Cottonwood

Shop owner, Mary Humphrey, began COTTONWOOD in 1993 by vending at miniature doll and quilt shows and working from a home studio. When the studio was moved to a retail location, her dream of a quilt shop was born. Mary began hand embroidery projects by age 5, making her own clothes at 9 and her first quilt at 12. A lifetime of sewing, quilting and hand crafting has given her the necessities of life - clothing and quilts for cover and warmth, inspiration and food for thought, personal satisfaction and many friends. Mary lives with Buddy, her husband of 26 years, at Lake Monticello outside of Charlottesville.

Beth has been sewing her entire life. Up until 20 years ago, she sewed all of her family's clothes on a Singer Featherweight. She bought her first Bernina 20 years ago and began to quilt. She loves to applique, piece and quilt both by hand and machine. Her other interests include, gardeing, oil painting, crocheting, knitting and china painting.

Brenda has done many kinds of sewing her entire life, but now her focus is on quilting. Her particular interest is in piecing, hand applique and machine quilting of traditional style quilts. Her other interests include gardening and cooking.

Corinne Baumbach, the newest addition to the staff, teaches our Kid's Camp and will be adding a new ongoing Kid's Sewing Workshop. She has been teaching quilting for 15 years, primarily on the west coast. New to the area, Corinne lives with her family in Stuart's Draft.

Janet was introduced to her first Bernina sewing machine in the late 1970s while sewing clothing for her family. As her family grew, her interest migrated from clothing construction to quiltmaking. She was active in Northern Virginia's Quilters Unlimited guild for many years. After retiring to Charlottesville, she began working at COTTONWOOD, then in Palmyra. Now she is able to combine her love of Bernina (she has 3 sewing machines, an embroidery machine and a serger) and her love of sewing and quilting. She says sharing that passion with friends and customers is her greatest joy.

Janis Arave moved to Charlottesville with her husband and four children (later to become 5) in 1963. She has been sewing most of her adult life and has made everything from her husband's suits to heirloom christening gowns. She even made wedding dresses for her daughters and a daughter-in-law. She supported herself for several years by doing alterations. She bought her first Bernina sewing machine 28 years ago, loved it so much that she now owns two. One of her greatest joys at the present time is caring for and being with her granddaughers, 3 year old Summer and 7 year old Maxine.

Jennifer Kostera began sewing and quilting about 6 years ago on a little Kenmore sewing machine. After taking a class at Cottonwood, using a Bernina, she made the switch and has never looked back! She enjoys piecing and machine quilting, putting a modern twist on traditional patterns. Jennifer is a new mom and her little son keeps her busy. Her other interests include cooking, gardening, hiking, and spending time with her family.

Call her "old fashioned," because as long as Marilyn can remember she has enjoyed sewing. When her children went off to college she decided to get a job, thus the start of her quilting career. Her boss was a quilter, they took classes together and enjoyed a wonderful learning experience. During this time she acquired her first Bernina. She worked for 19 years before retiring and then along came COTTONWOOD. She couldn't resist when a part-time job was offered. Since then, she says she has been enriched by the friends she has made, especially while teaching classes. Since she has spare quilts, she donates them to different charitable organizations such as The Arc of the Piedmont and Area 3 Special Olympics for fund-raising. She also enjoys sewing for her grandchilden and making totebags for relatives, friends, and of course herself. She has 2 Bernina sewing machines, 2 embroidery machines and a serger to keep her busy quilting for a long time.

Stu has been working as our sewing machine technician since June 2006. He was a quilter and became interested in working on Bernina sewing machines because of their obvious quality and precision. He is also a hobbiest in the areas of stereo equipment, woodworking, fly tying and trout fishing. Stu is a retired Navy officer and also worked in the Virginia Department of Corrections as an administrator. He and his wife, Barbara, live in Fluvanna County.