Rhonda Baker
Quilter / Fiber Artist / Retreat Host
I'm a Florida native and live in Tarpon Springs with my husband Jeff and our two Miniature Pinchers, Mariah and Pele'. 
I've gone from serving in the US Air Force as a F15/F16 Engine and Aircraft Technician to the softer Art of my Grandmothers era. Along the way I have enjoyed volunteering in our local high school as a reading tutor and teachers assistant. In addition to my passion for quilting, I enjoy canning my own salsa, apple butter, assorted jams, and fresh veggies.
I am a member of Quilters' Crossing Quilt Guild in Palm Harbor, FL, where I serve as webmaster and quilt show programs chairman. I was also privileged to design our 2007 raffle quilt. Having served in the USAF, one of the guild projects closest to my heart are the quilts we make for the soldiers receiving therapy at James A Hailey Hospital Spinal Trauma Center in Tampa.
I am also a charter member and founding host of the Florida Quilt Retreat now known as the Orange Blossom Quilters. Pat, my retreat co-host, and I met via the About.com online quilting forum in 2002 and quickly formed a lasting friendship. Our first adventure in retreat hosting began in 2004 for a group of friends from this online forum. We still host this group (Orange Blossom Quilters) twice a year in the Spring and Fall at the same location we now host our BeSewCreative Quilt Retreats. Everyone kept saying we should host more retreats, so we took their advice. Now YOU get to see how much fun we've been having all these years.
I like the challenge of customizing traditional quilt patterns, which my Grandmother may have used, with today's fabrics and techniques. One of these fascinating new techniques allows me to put photos on fabric and incorporate then in my quilts. With the help of software like EQ5, I am free to design and create my own blocks, patterns and quilts, exploring new ideas with ease. I really enjoy the precision of paper piecing, and expanding my comfort zone by trying unique patterns that require new skills. Recently, I challenged myself to complete an art quilt and to learn how control bias triangle patches used in the hexagon quilt shown below.
As a new quilter, I didn't know that things like "Y" seams were supposed to be hard; I just did them. I've had some of the best teachers you could ask for thanks to the great shows on TV like Simply Quilts, Fons & Porter, and Eleanor Burns. The internet has been a wealth of information and source for some of the greatest quilting friends you could ask for.
Designing, Piecing, and the Binding are my favorite parts of quilting.
I usually leave the quilting to Pat because my quilts tend to "grow", and she has the long arm machine. Like most every quilter I know, I have more projects on my "to-do" list than I'll ever get to, and the fabric stash to match.
To me a quilt can be so much more than a thing to keep you warm or to decorate your home. The stitches are more than just a way to hold the fabrics together; they hold memories, families, and loved ones together. My quilts, as artfully crafted as they may be, are meant to be useable, huggable, and comforting family treasures.