Janet Root

Quilting  is like learning to swim.  You see other people in the water.  It must  be fun!  So first you stick your toes in, then you wade in up to your  ankles, then knees and belly.  Eventually, you hold your breath and duck  your head under.  You work yourself up to jumping into the deep end.   Maybe you dive headfirst.  And that's just about how I learned to quilt.

Ken  and I met on a blind date and were married in 1965.  My great aunt made  a cross stitch quilt for us as a wedding gift.  We have two sons, Jeff  and Brian.  When Jeff was born, we could not have afforded fabric for a  quilt, and I knew nothing about quilting.  I got my toes wet by making a  baby quilt of my own design for Brian.  I still knew nothing about  quilting.

In  1989, Joan Aceto taught a quilting class in her home.  This quilt was  hand pieced except for the sashings and borders.  We made four blocks in  class - a nine patch, a four patch, an applique block and something we  thought would be a challenge.  I chose curves.  By the time the class  was over, I could swim pretty well!

Attending  Quilting by the Lake for the first time felt like diving into turbulent  water and hoping I'd come up!  I did, and kept diving for many years.   Now I've gone off the deep end by making art quilts.

We  now have 9 great grandchildren, all of whom received baby quilts.  And  new neighbors have a new baby, and two preschool boys, all of whom are  getting quilts.  I'm back in the wading pool!”