Patti

Me with Mom & Dad, December 1980.

My mom is awesome.   She came from a very creative family where her mom and grandma used to make matching dresses for her and her sisters.  Being the youngest of 8, she said she got really tired of wearing the same damn dress all those years..
My mom started her family young (she had 3 kids by the time she was 23) and I remember her working two jobs most of my childhood, so she never really had time for long-term crafts like quilting.  I do remember that she used to make frilly barrettes for me and my sisters when we were little, and there were always crafts in the house.  She taught me how to make doll faces out of panty hoes, and she once decorated teddy bears to be the centerpiece at a friend's wedding.  She encouraged all of my creative endeavours, and still does.  She always seemed to be happy when I was happy, and never pushed me to do anything that I didn't want to.  She's pretty laid back like that, even now.  I know too many pushy moms, with unreachable expectations and drama at every dissapointment.  My mom was never like that, she always let me be who I was, and I think that gave me a lot of confidence.

I made her one lap quilt-- Bento Boxes in pinks and oranges, and a small Christmas wall hanging.  I started working on another project that I'd like to have done to give her next winter.. it's a bear though, so I might need the guild's encouragement to get it done on time.