How long I've been quilting... I started quilting 20 years ago as a reward to myself for living through my son’s terrible two’s.

I began quilting because... To get me out of the house, some friends took me on a little road trip to Country Threads in Garner, Iowa. Although I was a craft and doll maker, I had never tried quilting. The one kit purchased on that road trip had me hooked!!  I had no athletic skills as a child, so I think it’s the fact of being able to see a design in my head and then having the creative skills to make that design come to life is what has kept me hooked all these years

My quilting style is...  While my first love will always be based on the warm color palate of primitive country style, I think right now I am going through a “Traditional with a Trendy Twist” phase. I like to give traditional designs new life by using a non-traditional setting and current fabrics.  Also, being that I quilt for customers, I really like to stay on top of the current trends in colors, styles, and quilting designs as this makes for happy and repeat customers.

Other quilt design contests I've entered... I hadn’t even thought about entering national quilt contests until I started my Longarm Quilting business—I think being able to “see” how a pieced top needed to be quilted to really make it sing has given me the courage to put myself out there and see what happens. I have entered some national quilt contests in the last year.  MQS—Machine Quilter’s Showcase and MQX West—Machine Quilter’s Exhibition. My entries have even received some ribbons—1st place, 3rd place in their categories and a couple of Teacher Ribbons.

I'm inspired by... All of my life is directed by this verse from Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

I draw my inspiration for quilt designs from... I tend to draw inspiration from emotions and words first, trying to pin down the overall mood that I want the quilt to convey and taking into consideration who, what and how the quilt is going to be used. Then I start looking for blocks that have those same words or emotions in their name and their block make-up. I do this by using the search category capabilities in EQ7 and Block Base--which I couldn't live without. I then play around with the blocks that came up in the search and after a day of trying different settings, layout and colors the one with the right feeling will always make its' voice heard.

My Favorite techniques... My favorite technique is the next one I am going to learn—as I love learning about all the aspects in quilting. I have a desire to try more curved piecing. Adding couched embellishments is next on my list of things to do. My favorite type of quilts are personalized ones that include journaling, signatures,  family history, photos, and open space for quilting—which to me is the last layer of the design.

My fabric stash... My collectible stash includes a few Rubbermaid totes of 30’s and Civil War Reproduction fabrics—I haven’t really cut into any of these yet—I just like to collect them—so that when I find the “T” block design that really speaks to me—I will be ready to make it. I really think I could stop buying fabric right now and still have enough to work with for the next 40 years. But I think I will still keep adding to my stash—just in case I live to be 100!!!

My quilting community... I enjoy being part of the APQS chat forum and MQR—Machine Quilter’s Resource for excellent inspiration and resources on everything from machine upkeep to thread choices. I am also a member of AQS and IMQA.

My other hobbies and interests... In my non-quilting time, I am a farm wife and those duties can include anything from dropping everything I am doing at the moment to go to town to pick up a new part for the broken combine to bringing lunch out to the field. I also have the amazing ability to sort and load the fat hogs for market—and still love my husband of 26 years when we are finished. Last year my husband and I purchased a motorcycle. We are totally enjoying the new found freedom of the empty nest and the open road.

I entered Quilt Design Star™ 2012 because... If we never take a risk in life, we will never know what we could have done. Taking a risk always involves the possibility of failing, but sometimes working through the failure helps to figure out how to do it right the next time. So I thought—Just try it ,Terri—you never know.

Links... People always wonder why I chose Lizard Creek Quilting as my longarm business name. There is a creek that runs through the farm we live on which we don’t own and also through some land that we do own and its’ name is Lizard Creek. It only seemed fitting to name my business after the creek that links these two pieces of our life together. You can find my website at www.lizardcreekquilting.com  or see if I have posted anything about farm life or a customer quilt at www.meanderingsalonglizardcreek.blogspot.com.
What you should know about me… I am a child of God, wife to Loren for 26 wonderful years, mother to Ashley and son-in-law Tyler and son Josh. Between the duties of wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt—I quilt.

Promise Kept (below) is Terri's Quilt Design Star™ 2012 Amateur Category entry quilt.

Rolling Down the Road of Life (below) is Terri's Quilt Design Star™ 2012 Amateur Category Challenge 1 quilt top.

Happiness is... (below) is Terri's Quilt Design Star™ 2012 Amateur Category Challenge 2 quilt top.

Created to Complete (below) is Terri's Quilt Design Star™ 2012 Amateur Category Challenge 3 quilt.