About the Artist

Fiber artist Linda Parker named Montana Quilts to reflect her Montana heritage. Linda has made hundreds of quilts since she began quilting with her grandmother Vande Sandt in 1976, mostly stars, her great passion. She self published Montana Star Quilts and has also published stencils and patterns. You can learn more about Linda and Native American star quilts in her book Montana Star Quilts.

"My journey with star quilts began in 1976 in Havre, Montana, when I discovered my grandmother's 1937 Needlecraft Supply Company flier advertising three star quilts. I told my grandmother that I was going to make a star quilt ...I then proceeded to cut hundreds of diamonds in an array of different colors...."
Excerpted from "Montana Star Quilts" by Linda Parker.

As the years passed, Linda's knowledge of Native American star quilt traditions grew, a piece at a time. It wasn't long before she learned star quilts are one of the most valuable gifts one could give or receive at a give-a-way or for any other Indian ceremony.

So if you want to learn more about the history and tradition of Native American star quilts, then you've come to the best place by discovering Montana Star Quilts.

Things the book does not tell you

Montana Quilts currently resides in an old dilapidated mining shack on the edge of the mountains in Helena with one small stained glass window, 2 goldfish, 2 cockatiels, 1 grandson, many deer wandering through he yard eating the flowers, the skunk who has babies under the really ancient shack in the back yard and let's not forget the squirrel who had babies in the kitchen ceiling last spring. We have a Gammill in the studio-our studio was a living room once upon a time.

Jerry Belgarde and I once quilted 4 queen size star quilts in a week. Jerry is fast, she quilted two thirds to my one third. By the end of the week we were both looking pale and in need of sunlight.

I was also fortunate enough to have been able to meet Almira Buffalo Bone Jackson (Grandma Snail) while doing research for the book. My favorite Grandma Snail lesson is if you

'wake up expecting good things to happen, they do.'

I became a wild land fire fighter the summer of 2000, when my youngest graduated from high school. I started as an emergency fire fighter for DNRC then working for the forest service and private contractors. I have been a few interesting places like Canyon Ferry Complex in 2000, Rex Creek in 2001, Cannon Fire 2002, Sheep Camp in 2003 and the Space Shuttle Recovery in Corsicana Texas 2003. I hope to spend one more summer as a firefighter. Besides quilting it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. Of course raising my children tops the list and now I have my grandson living with me.