Welcome to gsquilts, quilting and design.

I make and design quilts, and quilt patterns. My work includes wall quilts, quilted clothing and objects, and Judaica.

The role of the everyday objects in our lives, and their transformation, through use, into ritual objects has fascinated me for some time. Quilts are nearly an ideal representation of this concept. Though often meant as utilitarian objects, they are often made with great care and may bear messages or meaning instilled by the maker. As they are given and passed on, the quilt gathers new stories and deeper meaning with each passage.

I create quilts as messengers of meaning, sometimes clear, but often further defined through the making, giving, and use.

I draw my influence from many sources including art and art history, nature, and from fine crafts. I particularly enjoy work from the Arts & Crafts Movement, the Bauhaus, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the Weiner Werkstaette, and oriental art and craft.

I enjoy Amish quilts for the cleanliness of their design and for their innovative use of color, as well as contemporary Japanese quilt designs and traditional sashiko work. I teach both in and out of the quilt world, and it was through teaching children that I originally became involved in quilting. I frequently incorporate hand crafts in my after school program, including sewing and piecing, beading, basket making and knitting.

I teach beginning quilting and color and design for quilting classes for a local adult education program, and conduct workshops.

gretchen schroeder