About

Dixie Frantz is a recent widow, mother of three, grandmother to Jacob, Ben, Zelie, Melanie, and Leo. She has quilted for 40 years, is a writer, traveler, and lover of life.

In 2018, after taking a class she discovered collage art quilting. Her first pattern, a colorful collage art panda is named Moo-Shu. Her other collage art quilt patterns include a reindeer, and Bluebonnet, a Texas Longhorn, a beginner “heart” quilt, Texas flag, Origami “Peace Crane,” several versions of a gumball machine, and angel wings. Check out her Etsy shop where pdf quilt instructions/patterns/supply lists are available!

Dixie teaches collage quilting classes at Houston area quilt stores and area quilt guilds. Feel free to contact me at dixie@lifesloosethreads.com for more information. Also, be sure to follow Dixie for the latest quilt inspiration on Instagram @lifesloosethreads.

Dixie has volunteered with a prayer quilt ministry at her church for many years. The group makes about 80 prayer quilts per year for the sick in our parish. She has also volunteered for decades on behalf of the disabled community. For many years, Dixie has also made a quilt for the Village Learning Center’s annual gala which raises funds for their day center. Her middle child/angel, Mimi, age 34, was born with cerebral palsy and attended their day center until in late 2018, she received her angel wings.

In early 2016, her husband was diagnosed with stage four kidney cancer. He was successfully treated in an immunotherapy clinical trial at MD Anderson Cancer Hospital in Houston, Texas. She has blogged about the first three years of this cautionary tale. Unfortunately, a brain tumor popped up in early 2019. After fighting the stubborn brain tumor for a year, Rick entered hospice at home. On March 11, 2020, after four months on hospice, Rick passed away at home the day Texas was locked down due to the coronavirus.

Dixie Frantz wrote “You Gotta Laugh,” a humorous newspaper column for almost 25 years. Her columns have appeared in as many as 10 local Houston area newspapers. Dixie’s ramblings showcase the funny, amusing and sometimes touching, slices of life from the suburbs. Besides blogging since 2012, her writing credentials include nearly 500 humorous columns, feature and travel stories for a host of weekly newspapers. She is a “Chicken Soup for the Soul Celebrates Teachers” contributor, has written for a national women’s magazine, and MD Anderson Cancer Hospital’s blog.

Dixie has completed a memoir about her special needs daughter, Mimi, entitled, “A Joyful Embrace: A Memoir,” after Mimi earned her angel wings in October, 2018. The book is self-published and available on Amazon in ebook, paperback, and hardcover options. I would be most grateful if you would leave a review after reading Mimi’s book. Follow her on Instagram @dixiefrantzauthor, and the blog about her book at www.dixiefrantz.com