My start in textiles is very typical – I can remember making my first embroidery at the age of 5.  It was on burlap and very big and not that pretty. But I was so happy to make it.  When I was ten years old my mom taught me to use the sewing machine by having me sew along lines she had drawn on paper. Then I started sewing clothes for my stuffed animals and Halloween costumes for myself.  Needless to say, I really enjoyed Home Economics at school when we had sewing. Later on when I was going to college I worked in a fabric store and in the costume department.  And so I continued to gather knowledge and experience bit by bit.

Today I am an active member in two different quilt groups here in Munich (The Samplers and the Munich Modern Quilt Guild) and a member of the Patchwork Gilde Deutschland. I have learned so much and come so far. But the joy I feel when I am working on a project or trying a new technique is still the same. Now I enjoy making quilts, patchwork and bags and doing machine embroidery or free-motion embroidery.
It thrills me to be able to use my skills to create a project for a customer or to teach others about sewing.

In case you were wondering, yes, I am American.  But I’ve been living in Germany for a very long time now.  
I opened the Hands Gallery artists’ cooperative in Haidhausen, Munich, in March of 2011.  This is where you can usually find me – sewing, quilting, embroidering and organizing the store.

Since then I’ve been busy with the store and learning as much as I can about sewing, marketing, and more!  Here you can see some of the courses I’ve participated in: