Is there anyone out there who doesn’t know more about me, Judy Laquidara, than you want to know?

I’m married to Vince, we have one son, Chad, who is in college and no longer living at home, though he does come home on weekends to work and get laundry done and have home cooked meals so I guess we’re not totally empty nesters yet.  We have a mini-dachshund, Speck, and nine hens, who are almost pets!

We live in Missouri, one one acre smack dab in the city limits of a tiny little town 75 miles away from a real restaurant!  Lake Charles, Louisiana will always be home for me but I doubt we ever get to move  back there.  How’s that for optimistic? 

Both Vince and I lived most of our adult lives in small cities.  After moving to a very rural area of Missouri in 2007, we fell in love with country life.  We added the chickens, one bee hive, a garden and I keep saying I want a milk cow and goats but am not sure that will really happen.  We’ve planted fruit trees on our little city lot and are staying busy living and pursuing “the good life”.    We keep searching for a larger piece of land. One day we may find it but if not, we are quite happy right here.

My grandmothers quilted but mostly made utility type quilts from old clothes. My first real encounter with quilting was when I took a class in 1980 at a little shop in Lake Charles.

Here’s the first quilt I ever made. It’s hand pieced and hand quilted. (You can click on the image to get a bigger picture . . if you dare!).  I started hand quilting it but ended up paying someone to finish the quilting.  That was taking way too long for me!

I was hooked and quilted almost non-stop til about 1985 when I learned to knit. Then I knitted almost non-stop til I learned to smock. Then in the late 80′s, I went back to quilting and haven’t stopped.

In 1998 we bought my first longarm, which was actually a very used and very old shortarm. I used it for two years and cursed every day and cried most of the days and finally saved up enough money to buy a used APQS Ultimate I machine. I used it for a few years and saved up enough to buy a new APQS Millennium. It’s a great machine and I love having my own longarm.

I’ve written two books, both published by AQS.  Nine Patch Extravaganza, was released in July, 2007 and Weekend Quilts came out in February, 2010.  You can order an autographed copy of either (or both) from me here.  I appreciate it when you show the book to your quilt shops and ask them to carry it too.  A new book is in the works.  If you like my borders,  you’ll like the third book which will not be out til probably late 2011 or early 2012.  These things take time! 

Aside from quilting and knitting, I cook, I grind wheat to make bread, I tend to the chickens and I garden.  And, if there’s any time left over, I clean house but if I plan my day just right, there’s never any time for cleaning house.

Thanks for visiting the blog.  Come back any time!