I have been quilting for.. about 12 years, however, I have been sewing since I was 12 years old.

I began quilting because.. it was always something that I desired to do.  When my children were grown I was provided the time and room to quilt.

I learned quilting by.. I am self taught.  As I mentioned I have sewn since I was 12, and actively sewn since then. Through the years I have sewn my own clothes and for my children (two daughters,) as well as crafts.

 My style is.. non -traditional.  I'm always thinking of how I can change a pattern to make it the way I would like to see it.

I am inspired by.. My husband is my biggest fan and always encourages me to do what I think is best. He even takes time to sit with me while I am sewing just to keep me company. Without Mike (my husband) I would not be as encouraged as I would otherwise be.

I draw inspiration from.. pretty much from everything I see. Depending on what project I'm working on, I look for inspiration from colors, places, pictures, my surroundings. If I'm on vacation I will shoot pictures of objects, flowers, and places that may have a particular color I like or shape, or possibly the background. When I sew for family members or close friends I think about the reason I am making the quilt and focus around that as well as the individual's style.

My favorite techniques are.. I love to add applique to my quilts. I also enjoy using several different colors as a background palette and then adding applique and borders, and embellishing the quilt in different ways. I'm always anxious to try something different and incorporate that new technique into a quilt.

I am attracted to.. generally, bright colors, or fabric that are not traditional. In the quilting world today, what really is traditional? I believe the quilt world and fabric lines have so much to offer in colors & patterns. I can choose any fabric as long as I think it fits into the quilt.

My stash is.. pretty large.  It consists of Batiks, Kaffe Fassett prints, pastels, florals -all colors, and several flannel prints.  I have several bolts (40+)  of fabrics that I use for quilt backs, and flannel quilts. I have a fair amount of fat quarters and yard pieces of fabric also.

I belong to.. Therabees, our mini group of 10 ladies. We meet once a month. We are a mix of ages from 50's to 70 yrs old.  All add a special touch to our small group. The large guild I belong to is the Northwest Suburban Quilt Guild in the Chicago Area, which meets once a month also.

My non-quilting hobbies are.. I love to  cook. If I'm not working or quilting,I love to cook and in the summer I also do some canning/preserving.

I entered Design Star™ because.. My friend Sheryl from our small quilt group Therabees, told me about Quilt Design Star™.  I was immediately attracted to the Quilt Design Star™ because I tend to put my own twist on a pattern, where I may change up the type of fabrics being used, colors, or size. I also like to design  my own quilts. When coming up with the concept for quilts I don't use design software. I generally use a pad of graph paper and sketch out what I would like  to do. My designs are not traditional and tend to include some type of applique.

What you should know about me.. I love being original. I'm generally straight forward in my approach to what I would like to do. I trust my judgement in picking colors, fabric, and technique for quilts. When I make a quilt I own the entire process from design, piecing, layering the quilt, free motion quilting, and binding the quilt. I also love ART quilts. I would like to provide the quilting world with unique patterns, and ideas that are quilter friendly, allowing the everyday quilter to expand their skills.

                                Flower Power (below) is Susan's Design Star™ entry quilt.