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From the left: Vice President Donna Simcoe, Arlene Lueck, Chairman Beverly Leasure, Secretary Cathy Simms, Nancy Moore, Anne Emslie, Sandy DiNardo, President Christine Milton and Treasurer Mary Lou Mielke.         Not Shown, Gloria Dove, Sandy Bower, and Bea Englert.

Beverly Leasure was born in Newport, Rhode Island and was raised in San Diego, California.  Since 1964, Beverly and her husband of 46 years, Arthur, have lived in Dunedin, Florida.  They have two children.  She is a graduate of St. Petersburg College.

Beverly was a 20 year charter member of Quilter's Crossing quilt club which had a bi-annual member show and also held quilt challenges on alternating years at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center.  She served in numerous positions including twice as club President.  Beverly has been a member of the Dunedin Fine Arts Center for many years and served multiple terms as President and is a founding member and chairman of Innovative Quilters.  Her quilting got its start in 1985 following the presentation of a quilt from her mother.  This quilt was well used and loved and was the impetus for Beverly's budding passion for quilting.

Beverly's interest in quilting lead her to investigate many different techniques.  She has studied with such notable quilt artists as Carol Bryer Fallart and Jenny Byers and she has taken classes at the International Quilt show in Houston, TX.  Beverly generously shares her talents with others by teaching quilting and techniques classes.

Beverly's quilts have won Best of Show on two occasions at quilt shows.  Her work appears in four books on quilting published by Oxmoor House.  Beverly's quilts have also been featured in magazines such as American Quilter, Quilter's Newsletter and the British Quilter.   She had a juried piece that appeared in a traveling show in the United States and Europe.

Currently, in addition to her involvement in quilting and Innovative Quilters, Beverly also volunteers at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center and has managed the annual Holiday Show.

Anne Emslie has lived in Florida for 19 years and has been quilting for over 10 years.  She is also an accomplished knitter, doll maker, and purse designer.  If it has to do with fiber arts, Anne is involved!  Her work has been displayed in many shows and venues.

Anne's first love of quilting was landscapes and art quilts.  One of her very first landscape quilts won the Viewer's Choice Award in the Small Quilt Category at the Quilter's Crossing Quilt Show in the year 2000.  Anne's interest in quilting extends to traditional quilts as well as art quilts.  She enjoys exploring new techniques and sharing her ideas and skills through her teaching workshops.

Anne is the Chairman of the 2008 Quilter's Crossing Challenge Show "A Tribute to Florida" and has served as President of that guild.  She is an active member of Innovative Quilters and has been instrumental in the development of our group.

Donna Simcoe was born in Hastings, Nebraska in 1943, the third oldest in a family of ten children.  Donna's grandmother, Clara Addie LaBrie, was a prodigious quilter.  She pieced on a treadle Singer and hand-quilted many quilts.

Donna learned to cook and sew in her 4-H Club and earned the Betty Crocker Future Homemaker Award.  Donna's daughter, Aimee, is a talented writer who notes in her short stories that early on, her mother sewed many of her clothes and refers to them in her stories as "wardrobes from hell".  Well, obviously, Donna has come a long way since these early 4-H sewing days and now makes amazing wearable art. When her daughter was nine, Donna saw a quilt pattern in a McCall's magazine and pieced it during the long winter months.  That was the start of her quilting passion.   Donna joined a quilt guild and started to quilt in earnest.

Donna is a precision quilter who is as comfortable machining as she is hand quilting.  Her work is finely detailed and her signature style carries forth into her wearable art work.  Donna has taught several classes and has shown at various venues which brought her commissions.

Donna is a former President, Treasurer and Membership Chairman of Quilters Crossing, is active in a book club, is Treasurer of her homeowner's association, is an elder in her church and is a founding member and Vice President of Innovative Quilters.  She also enjoys baseball, football, and reading.  Her true passions are her talented daughter Aimee, and her beloved husband Donald, who could be a stand-up comedian with a little practice.

Christine Milton is a quilter who has been involved in art since an early age.  She was born and raised in upstate New York.  Christine was one of the earliest recipients of the  Vanderpool Art Award and was a Textile Design major in the School of American Craftsman at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  She has traveled the world and lived for many years in London, England; Toronto, Canada; and Tokyo, Japan.  Her overseas experience has influenced much of her work. 

Christine is a member of the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, Oldsmar Art Club, The American Craft Council,  SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Association and is a charter member and current President of Innovative Quilters.  Her award winning work has been shown in various venues including The Dunedin Fine Arts Center, the  Leepa Rapner Museum of Art and the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, Ohio.  Her work has been published in the book of Quilt National 2009  and in an soon to be released Collage Quilting book by Judi Warren Blaydon. Christine enjoys entering challenges and her work has most recently been included in the national traveling show of the Hoffman Challenge and  has been chosen for the 2009 Quilt National.  She enjoys teaching quilting technique classes and has taken seminars with many renowned fiber artists including Nancy  Zieman, Judi Warren Blaydon, Libby Lehman, and Jane Dunnewold.

