One of the first questions that I get from quilters, is where did I get the company name. That’s easy. I was born in Chatham, Ontario, Canada and I now design quilts and blocks for patterns.

How I came by quilting is perhaps a bit more difficult to explain. I went to work, to support myself, at the age of 50. As things turned out, this was to be a very creative experience, as I had never had an opportunity before, to just ‘be me’. But because I was so busy trying to integrate into this new life, I put my sewing machine aside for the next 18 years. During this time, golf and Dixieland Jazz became my new passions. It seemed as if I could never find the time to sew and my long-time hobby just drifted out of my life.

Then in 1992, I remarried and my husband and I happened to share a love of Mexico. While spending time in Puerto Vallarta each winter, I kept seeing a notice in the weekly English-speaking newspaper to call for information about the Jungle Quilters. The notice said to ask for Elena. To me, that meant that I should probably be prepared to try to make myself understood in Spanish.

Two years passed, and then in 1994 we decided to buy and remodel a Mexican house. We did that, and my Spanish began to improve rapidly. I learned a lot of building terms as well as the Spanish names for just about everything in the house. We named our house Casa Melodia, and then began the ‘6 months in Mexico and 6 months in Canada’ routine. At Christmas time in 1995, I saw a Singer sewing machine on sale at Woolworth (in Puerto Vallarta). I told my husband that I thought that I was going to go back to the store and buy a machine, and of course, he wondered what I would do with it.

In early January, I finally called Elena to ask about Jungle Quilters. It turned out that Elena was actually a wonderful American lady who had fallen in love, many years ago, with an equally wonderful Mexican man. Elena had lived all of her adult life in Mexico and had studied Spanish in the US before marrying. She is fluent in both Spanish and English. I subsequently discovered that this group of ladies was a mix of Mexicans, Canadians and Americans, and language was somewhat of a problem. And yet, through quilting, we all ‘spoke’ the same language. Jungle Quilters met twice a week and Casa Melodia was not very far away from where the group gathered for either friendship, lessons, projects or the monthly potluck lunches.

The very first day that I attended this lively group, I found myself being presented to the ‘teacher’. This lady, Barbara Morrison, just happened to be from Nova Scotia in Canada. And, she was tough. I was shown how, and expected to do, my first project the "old-fashioned’ way. That meant using scissors and no rotary cutters or nice Omnigrid plastic rulers etc. After I made my first block, the hard way, then everyone present smiled and giggled as Barb went on to show me the ‘new’ way of doing things. What a relief.

Everyone who joined the group was expected to make a large tote bag as their first project. I did that, and still use that bag today to attend the Piece Arch Quilters in White Rock, B.C. where I now reside.

The Mexican group renamed itself a few years ago and we now call it Patches and Stitches. My husband and I sold our home in Puerto Vallarta in 1999, but I have managed to get back there every year for varying lengths of time. I am not any longer a dues-paying member of Patches and Stitches, but I visit the group every chance I get. These ladies do a lot of charitable work such as making quilts on demand for an orphanage, or making a large quilt to be raffled for the benefit of public library. Visitors from Canada and the US try to take copies of old quilting magazines as well as large scraps, unused fabric and tools down to Mexico. Each year we all renew friendships and get caught up in learning what each other has been making recently.

Then, September 11th happened. As Canadians, and simply as humans, we all felt so bad about our neighbors to the south being attacked. I happen to attend a small church in Blaine, Washington, and I felt that I just had to do something to show my American friends that I cared. So, I set about designing the ‘real’ Canadian maple leaf as a paper-piecing block. Then I appliquéd a chalice onto the leaf and finished a small wall quilt. I presented this tiny token one Sunday morning, as a ‘hands-across-the-border’ gift.

Not too long after that, I found myself visiting San Miguel De Allende, in Central Mexico. There is a Unitarian Fellowship there and before I knew it, I was making another small wall quilt as a gesture of goodwill between Canada and the US and now, Mexico. One day, back home, someone suggested that I should print my pattern for the maple leaf and sell it. That seemed like a novel idea. For somebody else! But, I did give the idea some serious thought and the result is Chatham Designs.

I have designed a wall quilt and a pillow pocket, using the leaf patterns. These have sold very successfully throughout the Lower Mainland area of BC. I am now in the process of designing a large wall quilt and a table runner and hope to have the patterns for these projects for sale in time for quilters to make one or both items for Canada Day. I also have designed a pattern for the Star of David. This is not only a Jewish symbol but a metaphysical one as well. This pattern was done because the Unitarian Fellowship in San Miguel asked me to make them some banners. Since their members come from all religions, I needed to incorporate many different symbols into the 4 banners that I did for them. One thing seems to lead to another, and now I find myself in business and my daughter is my webmaster. Her business website is designed for seniors but no matter what your age, you will find it interesting and fun. Visit her at The Darn Computer. There you will find links to information on many subjects. She also manages my husband’s web site, which features many of his beautiful paintings. That link is Hal Logan, Artist.

I have now been a member of the Piece Arch Quilters for almost two years and I look forward to the meetings. The classes and trips that are offered each year make for a stimulating group.

Please check back for new patterns, coming soon. Quilting is fun!