My drawings have appeared in many forms throughout my life, but it was love of handcrafted objects that inspired me to combine my drawings with quilt-making. 

I choose each fabric for its unique personality. Old-time scrappy quilts inspire me to layer pattern on pattern to add humor to my stories. I cut shapes with scissors to achieve the same spontaneity of my hand-drawn lines.

Quilting with thread creates texture and structure, and at the same time, communicates symbolic images and motifs. Quilting is a meditative process. I think of the quilted line as a thread of thought — wandering over the surface of the entire quilt — images of grass, wind, water, noses and elbow guide my hands and needle as I sew.

I work large and add puns and stories within the story. Often I find myself laughing out loud while working alone in my studio. I’ve always believed that humor and creativity are linked — Both seem related to the ability to step outside of ourselves and look at the world from a different or unexpected viewpoint.

PaMdora is a woman who appears at the center of many of quilts. She is large in her own mind. She observes the world around her with a mix of astonishment, dismay, and amusement. My everyday life is the seed for these quilts, a weird combination of worrying about important things like alien invasions or small things like being late for a date.

Other themes and series include Yoga 101 series of made-up yoga poses based on food, Wish You Were Hair series of nostalgia world monuments turned into hairstyles, and Tiny Houses created for very specific hobbies or habits.

Although these stories are embellished for entertainment and to fantastic ends, elements of each of these stories are real to me, and I find, to many people. I enjoy sharing these connections. It’s a way to bring us a little closer together, and if I also happen to make you smile or laugh, that’s even better.