originality and ingenuity. Sandi explains that she can no longer single out one specific quilter that inspires her own creativity, because there are so many talented artists out there" She says she learns from ALL of them, and reads
articles and books by the leading quilt artists of our time.
Eight years ago, Sandi purchased a HandiQuilter Avante with a 12 foot table, and has not stopped quilting
since! Sandi has a few suggestions for success with long arm quilting (that have worked for her):
Practice, practice, practice
Take it slow and easy
Watch advanced quilters work whenever you can
Learn to use rulers and templates to guide free-motion quilting
Watch videos on the Internet that teach about tools and technique (they are abundantly available)
Finally, many of us have been fortunate to see Sandi's creations up close because she generously shares (and often donates) them at guild meetings, or when she is a featured speaker during one of our workshops. However, Sandi's award winning quilts can also be seen at quilt shows, including the Road2CA Showcase, where she has been awarded ribbons for excellence. Sandi modestly states the ribbons are "just lucky bonuses". She greatly values the judge's feedback and evaluations.
Thank you Sandi for sharing your fascinating story. It is a delight getting to know more about you. 🪡
Tribute to Antonio Bencivenni by Sandra Lee Nehlsen-Cannarella
(Inspired by an inlaid wood choir door in Italy from 1500)
(Inspired by an inlaid wood choir door in Italy from 1500)
Susan Velasco - June 2021
Joined CBQ in 2017
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Like many CBQ members, Susan began sewing as a teenager on her portable White sewing machine, which she continued to use until the year 2000, when she inherited a small, simple Brother machine (who she had originally bought for her daughter, to make baby clothes).… "that never happened", as Susan puts it. Susan purchased another Brother, to use for quilting.
Susan worked in a variety of jobs, including bank teller, dog groomer, and Eligibility Worker for Social Services. She then entered nursing school at Riverside Community College School of Nursing. She worked as a Critical Care Nurse for Riverside Community Hospital for almost 20 years, and retired in 2003. Interestingly. Susan was born at the same hospital she retired from!
Susan's family were among the original settlers of Highland, California. Her great grandfather owned a sawmill located near Lake Arrowhead. Susan's grandfather planted 1500 orange trees at the 'home place in Highland, and was a orange grower until his death. Detailed family diaries kept by her grandfather and great grandfather have been donated to the archives of the Redlands Smiley Library, and have been instrumental in historical weather records, and in various publications.
Susan took a quilting class in the late 1980s at UCR, where quilter/instructor Debra Grantz taught her Americana Sampler (pictured below). Susan joined CBQ in 2017, and often shows her creations during Show & Share. She resides in Moreno Valley with her husband Dick. Quilting is my refuge" says Susan. "I love the feeling of fabric, as well as the colors" The creative process
doesn't come easy to Susan, but that's the aspect of quilting she enjoys the most. The planning, the thinking she does about the person she is making the quilt for, and even the mistakes she makes while creating a quilt, all contribute to carrying her to another level of creativity.
Thank you Susan for sharing your story. 🪡
Susan’s first quilt - Americana 1980s (below)
Susan worked in a variety of jobs, including bank teller, dog groomer, and Eligibility Worker for Social Services. She then entered nursing school at Riverside Community College School of Nursing. She worked as a Critical Care Nurse for Riverside Community Hospital for almost 20 years, and retired in 2003. Interestingly. Susan was born at the same hospital she retired from!
Susan's family were among the original settlers of Highland, California. Her great grandfather owned a sawmill located near Lake Arrowhead. Susan's grandfather planted 1500 orange trees at the 'home place in Highland, and was a orange grower until his death. Detailed family diaries kept by her grandfather and great grandfather have been donated to the archives of the Redlands Smiley Library, and have been instrumental in historical weather records, and in various publications.
Susan took a quilting class in the late 1980s at UCR, where quilter/instructor Debra Grantz taught her Americana Sampler (pictured below). Susan joined CBQ in 2017, and often shows her creations during Show & Share. She resides in Moreno Valley with her husband Dick. Quilting is my refuge" says Susan. "I love the feeling of fabric, as well as the colors" The creative process
doesn't come easy to Susan, but that's the aspect of quilting she enjoys the most. The planning, the thinking she does about the person she is making the quilt for, and even the mistakes she makes while creating a quilt, all contribute to carrying her to another level of creativity.
Thank you Susan for sharing your story. 🪡
Susan’s first quilt - Americana 1980s (below)
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To kick off this new feature, this month celebrates CBQ member Jacki Williamson.
Jacki began quilting while in high school but ‘not too successfully’, as she describes it. She purchased a Singer sewing machine with money earned from her first job at age 16. She used fabrics mostly from leftover clothing construction, but also signed over much of her bi-weekly paycheck to places such as ClothWorld, Woolworths, and Joann.
Having no real quilters in her family to learn from, Jacki enrolled in a quilt class at a community center in Glendale, CA in 1977. She joined CBQ in 2011.
Jacki had a successful career as a registered nurse, clinical nurse specialist and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Jacki’s avocation is music. She began piano lessons at age five, and by the time she was in college, was accompanying choral groups, and playing for church and weddings. Jacki’s other hidden talent is singing, and sang for seven seasons with the Riverside Master Chorale.
The photo below is one of Jacki’s most recent projects. She challenged herself to learn ruler quilting on her domestic Janome machine, using rulers she purchased from an Australian company 3-4 years ago. This is her first attempt at ruler work.
Thank you Jacki for being our pioneer featured member, and helping us kick-off this new feature. We enjoyed learning more about you! 🪡
Jacki began quilting while in high school but ‘not too successfully’, as she describes it. She purchased a Singer sewing machine with money earned from her first job at age 16. She used fabrics mostly from leftover clothing construction, but also signed over much of her bi-weekly paycheck to places such as ClothWorld, Woolworths, and Joann.
Having no real quilters in her family to learn from, Jacki enrolled in a quilt class at a community center in Glendale, CA in 1977. She joined CBQ in 2011.
Jacki had a successful career as a registered nurse, clinical nurse specialist and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Jacki’s avocation is music. She began piano lessons at age five, and by the time she was in college, was accompanying choral groups, and playing for church and weddings. Jacki’s other hidden talent is singing, and sang for seven seasons with the Riverside Master Chorale.
The photo below is one of Jacki’s most recent projects. She challenged herself to learn ruler quilting on her domestic Janome machine, using rulers she purchased from an Australian company 3-4 years ago. This is her first attempt at ruler work.
Thank you Jacki for being our pioneer featured member, and helping us kick-off this new feature. We enjoyed learning more about you! 🪡
