Sally Joerger’s sewing life took a turn towards quilting when her sister invited her to a quilting retreat and gave her some scraps to work with. Sally organized them by color and when her sister turned them into a quilt, Sally thought “I can do that!” – and a quilter was born. Sally was no stranger to sewing; she has made a living in costuming, fabric retailing, and teaching fashion design – and more recently sewing for Marti Michell and working with the Alliance Theatre in costuming.

About 7 years ago, Sally decided that it would be fun to explore various fiber arts and enrolled at Georgia State in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program, with a concentration in Textiles. She says she has not been disappointed. First came foundational courses, and then came classes like dying, knitting, weaving, and even one on quilting. Sally is often the only older student in a class, even though Georgians over 62 can take classes for free. Sally said that she learns a lot about creativity from the younger students, and they learn from her about technical skills and just getting things completed. Sally has really enjoyed her exploration of color and color theory, and says that her studies have really gotten her “out of her box” and into new areas of design.

Sally originally came to the Guild so that she could be exposed to a wider array of quilting styles of other members and our nationally known teachers. Sally, along with Devon Pfeif, managed the Guild Library for many years, and found that experience to be a great way to make friends and get to know more people. She encourages new members to visit the library, pick up a book and strike up a conversation. Library volunteers are always ready to talk about books! How else should new members get engaged?  Sign Up!! For a workshop, for a volunteer job, for holding quilts – all of these things create connections.