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 Lorraine’s love of quilts began early since both her grandmother and great-grandmother made quilts, by hand and machine. She was drawn to the colors, the conversation prints, and the softness. Snuggling under a worn, soft quilt is one of her happiest early memories.
Immediately after finishing high school, Lorraine took her first quilting class at the local library that involved making an Ohio Star pillow – still one of her favorite patterns. Other classes followed – during college and while teaching elementary school and tutoring for 17 years. She quickly found that the only time she had to quilt was when she stopped working, but then there was no money for fabric – a familiar problem for all of us!
Lorraine started quilting seriously around 1985 and has taught a large variety of classes in her hometown, Columbus, Ohio, and in Ocala, Florida where she has resided for the past 7 years. She loves to teach quilting and watch others become addicted and rewarded by their creations.
Becoming a National Quilting Association Certified Judge in 2001 opened many new doors. Getting to enjoy so many quilts up close and personal is a thrill! Traveling across Florida and meeting so many new quilters is a joy and a frustration due to the time constraints of the judging schedule. Lorraine has judged approximately 30 shows over the past 6 years including the NQA show in 2006.
Lorraine served as Chairman of the Nominating Committee for NQA and is currently the Education Chair.
Never enough time to quilt is a problem these days for Lorraine. She enjoys the judging and NQA, but misses her time at the sewing machine and the quilting hoop – her "cheap therapy". She also enjoys knitting and crewel embroidery, and has tried most of the other needle arts.
Always grateful for the opportunity to explore this beloved art, Lorraine is thrilled to be a part of a wide quilt community including the Belleview Busy Bees, the West Pasco Quilters Guild and a few guilds in Ohio and West Virginia. She treasures the wonderful friendships that have developed through the years with other quilters. Quilters are truly a warm-hearted, generous, humorous group of women who have awesome potential and tremendous power for good.
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