Twenty-six years ago, Terri Wolf was struck by an odd impulse: take a quilting class. This was peculiar because she hated to sew, and she had a full-time job and two children. Terri listened to that voice from nowhere and showed up to a beginners’ class in a Des Moines, Iowa quilt shop. She brought her vibrant orange and deep violet fabric (everyone in class had petite flower fabrics) to make the nine-patch blocks. She hasn’t stopped stitching. Once Terri had the basics down, she decided to create her own designs and has been playing with fabrics, making mistakes, and churning out quilts—in all shapes and sizes ever since. She loves a good piecing session but will never again set in a sleeve or a zipper though she owns three sewing machines.
Life Story of
the Quilter
Quilting is wellness and self-care for Terri who became a nurse in 2003. Time spent at the sewing machine is meditation and cutting fabric is a release from life’s stories. The stories end up in the quilts, too.
Prior to nursing Terri worked as a writer for 25 years and co-authored the Better Homes and Gardens Complete Guide to Quilting and contributed to American Patchwork and Quilting magazine. An art quilter (bed quilts are too big), she believes in the power of art and crafting to improve health and well-being. Her studio time is about stress relief and reflection. In May 2022 she moved to Port Ludlow from Sacramento with her husband and two Maine Coon cats, Dewy and Quince.
Quilting is
Self Care