411 Old Stage Road
Morris, IL 60450
815-942-5177
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I am a quilter, appraiser, speaker, & collector.
It seems like, forever, that I have been interested in quilting
and the history of the quilting, history of the blocks, and why
and when designs cropped up and by whom. The evolution of
quilting is fascinating to me. The inventions that changed the
quilting world forever are, sometimes, the smallest of items.
It was a natural progression for me to go beyond this and get
into the appraisal of quilts, which has all these elements and
more.
I am a long arm quilter as well. I have won many 1st place
awards with my quilts. Several of my clients also have taken
1st place. I share in their glory and am very proud of them. I
use a Gammill Quilting Machine and ship all over the
U.S., as well as Ireland, Australia, Canada, England &
Wales. I find I would much rather travel and meet new
people than do commissioned quilts for others, which leaves
time to quilt for me and mine. As we travel, I do quilt tops
to keep me busy on rainy or down days. Our Newmar Motor
Home is equipped with everything I need instantly at hand.
This way the tops are ready for the long arm when I reach
home.
I am a member of 5 quilt guilds, 2 Quilt Study Groups and 1
Historical Society. In 2004-2005 I served as Program
Chairman at Pieces From the Heart Quilt Guild in Morris,
Illinois and President for 2004-2005 at Pride of the Prairie
Quilt Guild in Plainfield, Illinois, I am a member of the
Illinois Valley Quilt Guild in Ottawa, Illinois, Helena Quilters
Guild in Helena, Montana & The Minnesota Quilters. I also
belong to the Iowa-Illinois & Wisconsin Quilt Study Groups,
and Grundy County Historical Society in Morris, Illinois.
We have lived in Morris, Illinois for 30 years. We raised
our 5 children here most of their lives. We have a 39 year old
daughter, but that is OK.....My mother has a senior citizen for
her daughter!!! We now have 16 grandchildren. Each one is
a true blessing in our lives. I did not know what
“wonderful” was until they arrived!!
My husband is retiring in the spring of 2008. This will
leave us much more time for travel. He has decided 37 years
in the same plant will be long enough.
Naturally, I am always on the look out for quilt shows, large
or small as we travel.
I even find the smaller quilt shows a lot of fun. I get
surprised every time with all the talent the gals, and yes, guys,
have in their guilds. Talent does not mean large guild. The
creativity out there, like my grandchildren say, is "AWESOME."
I do not always charge for mileage to the guilds, historical
societies, or clubs who want the presentations. This is nice
as we get to travel throughout the U.S. and Canada with our
“instant vacations”. Where I book a speech or workshop is,
exactly, where we want to vacation. This works very nicely
for us and gets us away from local bookings so we are able see
all the wonderful landscapes of our great country, and meet
all these wonderful quilters.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may
have. I add workshops and presentations upon request.
That is how I got some of the ones that are listed. People
approach me with an idea of what they are interested in and,
instantly, I have a new presentation or workshop.
Alice Sokolinski
411 Old Stage Rd.
Morris, Illinois 60450
815-942-5177
sokolinski@sbcglobal.net