The quilter selected for our January showcase is Denise Gundersen.
Denise's quilts display so many different styles and skill sets. She is truly an exceptional quilter.

1.  How did you get started in quilting?

My mother taught me to sew. She was an expert seamstress, making all of her clothes and mine. When I was a kid, I had a fascination with Pioneer history. So, all of my Barbie dolls got little quilts. As I got older, I made larger 4 patch quilts for friends. They were made with whatever was left over in my mother's sewing closet–polyester, rayon, cotton, corduroy, etc. Thinking back, I'm pretty sure they couldn't have stood the test of time.

After that, most of my time was consumed with college, followed by nursing school, and then my first job. So, my sewing was minimal.

Then, in the early 80s, I was a stay at home mom in Norway. I made clothes for my kids and started making quilts. The only "how-to" books I could find were in Norwegian, but they had lots of pictures. So, I could actually figure out some of the more advanced techniques.

I have been making quilts for the last 40 years while raising 3 kids, working, and living life in general.

 
2.  What is one quilting notion that you can’t do without?

Honestly, that's a tough one. The cutting mat, rotary cutter, ruler, sewing machine, and the beloved seam ripper all work together. But, if I had to narrow it down to just one, I guess I'd say it would be the rotary cutter. I love making those precise cuts in beautiful fabric and seeing the quilt start to take shape.

 
3.  If you’re willing, please share a funny quilting experience that taught you a memorable lesson.

My lesson is measure twice, cut once. I had wonderful, expensive fabric that I was going to use for a really fabulous quilt. I'm still not sure to this day where it all went wrong... But, it did. I was so irritated with myself and that I had to buy the fabric again to start over. Let's just say it ended up being a really expensive quilt.

 
4.  If it’s possible to choose just one, what is your favorite quilt that you’ve made?

My favorite quilt is probably one of my Alaska quilts. My son lived there for 5 years and I visited often. There are some really great quilt shops in Alaska. I made quilts celebrating nature, the flowers, the Iditarod, and mountains. Every one of them has great memories attached to it.

I have my favorites that are in my home and lots of Christmas quilts that my family and I use for decoration. I make quilts for new babies, family weddings, and graduations. When my kids were small, I made classroom quilts. While working as a nurse, I made quilts for patients who were placed on comfort care.

6.  Have you ever received a quilt as a gift? If so, please share a bit about the experience.

Though I have given many quilts away, I've never received one as a gift. The closest that I've come to receiving a quilt was many years ago. I knew a lady in her 90s who had several family quilts, probably from the turn of the century. She had no family left and wanted her treasures to go to people who appreciated them. I bought a simple, but beautiful one that had the name and a picture of the quilt's maker–her aunt. That was the start of my small collection of antique quilts.

 
7.  What type of quilting do you most enjoy?

I just love the piecing of wonderful fabric and seeing each block start to take shape.

 
8.  We would love to include some personal details about you (anything you’d like to share) such as your profession, interests outside of quilting, future plans, etc.

I worked as an RN in the Bay Area, Norway, and finally Feather River Hospital. Unplanned retirement came after the Camp Fire. Now I have 5 grandchildren all under five and I help with childcare. I have a large garden and 5 acres of forest that always need tending. I’ll stop at any antique store I see.

After the Camp Fire, the chaos of Covid, and caring for my beloved mother during her last year, I enjoy the peace of my garden, playing with my grandkids, and making quilts.