Patti’s Creation Spot

 

Patti began her adventures in crafts at age five. Her mother taught her to knit a doll sweater and sew doll clothes. When she was eight she made her first quilt for her doll collection.

 

Patti continued her love of knitting, crocheting, and sewing and was formally introduced to quilt making in 1984. A friend took her to a class at the Quilt Inn in Thousand Oaks. It was there that she learned hand applique with teacher Dolores Wolff. She took many classes in various techniques, but her favorite was hand applique with traditional quilts.

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In 1995, Patti retired from CVUSD after 33 years and began traveling the world with her husband, Bill. In 1998, during their US travels in Pennsylvania, the Carolinas, and Texas, Patti discovered vintage 1930 quilts, finished and unfinished. “Vintage quilts captured my heart because of the extensive hand quilting. I treasure each one,” she says.

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She now has a collection of vintage quilts, plus the over 100 she has made and given to others. There are quilts displayed throughout her home. Among the five sewing machines she owns, three are vintage 1920 Featherweight Singers.

 

Today Patti volunteers at Cotton and Chocolate and enjoys making quilts for Operation Kid at Camp Pendleton. A few years ago, she volunteered to teach quilting to young adults with autism. This rewarding “work” led to other projects and many special relationships. She currently enjoys making blankets for babies and collecting new fabrics. Fabrics are organized by theme in her sewing room. Patti notes, “I sew, knit, crochet, tat or embroider at least 3 hours per day, doing whichever project I am enjoying. When traveling—the same—I take it with me!”