Let Me Introduce Myself...

I was born Jodi Glissmeyer and grew up in the Holladay community in the southeast corner of the Salt Lake Valley in Utah. My birthday is early in December, so the Christmas season celebrations have always been very important to me. My creative and encouraging parents Helen and Gus (August Jr.) always nurtured my interest in projects, crafts, and stitchery, along with reading, academic studies, piano, and pursuit of sporting interests within close family ties. They provided supplies, work space and instruction opportunities, then often looked the other way when my messy but productive space was undoubtedly a bother.



My mother provided me a fun beginning sewing project one "bored" summer vacation day in my early elementary school years. I promptly fell in love with stitching and textiles. Technical mastery and designing was sparked by instruction and exposure to new things in middle and high school years, followed by completion of wonderfully fulfilling study for my BA degree in Clothing & Textiles/Fashion Design at Brigham Young University. 

My university career included a six-month study abroad in Paris, France, and an almost-minor in french. For my design work, the greatest asset became my repeated application of things I learned in my supporting coursework in the BYU art department . Over and over I applied principles of design to the elements of design in varied media from leather to clay, from stone to watercolor. One textile project in an advanced crafts class took inspiration from a pictorial quilt I had seen while lost on a walk through a neighborhood between where our student group lived and the heart of Paris. That was the beginning of my art quilt journey! And it was incredible to hear how different textile art was received by the fine art faculty.

Jodi in rust pant suit, 2nd from left in middle row
Group photo taken in Luxemburg Gardens,
across the street from pension where we lived.

BYU graduation '78

My technical sewing experiences at BYU were wonderful because I learned many stitching and sewing techniques, how to use a thimble (essential in my hand quilting work), grain line theory, attention to detail, color theory, mass production, etc.

Vince & Jodi 1982

Within days of graduation, I married my sweetheart Vince Warner, a fellow BYU student from the Boise, Idaho area.  Supporting him through the remainder of his under- and graduate degrees included employment at a custom bridal design shop. At that job I practiced additional dress construction, design/envisioning, drafting and production skills. Later, because of valuable previous experiences with quiltmaking, I launched my own pattern publication business Hearthsewn, and began teaching in local Salt Lake City area quilt shops (the area where we relocated after graduate school completion for Vince). This turned into lecturing and traveling to teach and present.

2002 Event Banner created by Jodi

As part of my quilting life, I have been actively involved in the Utah Quilt Guild, a non-profit organization which promotes quiltmaking and appreciation of quilts. I have served as a chapter president, on annual meeting committees, twice as Beeline newsletter editor, as co-chairman of the Guild-sponsored Utah Quilt Heritage 2002 Winter Olympics outreach organization. For this last assignment, I organized the creation of and provided liaison for the distribution of miniquilts to representatives of each national team which participated in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

Jodi, center, with family at Silver Thimble ceremony
(Father Gus, mother Helen, brother Eric & wife Martha,
sister-in-law Sherrie)

Over the years, I have provided gratis lectures and trunk shows, been employed as a teacher, acted as quilt show judge for the Utah Quilt Guild. In 2010, I was awarded the Silver Thimble by the Guild in recognition of my long-time membership and contribution to their efforts and activities.

Our family nearly grown
Riley, Jodi, Mikey, Kenzie Vince, Cory

Eventually our family welcomed three children, daughter Kenzie Leigh, Riley Vincent, and Cory Aaron. We have lived in four Utah cities: five years in Bennion,  followed by 20 years in South Jordan, and now we reside near the twelfth tee of a beautiful golf course in Lehi. We have a marvelous view of a water hazard mini-lake, and the south eastern mountain range enclosing Utah Valley. My family members are developing their own creative pursuits. Kenzie is a graphic design graduate and currently creates digital paper designs for Silhouette America. Riley is becoming an artistic photographer of subjects in natural settings. Cory is putting his imagination to work in the drafting and architectural fields. Vince is creating pressed flower and preserved inset artwork. Yes, I am afraid what ever I am suffering from is CATCHING!

Pogo the cat in a crazy pose

We also have  -- or perhaps HE has us --  as part of our family a gray and white tabby cat, but he is a distinct and lengthy story all by himself!






Find more of my personal history, including images of the art quilts I have created as entries in the International Art Competitions sponsored by the LDS Museum of Church History and Art. Several of these have received recognition or purchase awards by the Museum.