About Shannon
My love of quilting has been an instrument to help me get through many difficult and painful times in my life. It not only takes my mind off my stress, but also gives me joy and fulfillment. One of the things I love most about quilting is that there is something tangible at the end of your labor, unlike many household jobs (dishes, laundry, gardening all need to be done over & over with very little reward). I started my first quilt more than 30 years ago when my friend Elayne had her first baby. Since this was in the late seventies, I thought a giant flower would make a great baby quilt (my hippie phase!).
I met my first husband, Jeff, in March of 1980. I ambitiously tackled a Double Wedding ring quilt for our marriage. We were married after his graduation from U.C.L.A., and my graduation from Orange Coast College in July 1982. Jeff went on to receive his M.A. and PhD. from Caltech in 1986. During our 4 years there I worked at one of Caltech's libraries and had our first child, Bryan, in 1985. We moved across country in 1986, from Pasadena, CA to Rochester, NY! Jeff worked as a professor of Political Science and Economics at the University of Rochester. I stayed at home with Bryan and had our second child, Danny in '87. My friend Muriel organized a group of faculty wives (and a faculty member) and we collaborated on a baby quilt for one of our friends. 
This began some life-long friendships and together we have made many baby quilts for friends and family. We called our group "Stich and Bitch."
After several wonderful years, our group was plagued with moves, divorces and serious illnesses. We still communicate through emails, phones, letters and occasional visits, but we ALL miss our “Stitch & Bitch” days.
I was also a member of the Genesse Valley Quilt Club – their meetings and their members were very inspiring to me. Through the
Club, I had the honor to involved in a project for the Susan B. Anthony house in Rochester. 
We made an exact replica of a quilt that Anthony made in 1837 when she was only 15! Our replica quilt was displayed on her bed in the Anthony House Museum, while the original quilt remains in safe storage at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.
As a stay-at-home Mom, I have been fortunate enough to devote much of my free time to quilting. Over the years, I have taken quilting classes from wonderful teachers, such as Anita Shackleford, John Flynn, Susan McKelvey, Georgia Bonesteel, Barbara Brackman, Mickey Lawler, Joen Wolfrom, Kitty Pippin, Cynthia England, Nancy Martin, Virginia Avery and Diane Gaudynski among others. I have learned many skills, from traditional to contemporary methods, including painting on fabric, elaborate hand appliqué, machine quilting and even about historical quilts.
Sadly, Jeff was diagnosed with leukemia (AML) in February 1995. We did our best to fight his disease while trying to keep life as “normal” as we could for our boys who were 7 and 9 at the time. After an unrelated bone marrow transplant in June of 1995, the cancer stayed in remission, however, the effects of the treatments negatively affected his health. Jeff was able to return to work in 1996 and received an award from the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.! In 1997 we headed to Stanford University where Jeff spent a year doing research and writing. 1998 brought us back full circle to Caltech. Unfortunately, after a two month battle with a lung infection, Jeff died in December of 2000.
The boys and I kept ourselves busy with their school and charity projects for the next few years. As you can see in the photo, I was (and still am) very proud of them both! I couldn't ask for better kids.
Bryan went on to graduate from U.C. Santa Cruz in 2007. He now lives in Pasadena with his girlfriend Julia (a grad student at USC) and he works in the film editing and post-production field. 
Danny graduated from high school in 2005 and is in his third year at U.C. San Diego. He is very talented in the field of web design—in fact, he designed this website!
I married my husband Bruce in 2004, who also has two sons, Cody and Cameron. Bruce is very supportive and encourages my quilting as a creative outlet. We now live in beautiful Yorba Linda, California with my stepson Cody and our pets: a Beagle named 'Maui', a Maine Coon cat named 'Buddy' and a salt water reef aquarium with tropical fish and corals. My hobbies include reading, gardening, scrapbooking, knitting and enjoying nature when I'm not quilting or spending time with my family and friends.
I have dreamt about having my own long-arm quilting machine for years and I finally bought my Gammill Classic Plus in 2003. 
Machine quilting has opened up a whole new world to me. I still enjoy designing and making my own quilts, but I also love to complete other's quilts with my machine quilting. I also enjoy being able to donate some of my quilts to charities (please see my 'Charities' page). My quilts have gone to Habitat for Humanity, Tyler's Team, San Marino High School, and Quilts of Valor among others. There never seems to be enough time to make all the quilts that I would like. However, I'll keep trying.
“Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make beautiful art.” - don Miguel Ruiz