Introducing Joan Carrell of Dewey Arizona

My name is Joan Carrell and I live in Dewey AZ.  Quilting was not part of my family backgroud as I grew up without grandparents and my mother did not engage in much sewing or needlework activity.  I learned to sew clothes in Junior High Home Ec class and made most of my own clothes.  I also taught myself knitting, crewel and counted thread embroidery.

My husband and I moved to Alaska in 1979. My husband was in the military and we were assigned to Ft Richardson, outside of Anchorage.  When his enlistment was up we decided that we loved Alaska enough to stay and moved to Wasilla which was a great place to raise our 2 sons.  The boys really liked the whole hunting and fishing experience and I learned the importance of having indoor activities to keep me busy during the long, dark, cold winter days.  But it wasn't until 2002 that a friend convinced me to take my first quilting class.  Quilting is very popular in Alaska and the local shops offered a wide variety of classes which I enjoyed taking.

While living in Alaska, I worked for the Federal Government in Anchorage for 25 years. When I was offered an early retirement my husband and I jumped at the chance to leave the ice and snow and move to Arizona.  My love of quilting led me to join two Prescott guilds, Mountain Top Quilters and Thumb Butte Quilters. I enjoy the many projects that we do for local charities, especially providing quilts twice a year for the children adopted through the CASA program in Yavapai County.  I was proud to serve as president of Mountain Top Quilters from 2008-2009.

I teach classes in two local shops, Quilt N Sew Connection in Prescott Valley and Quilters Quarters in Cottonwood.  The most popular class is machine applique using fusible web, but we also have a lot of fun with the one block wonder, bag of the month ( known as the Bag Ladies class) , the magic fan class and stained glass quilts.  It gives me great pride to see a student's completed quilt at a guild show and tell, a local quilt show or at the county fair with a blue ribbon. Teaching classes also pushes me to learn new techniques that I might not otherwise have considered. I find that in teaching, I learn just as much as my students.

I try to find time for my other hobbies of knitting and counted cross stitch ( I have almost as much yarn as fabric!) but my biggest love is quilting. My most challenging decision is always which project I will start next.  When people ask what aspect of quilting I like best, such as piecing, applique, redwork, machine quilting, my response is "I love it all!"