I'm a native of NW Missouri and a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a Master’s in Accountancy. I was an accountant in both the public and private sector for 35 years. After concluding my career in Texas, we moved back to the Midwest to be near our family. 

Even though creativity is not an asset in accounting, I was always searching out new opportunites to set my creativity free. I've pursued artistic outlets in a variety of arts and crafts including every textile version from appliqué to weaving plus painting and photography, but always returned to sewing. I spend time in my sewing room daily creating new designs, exploring features of my machines and filling my closet with Me Made clothing from my stash of fabrics and thread.

I first learned to sew on my grandmother’s treadle machine patching overalls and moved on to a powered machine making clothing at age 8. I have made clothing for my children, an infamous leisure suit for my husband, and more recently sewing and embroidery for grandchildren, friends and neighbors. Sewing has always been my passion and as home embroidery machines became available I broadened my skill set to include embroidery as well as digitizing. I devoted an entire year to actively pursuing the knowledge and skills to use IQ Designer and was thrilled to win the 2024 Baby Lock IQ Designer contest. Bringing the joy of sewing and creating designs with IQ Designer has inspired me to share that knowledge with others and I have developed teaching materials to provide training in IQ Designer, sewing, serging, Sashiko and Free Motion Quilting. I’m available to provide this training to your customers anywhere in the country and look forward to seeing others delight in learning new skills.