If you like to eat or putter around the garden you may well have Luther Burbank to thank. An American Botanist, known as the “Plant Wizard” he developed more than 800 varieties of plants in his career many of which are still widely grown today. My quilt depicts just a few of the many he brought us including the July Elberta Peach, Shasta Daisy, Fire Poppy, Santa Rosa Plum, Formosa Plum, Sweet Plumcot and his most famous, the Burbank Russet Potato. His Russet was a direct response to the Irish potato famine, developed for extreme disease resistance. That potato, now the most widely grown in the United States, is used for many of our favorite French fries. 

Burbank worked to secure patent rights so that plant breeders would be able to profit from their developments leading to greater diversity in the garden.  Burbank believed in the power of plants to care for the body and the soul and developed fruits, vegetables, grasses, grains and flowers including 500 hybrid Roses.  Burbank loved humanity and worked joyfully in partnership with nature for the benefit of us all. His legacy continues at the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens in Santa Rosa, California.

Lauretta Crites has a degree in Costume Design and has been privileged to create costumes for stage and screen in Los Angeles as well as traveling to work on productions in the most celebrated theaters in the world. Her love of art, textiles and costume found the perfect marriage in art quilting a passion which has taken over her life and studio. Lauretta’s quilts have appeared in Quilters Newsletter, IQA Journal, Quilting Arts and have won awards at IQA Houston, Road to California, PIQF and more. Lauretta travels the country teaching surface design and speaking about the happiness of quilting. www.LaurettaCrites.com