Pretty much everyone calls me Ginny.

I publish under my fancy name, Virginia, and make quilts under my nickname. I don’t know why I make the distinction, but for some reason it feels right.

I grew up outside of Washington, D.C., and have lived in Pennsylvania, California, and North Carolina. My first publication, Carrier, was published in 2005 by Swan Scythe Press, and after teaching for ten years, I returned to writing in early 2015. I’ve written for several local and regional magazines on topics ranging from food to local figures to the history of education in the South. My family’s restaurant, Currituck BBQ Company, published its family cookbook in 2017, and I edited that with my dad, a collaboration for which I’ll always be grateful.

Inspired by my grandmother’s sewing, I began quilting in 2009 and now make quilts, usually in a modern traditionalist style. My specialty is applique, and I make show quilts and teach quilting at local, national, and international events. I take on commissions when time, resources and the desires of the client allow, and have contributed photographs and copy to quilting publications.

When I’m low on creative energy, I turn to Irish poets; music that tends to include a dobro; vintage embroidery and patchwork; the work of my photographer and artist friends; old junk; and food – pretty much all food except gross cheeses, and sadly, there are many of those. Collaborating is one of my favorite ways to work, so I’ll always try to make time for creating pieces with others, whether they’re quilts or stories or something else entirely.

In 2018, I was lucky enough to go back to teaching English (and soon sewing!) at an independent school in Durham.

I live in Chapel Hill with my husband, who has awesome gray hair; my daughters, who are ridiculous; and our two hound dogs, who are rescued and often confused by the littlest things.