Jill

My name is Jill Snyder and since I have been in communication with all the quilt friends, the photos here are sort of self explanatory!

The new born grand daughter everyone is holding is named Anna Grace Snyder. She was born July 25, 2005. Her father, our son is Enoch, is the man wearing glasses, our daughter Joy, is in the green tank top, my husband Mike, is in the green plaid shirt. The mother, Megan, is obvious, and I am the only one left, in the flowered shirt. This is our first grand child. We are learning to keep our mouth shut.

Mike and I had our 34th wedding anniversary July 13, 2005. Enoch, 33 and Joy, 27, are our only two children. Enoch and Megan, 33, have been married just over two years and Joy is single. They all live in Charlottesville, Virginia, only three hours away, where our son is an architect/builder and our daughter is a school teacher/math specialist. Megan has been a school teacher and is going to be a stay-at-home mom, for which we are very thankful.

Mike and I live in the rural mountains of West Virginia, where our children were born and raised, near the town of Harman, which is near some scenic areas, such as, Canaan Valley State Park, Blackwater Falls State Park, Seneca Rocks, Dolly Sods, and Spruce Knob, the highest point in the state.

We bought and remodeled over the years, an old Mennonite church, it will be 100 years old next year. It is called Bethel, which means "house of God".

I have been quilting since the 70's. It has become a real love of mine. I have done piece work, and quilting for other people, but prefer to work on my own pieces. My children have wedding quilts, and all 5 of my nieces and nephews have wedding quilts waiting for them when they get married. My sister married at age 43, and she received a quilt, then my other sister wanted one even though she was already married, so she got one! My kids friends all receive baby quilts and comforters when their babies are born. I do keep some for myself!

I consider myself a very traditional quiltmaker, liking the old time one block patterns and the older type prints. I do all my piecework on my husbands grandmothers treadle sewing machine, made in 1910. All my quilting is done by hand. I enjoy some applique by hand also.

I belong to the Log Cabin Quilters' Guild of Elkins, WV, and have held offices of secretary and president and committees. I am president of our local Harman Mennonite Church sewing circle, The Willing Workers. We do quilting for people, and make baby comforters for all the new babies born in our area, and raise money for mission work, both here and abroad. I also enjoy being president of the local CEOS, which used to be the Extension Homemakers Club but now is called Continuing Education Outreach Service. I try to incorporate quilts into many things we do.

We attend an Independent Baptist Church, whose ladies club there makes comforters for the missionaries they support.

Mike and I are both native West Virginian's, and love our Mountain State. We like to travel out west, and camp, and go to the beaches in the east. Mike is an avid hunter and fisher, while I do enjoy some October squirrel hunting. Mike is a retired school teacher, and blacksmith, and we operate our own Fastwater Fly-fishing School. I have always been a stay-at-home Mom, but for a dozen or so years had my own private pre-school.

We raise a big garden, and I spend lots of time hoeing, weeding, and canning fresh food. Mike has built up his own apple orchard and we make many gallons of apple cider on an antique cider press each fall. I have many flower gardens, love to read, take photographs, knit, bake, rubber stamp greeting cards, and exercise by running or walking. I also love old flea market clear glass ware, and Fenton silver crest milk glass, and I play the mountain dulcimer, love to sing and do volunteer visiting for Hospice.