My love affair with fabric began at an early age. I can still remember helping my Mom finish hemming clothes she made for me and my sisters - that is where I learned to make such tiny stitches that I now use for Hawaiian applique. Unfortunately, I did not inherit my mother's ability to sew clothing - none of the pieces seem to fit together properly. Quilting, on the other hand, has opened my whole world to fabric - the colors, the patterns, the texture, the possibilities.. I began quilting in 1999 after retiring from Silicon Valley. Technically it is called piecing when you cut up fabric and sew it back together or applique when you cut out shapes and 'applique' them onto another fabric - quilting is the actual stitching of the top, batting and back layers. My first quilts were very traditional in design and I still enjoy creating 'pieced' quilts. I often make small quilts to learn a new technique or to try new fabric combinations. I have quite a collection of baby/kid fabrics and will have baby/kid quilts for sale at PST 2011. Before I moved to Hawaii in 2000, I was trying to learn Hawaiian applique, but it was not until I joined Volcano Quilt Group and met Loretta Pasco that I was able to realize that dream. She is an incredible designer and hand quilter and inspired me to conquer Hawaiian quilting. I now have several original designs and find the motions of Hawaiian applique to be very soothing to the soul. Since I am a Professional Longarm machine quilter, I still do all my quilting on a machine - hand quilting is not an option with arthritis. My quilting journey has now taken me to Fiber Art and I am enjoying the design process in creating fabric wall art and translating my views of the Big Island into fabric.