PEGGY SZASZ BIOGRAPHY

As a young girl in East Texas, I remember, fondly, wandering into the neighborhood fabric store just to look at all the pretty fabrics...very pretty stuff...little did I know then that I would be the impassioned quilter I am today. My serious introduction to quilting began in 1989 by happy accident. My husband's assistant wanted me to take a quilting class, but I had no desire to do so. After a couple of weeks my husband, Nick, asked me to please just go take the class to get his assistant off his case. So, off to class I went. I immediately fell in love with quilting and remain passionate about this art form, to this very day. I think I've learned a lot and I trust you'll love what I am producing now in art quilts.

I found that as a life-long Army wife (not easy), quilting gave me something that I could take wherever the Army sent us, be it in the United States or abroad. Quilting, I should note, gave me a bond with women from many other countries. In the international community, it seemed that everyone, no matter what nationality, wanted to quilt. We spent 6 years in Belgium. During that time I was lucky enough to teach quilting at the SHAPE (SHAPE = Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, in Belgium) International Arts and Crafts Center. I taught many classes and had students from Hungary, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Switzerland and many others. I had students in my classes who spoke very little, if any, English from a couple dozen other nations. Not speaking English, however, did not prevent them from learning how to quilt, and quilt well. Quilting, it seems, transcends national and cultural boundaries. It was a learning and enriching experience for me, and I grew as a quilter as a result of teaching these classes. I am convinced crossing cultural boundaries enriches all who do.

For the last twenty one years I have considered myself a "contemporary" quilter. I constantly try out new techniques; sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't. But I never give up. I must say, I have a passion for flowers. I have discovered that appliqué enabled me to have gardens year round. Please enjoy viewing the art quilts I loved making.

(landscape techniques)