Week #7: Quilter #7 Rene' Martinez a.k.a. Rene' Creates

Quilter #7

Name: Rene' Martinez

Location:  Orlando, Florida, USA
I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, went to Florida State University for college, graduated, got married and moved to Orlando where my husband grew up.  Almost ten years ago we fell in love with the peaceful, scenic beauty of Montana and now spend most of our vacations there.  Our only grandchild lives in Washington so I find myself there quite a bit too.  If you don't live in the States you may not realize that Seattle, Washington is about as far as you can go from Orlando, Florida and still be in the continental US!

Who I Am and What I do:  I have been married to my husband for 30 years.  We have two sons, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, and one grandson.  I was a CPA back in the day, but now I am happy with more creative pursuits.  I enjoy spending time with family and friends, making quilts, taking pictures (occasionally of people!), reading, and retreating with my quilting friends.  I founded the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild with three other amazing ladies in March 2010, and I continue to enjoy being a part of this fantastic group.

Why I Quilt:  I can't remember when I actually decided I wanted to quilt, but there has always been something that has fascinated me about the idea of cutting up fabric and sewing it back together again.  When my youngest started preschool, I took a quilting class.  I made my first quilt, then a few more, but it wasn't until I discovered quilt blogs in 2009 that I really became obsessed with quilting.  I couldn't believe there were so many people out there enjoying the same passion!

I love to quilt because it keeps me sane; creating is extremely therapeutic.  I love being a wife, mother, sister, daughter and friend, but I also like being Rene' and having a purpose/goal/identity that is mine alone.  Quilt making provides that personal sense of accomplishment and achievement.  The end product usually results in a gift or charitable donation, and it is a wonderful feeling to wrap someone in a quilt made with love.

My Favorite Quilt:

This heart quilt is one of my favorites.  I made this for my husband last summer to celebrate our 30th anniversary.  The design was inspired from a Pandora window display.  You can read more about this quilt here.

This spiderweb quilt is one I kept for myself and made with the help of my Mid-Century Modern Bee friends.  You can read more about this quilt here on my blog where you can also find other quilt projects I am working on.

Where You Can Find Me:

Instagram:  www.instagram.com/ReneCreates
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/ReneCreates
Blog:  www.renecreates.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ReneCreates

I want to thank Chris for organizing this 52 Quilters project!  I am excited to be a part of this "social experiment" and interested to see where it leads.  I will be attending QuiltCon later this week, so look for posts live from Austin!  Please leave a comment with any questions, suggestions for content or to just say hi!

Post by Rene - Week #7:   When she’s not in Montana or Washington visiting her grandson, Rene’ is a quilt designer, quilt maker, blogger, Instagrammer, wife and mom to three living in Orlando, Florida. She founded the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild in March, 2010, served two terms as President and now enjoys serving on the guild’s board. You can find her at  www.renecreates.com and on most social media platforms as ReneCreates.