As a Minnesotan of Danish and Polish descent, I've always had a preoccupation with keeping warm. Add to that a highly-sensitive nature and a preference for hermit-like behavior, and it's no surprise that I have a house full of blankets and am an expert at burrowing.

 

And while I learned to sew as a child—my dad was my first teacher, then my grandma Chica, and then my 6th grade Home Ec class—it was in college, where I was supposed to be studying creative writing and not supposed to be testing the psychotropic effects of party drugs with my friends, that I started dabbling in fashion design for fun. This is where I learned that sewing wasn't just a crafty hobby but an art form unto itself.

 

It took a pandemic, however, for me to find my way to quiltmaking. Once I did, the slow pace of quilting was just the balm I needed...and, now here I am, in my at-home studio in Minneapolis with two dogs, my best friend and husband, and a sea of fabric scraps.