I have been creating fiber art since 1993. My inspirations come from nature, architecture and personal experiences. My work ranges from abstract to pictoral, and all my work incorporates vivid fabrics, lots of contrast and many different of types of fabric. I combine fused applique with piecing and a lot of machine quilting. My quilts range in size from tiny to extra-large. I’ve been sewing since childhood, but never found anything that suited me as much as quilting. I especially enjoy combining hand-painted cotton and silk with commercial cottons, vintage kimono silks, and bold West African prints. I am happiest as a machine quilter and enjoy adding vintage buttons and beads for contrast, and once in awhile, a few of my simple “chicken” hand stitches.

What’s important to me is enjoying the process of the work, letting the quilt-in-process dictate “what’s next”, and taking risks along the way. For me, the results, take care of themselves. I divide my time between making new quilts and teaching from my designs. I am thrilled to be teaching. It’s my objective to free students from restrictions which have limited their creativity. No matter which of my classes I am teaching, my aim is to provide an atmosphere where students will worry less about “correct points” or "exact corners, and to enjoy more the incredible versatility fiber offers us.

My husband and I are both retired from our “corporate” careers; we now divide our time between the Washington DC area and Fort Lauderdale, FL. We travel by motor home and almost always have a dog, a bichon frise, as the third family member. Our dog Molly is shown here comfortably snoozing on my quilts as we move from city to city. As you will see in some of my quilt titles, living in two places poses challenges for me, but certainly one upside is I enjoy having fabric stashes in two locations!

I do not have a design background, but for many years I’ve been fortunate to attend the Quilt/Surface Design Symposium in Columbus, OH, where wonderful teachers and classes help me gain a better understanding of design principles.

Quilters’ Heritage Celebration, Lancaster, PA, 1998
G Street Fabrics, One-Person Show in both Virginia and Maryland stores, 1998
Creative Crafts Council Biennial Exhibit, Strathmore Hall, MD, 1999
”Quilts and Jazz: Connecting Threads”, featured artist with 15 pieces, ARTSERVE Gallery, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 2001
Georgetown Hospital, Lombardi Cancer Center, Wash DC,1999
G Street Fabrics, One-Person Show in both Virginia and Maryland stores, 1998
Rock Creek Gallery, Washington, DC, 1999
Broward Quilt Expo, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Special Solo Exhibit of 19 works, 1999
Glenview Mansion Art Gallery, Rockville, MD, with Tuesday Quilters, 1999
Quiltfest 2001, Ocean Waves Quilters, Miami, FL, 2001
"Art from the Heart", Houston International Quilt Fest, travelling exhibit 2001
Arlington Arts Center, "Everyday Expressions", Mixed-media show, Arlington, VA, 2003
Grants Pass Museum, “Threads that Bind", Grants Pass, OR, 2003
George Washington University Breast Health Center, Washington, DC, 2003
Potters House, Washington, DC, 2003
Sacred Threads 2003, Reynoldsburg, Ohio, June 2003
Chandler Museum of Art, “Art Quilts”, 2003
Creative Crafts Council Biennial Exhibit, Strathmore Hall, MD, 2003
“Quilts=Art=Quilts”, Schweinfurth Memorial Arts Center, NY, 2004
"The First Fiber Exhibit", Artists’ Museum, Wash. DC, 2004
“Beyond the Bed”, West Pasco Arts Council, FL, 2004
“Quilted Cuisine”, New England Quilt Museum, 2004
AQS Quilt Festival, Nashville, TN, 2005
Solo exhibitition, West Pasco Arts Council, FL, 2006
Chandler Museum of Art, “Art Quilts”, 2006
Quilters’ Heritage Celebration, Lancaster, PA, 2006
"Fiber's Finest", Gilchrist Gallery, Cumberland, Maryland, 2006.
"100% Pure Florida", Fifth Avenue Art Gallery, Melbourne, FL, 2006 and 2007.
Friendship Heights Village Center, Chevy Chase, Maryland, 2007
Solo exhibit, Christ Congregational Church, Silver Spring, Maryland, 2007

For Susanne's patterns, contact Once Upon A Quilt, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Just Imagination - for hand-dyed cotton
Laura Murray Designs - for foiling materials and kimono silk
ARTFABRIK - for hand-dyed DMC cotton thread,
Sunshine State Quilters Association - for further information regarding my teaching in Florida,
African Crafts - for focus on African fabric in my work
Quilt/Surface Design Symposium
Dominie Nash
Verena Levine
Carol Taylor