I come from pioneer roots, people who were assigned to settle along the Little Colorado River, starting my heritage in Arizona in the mid 1800s. To date, eight generations of my family have loved Arizona as their home!

My mother returned to teaching when I was the only remaining child at home. She followed another heritage, generations of teachers. She taught 3rd graders about Arizona’s Native Americans and traveled Arizona with me, visiting towns, learning about traditions, and celebrating their cultures.

My garment of denim celebrates my cowboy roots, but it is decorated with my love of Arizona and the beauty shared from Native tribes. After being away for over 20 years, I remember my heart swelling, along with a few tears, when I drove back home to my beautiful Arizona to live.

Most of all, what I’m wearing is homage to the women and church ladies who taught me homemaking skills. At 10, I learned to cross stitch; at 11, to crochet; and at 12, to knit. Grandma’s quilting bees with the aunts taught me to use a needle and also to tie a quilt. My mother, a fabulous seamstress, tried to teach me to sew, but I was better at hand stitching. Thus, the everyday skills received from angelic women instilled the cultural threads of womanhood—stitched together with love, smiles, and memories.