| I first learned to quilt at the age of 10 as a Girl Scout. Each girl in my troop made a block for a quilt that was given to charity and that earned us community service credit towards advancement. That was the beginning of a love of sewing and a passion for fabrics. In high school, I sewed most of my own clothes to stretch my purchasing power and to make one of a kind outfits that no one else had! I returned to quilting in 1976 when my husband and I purchased our new home and I set about decorating it. Those ordinary blankets just wouldn’t do. They weren’t one of a kind, they had no pizzazz and they didn’t have the love in every stitch that quilts do. I made quilts for our bed and quilts for our sons: baby quilts, young child quilts, teenager quilts and grown up quilts. Along the way, I made quilts for every baby shower my friends had and my niece and nephews had. I made wall hangings for wedding presents, anniversaries and Christmas presents. I lovingly did all my own piecing and quilting on my Viking 500. As my quilting and piecing skills grew, I began changing the patterns that I bought and made them my way. The thrill of designing my own quilts took hold of me and started me in a new direction. I sold quilted art in an art and craft show. With all my children out of the nest, I accepted a part-time job with Viking Sewing Center in Ann Arbor, where I help people with fabric selection for their quilts, answer technical quilting questions and teach quilting classes. To check out the store go to www.vikingsewing.com. With the encouragement of my boss, Doni Houghtaling, I started my own pattern business in July 2006 and launched my first pattern, the Fractured Bargello Jacket. I have several new patterns in the making and hundreds of ideas for more. If only I can find the time! In November 2006, Kaye Wood’s staff contacted me and asked me to teach the jacket on their TV show Kaye’s Quilting Friends. I was thrilled and quickly agreed. Kaye Wood is a lovely woman and was very easy to work with. Her years of experience on camera showed and she took us through the filming with ease. Her staff was very helpful and gracious. Copies of the show on DVD and VHS are for sale on this web site. To learn more about Kaye Wood, go to www.kayewood.com. In May 2006, I volunteered to teach my niece, Emmy, and her Girl Scout Troop #8911 out of Dexter, Michigan, how to quilt. The girls are 10 years old, just like I was when I learned to quilt. We each appliquéd a pink “house” to a background block. The girls embellished the houses with lace, buttons and embroidery. I took the blocks and stitched them into a quilt top at angles with stars and then quilted it. We donated the quilt to the Better Homes and Gardens American Patchwork and Quilt Pink, a fund-raising event to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. It will be sold at an online auction in May 2007. It was fun to teach the girls and maybe someday one of them will teach a 10-year-old Girl Scout how to quilt too. Wouldn’t that be grand!
Nanette Weaver and Kaye Wood on the set. Attaching the microphone and preparing to film.  Girl Scout Quilt |