9 smiling people

The 70273 Project Data Angels are responsible for creating The Missus, our online searchable database.
Here’s what they do when not hunched over a computer.

 

Barbara Walsh (Minnesota, USA)

I work full-time as a Funeral Director/Mortician.  I am married going on 21 years, and we have three children. I like to quilt (mostly piecing the tops) and am just now branching out into the actual quilting. I also knit, read murder mysteries (of course!), and watch all three kids play hockey, two daughters play softball, and my son plays lacrosse. I sit on the board of our high school’s marching band. My oldest son just finished his senior year of marching; the middle one has no interest; and the youngest can’t wait to start. I also help with the band uniforms and flag making for the color guard. My church quilting group has shut down for a year now, so I am hoping to get back to that soon. Some day my husband and I would like to travel the world.

 

Gladys Loewen, Coordinator (Vancouver, Canada)

I am a granddaughter of German Mennonites who fled Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution in the late 1920s and ended up in Canada by sheer luck as that is where the ship they boarded was bound – unbeknownst to them. I am retired from my career as a manager and consultant of disability resources and inclusion in higher education. My most gratifying role is that of grandmother to two wonderful teens who live a 40-minute drive away. Being part of their lives, taking them on adventures and teaching them new skills like sewing and cooking has been a priceless journey. I volunteer for a NGO in Guatemala, giving out reading glasses to women who can no longer thread a needle. Their tainted water causes a parasite that enters their eyes, affecting their ability to sew, bead, and embroider, so access to readers allows them to continue weaving, sewing, and embellishing clothes for themselves and their daughters, retaining their mayan tradition. I am madrina (godmother) to three students whose education my husband and I underwrite. I also identify as disabled, so when I saw The 70273 Project special exhibit at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas in 2017, I knew I wanted to become part of this project. I’ve made many blocks and quilts – including a Middling with my 9 year old Grandson. I am a Data Angel for The 70273 Project, coordinating six volunteers who read through all the Provenance Forms and enter the data into what will eventually be an online searchable database, accessible via sight and audio. This volunteer work is a labor of love that allows me to use skills I have developed throughout my life.

 

Lara Ferguson (California, USA)

I work full-time as an IT Director, wrangling data, managing people and projects, and integrating technical solutions. In my free time I enjoy stitching and creating with textiles. My current favorites are embroidery, crochet, and weaving. I’m learning how to spin fiber and eco-dye silk and cotton.

 

Maria Conway (Argentina)

I work as a clerk (I think that’s what you call it) in a construction company, and I’m a single mom of a 14 year old girl. In my free time, I love to quilt and make my own clothes.

 

Patricia Taylor (Wisconsin, USA)

I’m retired, and fill as much of my time as possible with quilting (appliqué and English Paper Piecing are my favorites). I spend the summers working in the garden, walking in our woods, and camping. Before the pandemic, we traveled, something I love to do. We’ve been to Alaska six times, to Canada, Australia, Italy, England, and Wales. I keep my passport current as I look forward to seeing more of this beautiful world eventually. I enjoy reading and doing family genealogy. I serve as Program Chair for our quilting guild, and I belong to three small stitching groups – all on hold as we enter the second year of the pandemic. On the family front, I enjoy keeping our family fed – including our sweet little shellie girl and our kids’ very large golden retriever.

 

Peggy Thomas, Leader (Georgia, USA)

I live about 30 minutes south of Atlanta and a stone’s throw from where Jeanne and The Engineer have a home. It’s where Jeanne and both sides of her family are from as far back as she can go without getting a headache, and we have fun telling stories, then learning that we both know the people in the story. Our mutual friend Joyce knew I had just sold my business in 2016 and needed a new mission in life, and when she told me about The 70273 Project, it was love at first sight. My son is Autistic and has been writing as a film critic since he was ten years old. You can find his work at www.kevin the critic.com.  I love to read mysteries and World War II novels. When it comes to quilting, I am a passionate novice! A long time ago, I made a bed-size quilt in a beginning quilting class. I enjoyed it so much, I chose a pretty complicated pattern and began making a bedspread for my husband. After he married me, I laid it down and haven’t picked it back up! I have, however, made more blocks than I can count and a couple of Middlings for The 70273 Project.

 

Roberta Pabst (California, USA)

I’m retired, and serve as the Quilt Show Chair for my local quilt guild. Our next show, in 2022, will be the fifth one I’ve chaired. I am immediate Past President of the local chapter of the Embroiderer’s Guild of America. So, I quilt and embroider (mostly needlepoint and Temari). I also belong to a smaller quilt group that makes lot of donation quilts and attends retreats. Aside from those things, I try to keep my husband and myself alive and well. We like to camp and visit children and grandchildren.

 

Sacha Brady (Indiana, USA)

I am trained as a chemist and work as a housewife. My husband and I live only with our geriatric dog now that my stepdaughter is grown. I tend to spend my time building community; (thinking about) sewing modern quilts; listening to educational podcasts; scrolling through Twitter; and (especially during the pandemic) making homemade ice cream or tasty baked goods. I am an active member of a racial justice activism  organization and two quilt guilds.