My love of crafting and sewing started in 1938 in Vlaardingen, Netherlands with the birth of my mother, Martha Van Der Kooy! My mom is the most creative woman I have ever met (continues to this day at her 81 years young), and she filled my (and my two sisters) childhood with color, music, art, fabric and lots of ideas! Everything for the home decor and the clothing of her children was made at a sewing machine, she painted, collaged and taught her creativity to school children...the memories are vast and deeply treasured. But as the eldest child, I moved on and never wanted a sewing machine or any kind of sewing projects...I enjoyed the worlds of rubber stamping, scrapbooking, embroidery, I taught workshops, started clubs and was always looking for the next creative outlet. That outlet came while watching Simply Quilts each morning as I prepared breakfast for my children. I decided my 40th birthday deserved something quite celebratory...I bought a sewing machine and signed up for a beginning quilt class. The quilt life has been full and joyful in all its creativity. Today I serve on the board of my quilt guild (psqg.org), have worked for several local quilt shops, teach many variations of patchwork and appliqué, organize quilting retreats and road trips! As a child of the 60's and 70's collage was very familiar and I jumped at the opportunity to become a Quilt Collage Teacher thru Laura Heine’s certification program. I headed off to Billings, Montana in June of 2018 and came home with a new creative arrow in my quilting quiver. So here I am 18 years after buying my first sewing machine and still loving what started in a small town in the Netherlands.

P.S. the creative life continues...my oldest daughter, Sarah, has a Masters of Fine Arts and my youngest daughter, Hannah, a Bachelors in Music. It’s a good life.