Christine is married to Jim, her husband of 38 years, and has two married children, two gorgeous grandsons, a new granddaughter and a very spoiled pug dog.  She lives in Oldsmar, Florida and spends summers at their cottage in upstate New York.  Reading and cooking are her other passions when she is not sewing up a storm.

Mary Lou Mielke was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio.  She moved to Palm Harbor, Florida in 1982.  She has five children, seven grandchildren and one great grandson with another on the way. 

Mary Lou started quilting 20 years ago and was a member of Quilters Crossing for 18 years.  She was president of that organization three times, held various committee chairmanships and was Chairman of the bi-annual Harvest of Quilts in 2004.  Mary Lou has taken and taught many classes.   Her favorite quilts are appliqué and Asian style is a particular favorite.

Mary Lou is a frequent volunteer at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center and has served as Treasurer of  Innovative Quilters from it's inception until present.

Arlene Lueck is a Dunedin winter resident whose primary residence is in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.  Arlene is a member of the Dunedin Fine Arts Center and joined Innovative Quilters in 2008.  Arlene has always had a passion for sewing.  During her working career and while raising a family, her projects were primarily utilitarian.  She was given a new sewing machine as a retirement gift in 2000 and her personal goal was to enter the quilting environment.  She is self-motivated and is primarily self-taught.  She enjoys the challenge of trying new techniques and reads and networks with fellow artists. 

Although Arlene has done traditional patterns, she finds satisfaction in creating her own designs, especially when she can capture a special memory, trip or personal accomplishment of her eight grandchildren.

Many of Arlene's wall hanging and quilts have been given as gifts.  Arlene has volunteered as docent in several of Nancy's Notions Quilting Expos held annually in Madison, Wisconsin.  This is a wonderful experience to meet some of the artists.

Arlene's aunts were accomplished weavers on looms and skilled in embroidery, crochet and painting.  They definitely contributed to her appreciation for the fine arts. Arlene also enjoys knitting, dabbles in watercolor painting, scrap glass mosaic, plays piano, sings in her church choir, gardens and is an avid walker.  She is thankful for the opportunity to be a part of IQ and to participate in the opportunities the DFAC has to offer.  She feels these learning experiences, challenges and friendships will continue to shape her artistry.

Cathy Simms  is one of our newest members and she serves as our Secretary. While living in North Carolina, Cathy was a member of the Pamlico River Quilting Guild, Beaufort County Arts Council, Professional Art Quilters Association of the South and Riverwalk Gallery.  Now that she is living in Florida, she is a member of Innovative Quilters and The Surface Design Guild.

She says that she is an artist because she really comes alive expressing her creative side in a physical form.  Whether it is painting or with fabric, she likes the decorative qualities of color, pattern and abstract and figurative shapes.  She uses combinations of textures and colors to draw the viewer into the art form and is interested in what the view sees in her work.  She is now enjoying exploring her creative side. Saying "yes" to her ideas and going with them is fun and makes her feel like she is on a journey of discovery.

Nancy Moore joined Innovative Quilters in 2008.  She came to Florida in 1970 from Pennsylvania.  Nancy and her husband, Bill, recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.  They have 2 children and 2 granddaughters.  Her love of quilts began many years ago watching her mother hand quilt.  Nancy has created many wall hangings and bed quilts and also has a large collection of antique quilts, one dating back to the pre-Civil War era.  Nancy's goals are to use new techniques and enjoy the exciting and challenging world of art quilting. 

Nancy serves as Innovative Quilters' Librarian.

Sandy DiNardo was born in Cumberland Maryland and moved to Florida in 1960 from Akron, Ohio.  While busy raising a family and working as a Radiological Technologist and Mammographer, she was inspired by beautiful quilt work done by her mother and sister.  When Sandy's sister became seriously ill with cancer, Sandy started to quilt and used it as an opportunity distract her sister with fun things to discuss.  What started as a ruse for quilting assistance in 2000, turned into a serious quilting pursuit.  Sandy thinks that Innovative Quilters has expanded her quilting horizons and has challenged her to be a better quilter.

Sandy married her husband Len in Kauai, Hawaii.  Their five children and seven grandchildren are the light of their lives.

Gloria Dove was born and raised in southern New Jersey.  This "Jersey Girl" moved south in 1971 and settled in Clearwater, Florida.  Gloria has been married to her husband Bob for 51 years and they raised 3 wonderful children together.  They have been blessed with 5 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

Gloria worked for the Dunedin Fine Art Center and retired in April 2008 after 13 years of service.  Her love of art was nurtured during those years and she uses that experience in her new found love of art quilting.

20 years ago, Gloria started quilting by making bed quilts for family and friends.  While still enjoying the pleasures of traditional quilting, joining Innovative Quilters opened up new explorations in quilting.  She serves as our DFAC Liaison.