Mary Lajoie

Strippy Quilt

Mary was raised in the small town of Wallaceburg, Ontario.  In high school, she taught herself to sew in order to expand her wardrobe.  Her Aunt Marie taught her some of the finer details, and from there, her addiction to fabric was born.

Amelie's Table Runner

Mary went on to become a teacher, and by the end of her career, she was a Coordinator and a Principal.  Throughout her career, not only did Mary's interest in sewing hold fast, but it blossomed into a love of quilting.  It started with collecting antique quilts; Mary found them in flea markets, antique stores, and auctions.  She loved their uniqueness and wondered about the history of the maker and the designer.  Mary was especially intrigued by the variety of colours and shapes could all come together to make a masterpiece.

Le Jardin d'Amelie

Mary's professional career in quilting began to thrive in her retirement.  As an owner of a quilt shop in Brighton, Ontario, she became even more passionate about fabric and quilting.  After moving to Ottawa, she spent time teaching at Dragonfly Fabrics and working at The Running Stitch.  Her quilts have won awards at the Picton Quilt Show and the Ottawa Valley Quilt Show.

Blue Tulips

Now specializing in quilt patters, to date, Mary has created 5 which have been published under her company name of "Country Angel Designs".  Two of her patterns were named after her granddaughter Amelie (Le Jardine d'Amelie and Amelie's Table Runner), who has a special place in her heart.  Her other patterns to date are Strippy Quilt, Blue Tulips and Booty-ful.  She sees her future as being filled with more quilting, pattern designing and getting into computer software to expand her designing horizons.  The Running Stitch hopes to see more of Mary's patterns in store soon!

Booty-ful

Mary plans to grow her pattern business to other locals through a greater network of distributors.  Her own website will be up and running soon, so do keep an eye out for it!