Quilts & Quilting
- Quilts and quilting have played a role in many of my historical fiction books. Jesse King (Walks the Fire) was an avid quilter (I re-created the quilt she makes in the book and will post a photo soon), and Sarah's Patchwork tells Sarah's story through the fabric in a quilt she made. (For a free copy of the poem that inspired Sarah's Patchwork, go to my "freebies" page).
- Giving my lecture "Time Travel the Calico Trail" enables me to bring together two of my favorite topics. . . quilts and women's history. The photo at the right was taken in my office and shows you a few of the quilts I use to illustrate the lecture.
- Quilting is part of my family legacy (although my 6'5" truck driving father never wanted anyone to know he quilted, too).
- My love for quilting has led me down all kinds of bunny trails, one of the most enjoyable being working for Lois Gladys Leppard to verify the accuracy of the quilting details in her young adult novel, Mandie and the Quilt Mystery. How often does any one of us get to combine their favorite hobby with their avocation. . .and help one of their favorite people? It was a great experience, and Lois was the one who insisted I write the story that became A Garden in Paris. So now you know why I dedicated that book to her.
Quilt-related Favorites