Introduction to me

I grew up the daughter of a career naval officer.

 We lived in various places around the country. I was  very interested in history, and majored in it in college and later got a doctorate in American history. As a child I did embroidery,  but little other sewing.  When I was older I made clothing for myself.
I got interested in quilting during the 1970's. when I found an article in a woman's magazine maybe Good Housekeeping. The article featured using up those long strings of polyester double knit left over from making slacks, and those run panty hose.  You were to cut out 4 inch squares from the double knit, sew them together leaving an opening to insert the run pantyhose, whip the square shut, and tie with a yarn  tie.  Then you sewed the squares together to make a heavy ugly "quilt." It was the only quilt I ever sold, as a guy bought it at my garage sale to line the bottom of his pick up truck.
In the 70's most quilts were quilted by hand in  a large frame. I didn't have a frame, and I still wanted to make quilts, so I tried quilt as you go.  It was a disaster--where I joined the blocks became large lumps.  I finally bought a handmade quilt frame, and I decided to make a dinosaur quilt for my son, who was then 4.  I went to the library and took our children's books with pictures of dinosaurs which I traced. I used the tracings as patterns. Scott wanted dinosaurs fighting cave men, but that would not be historically correct. The first bloc showed a dinosaur emerging from his egg.  I made blocks representing the different dinosaurs, and one that showed a dinosaur expiring.  The next blocks showed the saber tooth tiger, then cavemen fighting a cave bear, and finally the cave men doing cave paintings. The picture isn't very good, as I didn't have a good camera then.
Anyway, now I was on my way.  I've made bout 70 bed quilts since then, some from published patterns, but a lot of my own designs.