Presentation at Waverly HS in Waverly NY - October 2017

Cathleen Wiggs, a retired U.S. Marine and published author, is active in the folk art of quilting and presents her creations through her reenactment performances. Wiggs travels across the country to share America's unique history of quilts and the stories they tell. Above, Wiggs gives a presentation at Waverly High School on Monday.

No stranger to theater, Wiggs began acting in the now defunct Valley Players when she was 12 years old. She continued acting through high school, but took a long break while she served her country. After she retired from the United Sates Marine Corps in 1997, she eventually began acting again as well as writing and directing plays.

Researching and writing the stories herself, Wiggs is also the actress in the one-woman show. She was inspired to create the stories after she was asked to do a bed-turning narration for the guild’s (Endless Mountain) 2012 show. She has since written and performed four 45-minute shows – Civil War, Depression Era, Fairy Queen of Quilting, and this year’s Mail Order Bride. 

Along with the informative and entertaining narrative, Cathleen dazzles the audience with a trunk show of her many beautiful quilts.  

“I put all of my hobbies together – love of history, acting and quilting. When I retired from the Marines, I found out that I wanted to get paid to talk,” she remarked.

Wiggs adds a new show to her repertoire every year or two. She does shows for museums, school groups, libraries, nursing homes, quilt guilds, and at quilt shows. She performs regionally and has also done shows in Dallas and in Ireland.  

For more information about Cathleen’s shows, visit www.thequiltladystories.com. 

Excerpt from an article posted in the Owego Pennysaver on September 27, 2018