““Never take life too seriously” is good advice my father gave me, but easier said than done sometimes. After a serious, occasionally sobering, career as a civilian engineer with the US Air Force, I was ready for some whimsy. I had been sewing since I was a young girl, taught by several amazing neighborhood Moms through the 4-H Club, and had been inspired to learn to quilt by my late mother-in-law, Geri Thomas. My own mother, Mary Lou Bennett, was a Registered Nurse but also an artist, often taking us kids to parks to draw. So it was not surprising that art quilting really caught my interest later in life. My Fine-Art-educated photographer friend and neighbor, Margie McCullough, and I thought it would be fun to collaborate on some projects, and we had some of her beautiful images printed on fabric. From there, ideas on quilting, construction, hanging, and adding three dimensional objects blossomed. The brainstorming often includes our husbands, who contribute construction ideas and other tangible things such as painting (Jim McCullough is also a Fine Artist) and “found objects”.”