How long I've been quilting... Ever since I can remember I was sewing  clothes and making pillows, blankets,  etc  for my dolls. My Mother said I was sewing on her old treadle machine when I was six, and started making my own clothes before entering grade seven. However I did not start quilting until the early 1980’s.

I began quilting because... It was a photo of a quilt on the cover of Canadian Living that caught my eye. It was made by Vicki Lynn Barton of Suttles and Seawinds in Nova Scotia. It turned out OK, but I decided I should  take a quilting class at Community school. It was there I discovered my passion, especially for applique and hand quilting. The beauty of quilting is that everyone can use a quilt and it will always be welcome, unlike some of the knits, stained glass and other crafts I have made.

My favorite technique... Appliqué is my favourite technique and it was Ellie Sienkiewiez who became my inspiration. The historic aspect of the Baltimore Album quilts also appealed to me. Taking a course from Ellie at the Canadian National quilt conference was the highlight of my quilting career.

With appliqué, it is sometimes impossible to find just the right fabric so I usually have more than a few on the go. I am almost finished the 2002 Piecemakers “Times and Season “ quilt  Yah! and have finished one season of the Mother Earth’s Quilt Sampler (which I adore) . I have pieced, appliquéd and am finally hand quilting Kathy Nakajima’s “Sunshine Rose Garden”. I am also a fan of McKenna Ryan’s work and have tried my hand at her techniques. In the future I would like to make as many Marie Webster quilts as possible, they are so fresh and lively. 

In between these mega projects I have made numerous  quilts for wedding gifts, baby quilts for my grandchildren and then big bed quilts as they grow older. I have also made quilts for raffles and charities  I don’t believe quilts should be stored away, I want them to be used and enjoyed.

Other quilt design contests I've entered... For several years I belonged to the Kindred Spirits Quilt Guild in Charlottetown, PEI and showed my quilts at their bi-annual quilt show. The first show I won 1st prize in bed quilts and in the second show my quilt was voted Best in Show.

Colors or fabrics I'm attracted to... Batiks are my favourite fabric, they are great for appliqué, they needle turn so easily and the colours are gorgeous with such colour and movement.

My quilting studio & fabric stash... My studio is one of our two extra bedrooms and it is under the eaves so my design wall is the floor. I use the big end of binoculars to see my designs from a “distance”.  My stash is taking over, after all I have been collecting for a while and don’t like to throw anything away. I love colour  gradients and hand dyed fabric. I try to sort by colour,  collections, designers, wool, seasonal and fabric gathered for upcoming projects. Sometimes it seems like too much work and I’d rather be quilting.

My quilting community... I now belong to The Circle of Friends Quilting group, which meets every week, where we work on a quilt for one of the members or for a raffles. My family is very supportive but from a distance and my husband is my biggest fan. It is the Circle of Friends who are my best support group, they are more than quilters they are crafters, artists, fiber artist, rug hookers and braiders, mosaics artist, knitters and so much more. We all bring so much to the group it is hard not to be inspired. It is they who have given me the impetus to start designing my own quilts and given me the courage to enter this contest.

The members of the group take turns hosting the meeting and provide a dessert (we all bring our lunch). With all the laughing and talking we still manage to get a lot of work done. I want to give a shout out to this amazing group of women who have been a source of laughter, caring and an inspiration for me.

My other hobbies and interests... Gardening and walking on the beach gets me outside, and exercise at the local gym keeps me in shape.

I would also like to share... My husband, Frank gave me a new Pfaff Quilt Designer 4.0 for Christmas last year. I am starting to quilt by machine and am able to complete quilts faster, which is reducing my pile of tops, but it can’t replace hand quilting. Quilting is my passion and takes much of my time. My grandchildren are my life and I  love to spend time with them whenever I can. This usually means trips out of town for weekends.

Celtic Dreams (below) is Brenda's Quilt Design Star™ 2012 Amateur Category entry quilt.

The Beacon (below) is Brenda's Quilt Design Star™ 2012 Amateur Category Challenge 1 quilt top.

In My Dreams (below) is Brenda's Quilt Design Star™ 2012 Amateur Category Challenge 2 quilt top.

Beauty and the Beest (below) is Brenda's Quilt Design Star™ 2012 Amateur Category Challenge 3 quilt.