Whoever would have thought sewing for first simple dresses when I began teaching at Ogden Jr. High School in Oregon City many years ago, would launch a long career that would include countless stitches.

As life continued, my sewing progressed from sewing for myself to sewing for children, which was quite enjoyable. My conservative mother taught me to recycle. I am sure she was the inventor of the "Recycled Denim Jeans Picnic Quilt." We saved all our jeans. The jean legs were used on one side, the center layer had an old flannel sheet, followed by a patchwork quilt. Layers were tied with string. Friends and relatives received and loved them. Denim side down, "nothing" stuck to them! I have one that says 1983 on it.

I obtained an industrial sewing machine at a garage sale in the 70’s that could sew multiple layers of denim or leather. It had only one big "honkin" needle. It lasted until 2005. I had trouble getting another needle. The problem was, it only went forward! I don’t use it much anymore. I wore out 2 or 3 other machines in between and gave away my Singer Featherweight. I still have several other machines. One, a beautiful old treadle, and my mother’s old Singer which works fine. My favorite of the new ones is a Bernina that does more than I can figure out!

In 1979, another teacher friend and I had a little too much time on our hands and decided to open a preschool called West Linn Music Arts & Crafts for Children. With the help of some kind neighbors I sewed some 30 or more art aprons for kids and adults. I found myself sewing art aprons again in 2010 for my grandchildren and also offering them to members of the Three Rivers Art Guild and art fairs.

When I retired from teaching in 2003, I had collected dozens of t-shirts that were so meaningful I could not part with them. The same was true of both of my children. I decided to turn the shirts into quilts. I had plenty to make three, double-sided, king-sized quilts. The quilts are huge and they are heavy, but worth the time and effort. Rather than sitting in a drawer, the shirts are being used.

Next came the King size LeMoyne Stack and Whack Star Quilt in purples, yellows and greens. Another one is cut and ready to go.

When grandchildren began to arrive, I discovered the true delight of paper-piecing and made fabric books instead of quilts with pages ranging from to A-Z. Each page has a moveable part, such as a flapping wing or a frog with a yarn fly on his tongue, material is furry if appropriate. I had great fun designing these books. The first book had animals/birds of Australia and New Zealand as the parents had recently visited there. The second book, directed more toward zoo animals and special pets. I have also enjoyed making paper-pieced animal books for children of former students.

My current productions involve paper-piecings for wall hangings that range in size from 15" square to 4'x 5'.

My name "Hodgepodge Art" fits me well as all my endeavers seem to entertwine nicely together. Thus, you see my 'sew pony' that evolved from my rocking horse adventure!

Prices
Quilt Prices vary depending on the rarity of materials, time, size and can range from $25.00 and up.

Examples

Coffee Cup		Sunflower Table Runner		Looking Out My Window
This is a small paper-pieced wall-hanging quilt (stitched in the ditch).  It is about 13 x 13" square.		6' x 2' runner		Paper-pieced in an old basement window.
"Sailboats On Tesselating Waves"
This is a section of the paper-pieced quilt I did to hang in the white bedroom at the beach.  It is about 45" x 62" and has little lighthouses on two opposite corners diagonally.
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