Applique Patterns from Native American Beadwork Designs

Joyce Mori learned to quilt from her mother around age 10, using cardboard templates and doing hand piecing. She made her first full-size quilt, a Grandmother's Flower Garden, as a teenager. When Joyce had a daughter, she left her profession to be a full-time mother. When her daughter began school, Joyce needed something to help fill her time. It seemed natural to her to combine her interest in quilting with her doctorate in Native American technologies. Joyce received a National Quilting Association grant to study the use of Native American designs by quilters. This study directly led to Joyce writing five books. She has now written over a dozen books and 70 articles on quilting subjects. Quilting appeals to Joyce for the aspects of encouraging creativity, playing with color combinations, learning new techniques, observing all the wonderful quilts made by quilters, and enjoying non-harmful sensory overload. However, learning is a major factor that has kept her quilting for so long. Joyce says there are always new techniques to learn and new patterns to try. With the new knowledge comes the chance to apply that to Joyce's own style and designs. She says quilting does not have to be boring or repetitive because there are so many facets of the hobby to explore.