About Me

My name is Mary Martin and I live in "Fabulous" Las Vegas with my wonderful husband, stepdaughter and our pet rabbit, Boolah. My grandmother taught me how to crochet and needlepoint at a very early age, which I believe planted the seed for me to become a quilter. I have always enjoyed fabrics and textiles, but when trying my hand at sewing clothing, it just seemed to come up short for me. The thrill really wasn't there and I found it more frustrating than enjoyable. I found quilting thanks to my husband. He is a fantastic artist, and we met during First Friday in Febuary of 2008 when I purchased one of his paintings for my place. When we started dating he asked me, "so, what do you do?" Of course I started telling him about my profession, my education, etc. He quickly said, "no, what do you make, who makes you, you?"

I realized that even though I was an artist (drawing mainly) as a child, I never really found my niche and I didn't do anything other than work and go to school.

I can't really even remember how I found modern quilting, but I stumbled on it by pure luck, and it was love at first sight! I researched as much as I could over the internet, found all the quilt shops in town, bought 'how to' books, and asked all the questions I could get in. About a year later, I have completed three quilts and everyday giving myself more challenging projects to do. Quilting satisfies every talent, skill and need I have for my creative energy while resulting in a beautiful keepsake for my friends and family.

Eventually I would like to design my own fabrics, patterns, and sell some of them, but for now, it is patterns/fabrics from the greats of quilting. I cannot imagine leaving quilting at any time, and like many I have known, will work my fingers until they cannot work anymore.

Other fun facts about me: I am currently an academic advisor for college students, I am going to school to become a Mental Health Counselor, I LOVE bunnies (they are the cutest of cute), chocolate keeps me going (along with coffee), love and my family are what keep me alive, and I am grateful for all that I have accomplished in a life that may otherwise have been challenging.

My goal is to become a quilt therapist, where I can welcome people dealing with tragedy or personal struggles to experience group counseling under the guise of a quilting circle and help them regain strength through art therapy. This can expand to specific workshops for AIDS recovery, victims of rape and violence, others suffering from PTSD, and more.

I hope you enjoy my blog, and if you want to chat, know more, or are interested in my research on quilt therapy, please see the "Contact Me" page and drop me a line. Take care.

"The unexamined life, is not worth living."
- Socrates