About the quilter
This is the HandiQuilter ProStitcher, the quilting computer that runs my quilt machine. I can still use the quilt machine by hand to do other work as well.
I took my first quilt class in 1997 when my friend wanted to learn to quilt, but she didn’t want to go to the class alone. It was a 12-block sampler quilt and I learned right away that I loved piecing and didn’t love hand applique! Over the next ten years, I made nearly 100 quilts. In 2007, my husband encouraged me to buy a longarm quilting machine to keep up with my new hobby. In 2011, I upgraded my quilt machine to a HandiQuilter Avante 18 and in 2016, I upgraded my HandiQuilter to include the ProStitcher computer. I now have instant access to any digital quilt design available on the internet and I spend less time bending over the quilt machine, which means I can happily quilt more hours every day!
My husband, Chris, was active-duty Air Force for 22 years and retired just before we moved to California in 2015. While he was in the Air Force, we had 15 different addresses and lived in seven different states. I have volunteered my quilting expertise with Quilts of Valor and The Painted Turtle, a semi-professional hockey team, and numerous school organizations. I have done work with a local chapter of Prayers and Squares, completing quilts for those needing extra prayers. I started a quilting group at my church when we lived in Las Vegas, taught a quilting class at the local middle school in South Carolina, and donated hundreds of hours of work and numerous finished quilts to charities in our different locations across the United States. I used to teach classes at Bolts in the Bathtub including Twister Ruler Quilts, Rag Rugs, T-shirt Quilts, and Jelly Roll Rugs, and assisted with a monthly table runner class.
As of October 2026, I have quilted over 2700 quilts on my HandiQuilter Avante 18. My goal is to help you get your quilts finished. Feel free to contact me with questions at any stage of the quilting process, from cutting and piecing your quilt top to preparing your quilt for longarm machine quilting to binding.
My husband and I have four children and two grandsons. My oldest daughter, Rachel, and her husband live in Cedar City, UT, and are the parents of two adorable boys. Rachel is an academic advisor at Southern Utah University and helps college students figure out what they want to do with their lives. My son, Nathan, is currently living in Washington, DC. He is a Fire Protection Engineer and helps design fire safety systems for an architecture firm. My middle daughter, Emily, is an LPN, and she also loves to quilt, crochet, and has recently learned bookbinding. She lives in Pleasant Grove, UT. My youngest daughter, Heather, is a junior high school math teacher and also recently moved to Cedar City.
Chris and I recently decided to buy our dream home in Cedar City, Utah. He’s not quite ready to retire, so we are currently a “commuter couple”. He lives and works in Las Vegas for part of the week and then spends time with our family every weekend.
Aside from quilting, I love to read murder mysteries, bake cookies, play games, take naps, do crafts with my grandkids, go tubing in the snow, and jet ski on the lake. I recently took classes in American Sign Language (ASL) at Antelope Valley College and graduated with my Certificate in Deaf Studies. It has been fun and challenging to learn a new language and culture.
My favorite people in the world!
May 3, 2024
I can do HARD things!