In 1976 our country was celebrating it's bicentennial. Like so many other quilters in today's quilting community, I was then intrigued with patchwork, quilting and the early American style. My husband, David and I were moving from my home state of South Dakota to Fort Dodge, Iowa. The church we attended in Iowa had a group of quilters that met once a week. My first quilting lessons were from these ladies and later the next year I pieced my first log cabin top. In 1978, Dave, our daughter Jennifer, age three and our son Andrew, one year old, moved back to my husband's hometown, Wellington, Ohio. Wellington is the home of the famous artist Archibald Willard who painted the "Spirit of '76" for the 1876 centennial celebration.

For the last twentysome years I have designed and hand quilted all of my quilts. I never strayed away from that "spirit" of our county's early beginnings along with a love for old quilts and their traditional patterns. Now, I present to you "Spirit of '76 Quilts". These are my designs of quilts that I have made for my family and friends. When people ask me, "What makes a wonderful quilt?" I don't have to think twice. "A wonderful quilt has a combination of piecing and appliqué with a lot of quilting."

Happy Quilting !