Becky Magnus, an expert quilter, moved into The Barrington of Carmel from Michigan earlier this year.
What is your background?
I grew up in Steubenville, Ohio, where my family roots went back many generations. I received a B.S. from Syracuse University with a double major in clothing and textiles and retail merchandising, plus an art minor. After a brief stint in retailing, I obtained a teaching certificate at Ohio State and moved to Michigan to teach school. While teaching high school for four years, I acquired a master’s degree from Eastern Michigan University.
How did you begin quilting?
At Oakland County Young Republican Club, I met and married my husband of 54 years, Al. We lived in Bloomfield Hills where he built his professional CPA practice and we raised two children, Tiffany and Kurt. During this time, I taught sewing and related needle arts classes in adult education for 15 years. The creative side of my brain has always been a driving force. I am indebted to both grandmothers and my mother for this gift. Fabric is my preferred medium.
For 40 years, I have been quilting and have completed 200-plus quilts. After family and friends selected favorites, 71 were donated to Michigan State University to be sold for fundraising for the Great Lakes Quilt Museum located on campus. Two were kept for their permanent collection. Since so many of my Michigan friends came from the quilting world, the week I moved to Carmel I joined the Indianapolis Quilt Guild, where I expect to become involved.
What are your other interests?
In addition to quilting, gardening has been a great interest. Our son, his wife and two daughters live on Squam Lake (“Golden Pond” in the movie) in New Hampshire. We owned a summer home nearby where I had a beautiful shade garden with a specimen Hosta collection. Twenty-one summers in the White Mountains provide wonderful memories.
What brought you to The Barrington?
Because my husband is having problems and we lacked a support system in Michigan, we decided to move to Carmel to be near our daughter, Tiffiny McTurnan, her husband John and granddaughter, Virginia. She picked The Barrington of Carmel senior community. I’m sure it will be perfect. The move came in the nick of time. The lifestyle, the people and the activities are the anticipation for a wonderful future.
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