A class at the University of
Tennessee, Southern Appalachian Folk Culture, was Brenda
Manges Papadakis' introduction to quiltmaking. After
writing a research paper on quilting, Brenda knew she
wanted to make a quilt. "Since the early nineteen
seventies," she says, 'I've been doing just that.
Most of all, I enjoy the drafting and designing."
This preference reflects Brenda's
background as a mathematician. She holds a B.S. in
Mathematics Education, and an M.S. in Special Education,
both from the University of Tennessee. A teacher for
twenty-three years, she has taught a wide range of
students, including the learning disabled, mentally
retarded and those gifted in mathematics and science.
Brenda's extensive teaching experience
enhances her popular quilting classes, which she began
in 1991. She specializes in Amish and Japanese
quiltmaking and designs, as well as Baltimore Applique.
Her quilt teaching credits include workshops in Japan,
where she developed a group of Baby Jane enthusiasts.
Her present relationship with Jane A. Blakely Stickle
has resulted in a fascination for miniature patterns,
and an abiding interest in women's history.
In the photograph, Brenda is proudly
holding daughter Denise's first quilt. |
