About

Born in Germany and raised as a military dependent, I have lived in the Alexandria area for many years. My parents came from northern and southern Louisiana, where I've been able to make some of the connections expressed in my quilt stories, especially to enslaved and enslaving family members. In so doing, I've discovered that I also have ancestral connections to the Alexandria area.

As one of five children to an Army Officer and military wife; I moved all over the United States and parts of Asia. Over the years I’ve had numerous hobbies such as mineralogy, painting, photography, writing, and genealogy. In 2017, I discovered a love of quilting. It was a long time from first learning to sew in the 4th grade while living in Bangkok, Thailand. Later, in high school, I fell back on sewing as my talent when competing in school talent shows, debutant balls, etc.

Sharing a fabric-based, artistic record that I created and continue to create is important to me. It tells my family’s story: past, present, and particularly about my faith. My degree is in environmental design from the University of Houston. My journey of creation reflects not only a journey into the past, but a parallel journey in the present. I've actively reached out to the present-day descendants and incarnations of the people, places, and organizations of my past.

I was honored to receive the Women in the Arts Award from the Nelly Custis Chapter of the DAR, have a permanent virtual exhibition at Woodlawn-Pope Leighey House, and to have been appointed as Commissioner for the Arts in Alexandria, VA for the term of 2022-2024.

It’s my hope that my quilts will remind my daughter, my family members, and others of their family stories. Seeing the threads of my family’s lives come to life in the simple, colorful, quilts that I create, is my legacy to my daughter and future descendants.