Edna Jackson - While growing up I became interested in quilting by watching my mom and her friends as they quilted.  My mother and her friends had quilting parties and I was always fascinated to watch how they made  various projects.  My first projects were self-taught, without the benefit of using items such as a rotary  cutter or the other “modern tools of the trade”.  I made many bed sized quilts using a free style before I had any training in quilt making.  After my initial class, I began to make wall hangings, lap quilts and other sized quilting projects using the quilting techniques that I learned.  My ability to express my creativity and ideas in quilts grows with each project.  I recently participated in the Kwanzaa event at the Hampton University Museum where I had some of my table runners, wall hangers and place mats on display.  I sold several items.  Another of my quilting projects won a blue ribbon at Kraft adventures in West Springfield, Mass.  My aspiration is to pass on my knowledge of this tradition on to my children and others.