The Patchwork of Her Life

Georgianne Preskar Rollman '73 didn't set out to become a quilter, nor did her husband's foreign service career seem to lead to that. But as they traveled around the world ­ Turkey, London, Sofia, Seoul, Frankfurt ­ Rollman developed a genuine interest in the handicrafts, fabrics, and ethnic costumes of the countries they lived in.

Then Rollman learned American-style quilting from Army wives in Seoul, which has added continuity to a life of upheaval. "It's been important to find
something I can take with me. It's like meditation ­ it keeps me centered,
which you need when you¹re going from place to place all the time," she
says.

Husband David Rollman '72 is now posted to Kabul, where his work as refugee
coordinator includes overseeing a program that teaches war widows to make
quilts they can sell. Spouses cannot go to Kabul, so Georgianne Rollman has
returned to Denver for a year-long "vacation" of quilting and making
costumes for Buntport Theater, an avant-garde troupe co-founded by daughter
Erin '98.

A recent Rollman quilt benefited Erin's CC theatrical group. Rollman brought
a tiger-striped beauty to Homecoming for Erin's 5th and her own 30th
reunion, where the Theatre Workshop offered tickets for a drawing, raising
$750. "Theatre Workshop was a great inspiration to Erin," says Rollman.
Rollman spent about 100 hours machine-piecing together 48 squares and three
borders for the twin-sized quilt, then hand-quilting it and appliquéing
tiger stripes on top. Rollman hopes to learn to weave during her Denver
sojourn.

- Anne Christensen

Georgianne Preskar Rollman '73
Gabriele Prochaska '86 & Scott Desmarais '86
Kate Vorhees '96
Scott McLeod '71
Alyssa Leibold '04