.Lori was born and raised in Iowa, moving to North Carolina in 1985.  Even though her college degrees (ISU) are in education, she took as many ART electives as she could.  She enjoyed knitting, crocheting and weaving but when she discovered quilting, she had found what she was looking for, combining color, fiber and design.  She learned traditional quilting methods from older quilters and feel that it gave her a firm foundation - kind of like learning scales on the piano.  Now she much prefers to play with her fabric, creating new designs and shapes.

She had the luxury of being a stay-at-home mom for 15 years, rejoining the workforce in 2001.  Since 2004 she has owned and operated Cotton Fields Quilt Shop in Washington, NC.  She teaches quilting occasionally, there and at surrounding quilt guilds.