Yvonne Wells, a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is an award winning and internationally known quilter. Mrs. Wells is completely self-taught as a quilt maker and an artist. She is known for her hand-stitched narrative quilts that use rich symbolism and vivid colors, with themes ranging from religion to social and political issues.

Mrs. Wells taught physical education in our public schools for most of her adult life. But, in 1979, while her home was undergoing major renovations, she had to sit near the fireplace to keep warm. She decided to make her first quilt to warm her legs until the heating system was restored. With knowledge of how her mother, many years before, made utility quilts - the kind that were “made in the morning and used that night” - Wells made her simple pieced quilt. She liked her quilt and the experience inspired her to make story and picture quilts to express the messages in her heart. Wells stated in a recent interview, “What my head sees, my heart feels, my hand creates.”

Mrs. Wells’ quilts are located in major quilt and folk art collections and exhibitions across the country. The International Quilt Study Center and Museum at The University of Nebraska – Lincoln recently held an exhibit of her work. She was given a solo exhibition by the Huntsville Museum of Art and in 1998 she received the prestigious Alabama Arts Award and Visual Arts Craftsmen Award. Her work has been exhibited in Italy, Japan and other countries of Asia and was included in a major exhibition of Alabama art in the summer of 2000 in the South of France. She was invited to present and discuss her quilts at the Museum of American Folk Art (New York) and was invited to show and discuss her work at the Hallmark Card Company, where three of her quilts were issued as greeting cards.

Judy grew up sleeping under her grandmother's colorful, handmade quilts. She developed a love of quilting at an early age, but did not begin making quilts herself until the mid-nineties when she started piecing traditional quilts. In 2002, Judy retired from her career in Blind Rehabilitation, and was able to spend more time quilting. Soon thereafter, she made a special 100th birthday quilt for her grandmother who could no longer sew. The circle was complete, and it was a special moment for both of them.

In the past few years, Judy started designing and creating her own art quilts. She was inspired by Diane Gaudynski's free motion machine quilting, and learned how to use her home sewing machine to create intricate quilted textures and motifs. At the 2011 American Quilter's Society Show in Lancaster, Judy won First Place in the Sewing Machine Quilted Category with her quilt, Judy in the Sky with Stitches. She also exhibited quilts at the International Quilt Festival Houston, as well as the IQA Celebrate Spring Exhibit in Chicago, and feels fortunate to have won Best of Show, Best Machine Quilting, and First Place awards at state and local levels.

Judy lives in Springville, in a log home she and her husband built in 1984. She is a member of the Birmingham Quilters Guild.