She had been quilting for more than 40 years, but after a hemorrhagic stroke in March 2024, the familiar controls no longer made sense. It was as if her hands had forgotten what her heart still wanted to do.

Determined to figure it out, she opened her machine’s instruction booklet and started over. 

“It was a struggle at first,” said Noah, 77. “But each day it became easier.”

Every petal in “Stroke Therapy,” Noah’s latest art quilt, reflects that hard-won progress. But before she could create the 62-by-76-inch sunflower quilt, she had to relearn the basics—not just of quilting, but of everyday activities.

A SUDDEN INTERRUPTION

The stroke came without warning.

Noah was eating lunch at home with her husband, Bob, when she began choking. Moments later, she lost movement on the right side of her body and struggled to speak. An MRI at Montrose Regional Health revealed a ruptured blood vessel in her brain. She was airlifted to St. Mary’s Regional Hospital in Grand Junction.

In the hospital, fear set in.

 “My scariest thought was, ‘Am I going to die?’” Noah said. “I kept trying to ask the EMTs and the ER staff. They could barely understand me, but they knew what I was saying.”

She recalled the ER doctor taking her hand, looking her in the eye and saying, “Not today, Margaret.”

After several days in intensive care, she moved to a skilled nursing floor, then to the rehabilitation unit. At first, overwhelmed and frightened, she resisted therapy. A nurse challenged her perspective.

“She said, ‘Tell me, how do you think you are going to get out of this hospital and back home?’” Noah recalled. “‘You’re the only one who can make that happen.’”

Her care team was direct about what recovery would require: consistent work and patience. She decided quitting wasn’t an option.

LEARNING TO START AGAIN

Within days, she left the hospital and returned home to Montrose, where she continued rehab at home. Over the next 10 months, she worked to regain strength and mobility, relearning how to eat, hold a fork and manage daily routines. Her recovery also focused on staying active, eating well, managing stress, maintaining social connections and getting enough sleep.

 Detail of Noah’s sunflower quilt reveals layered textures and vibrant color, inspired by blooms in her backyard. Geometric patterns and precise piecing highlight the technical craftsmanship behind her quilting.

 “I embraced resting my brain for long periods of time—not reading, not watching television, just resting,” she said. “I would challenge myself every day with simple tasks like fixing breakfast and doing a load of laundry. Every day, the little things got easier.”

Several weeks passed before Noah returned to her sewing room. She wondered whether she could still sew, still quilt, still create.

It didn’t come naturally at first. She managed to turn the machine on but couldn’t remember how to thread it, so she pulled out the instruction manual and followed it step by step.

Then she placed a piece of fabric under the presser foot and began to stitch. 

Relief washed over her. She started small, sewing a little each day. Though she still struggled with spatial awareness and angles, she gradually regained confidence. Over time, she relied less on patterns and more on instinct. The artist resurfaced. 

“I found my happiness again,” she said.

PETAL BY PETAL

The idea for her sunflower quilt began in her own yard.

“I planted sunflower seeds, and by the end of summer 2024, I had these big, beautiful flowers,” she said.

While looking through photos, one image captured her attention: the back of a sunflower.

She took it to a Montrose copy center and asked how large it could be printed. She wanted the quilt to fill the enlarged image corner to corner.

Made from about 1,500 fabric sections and more than 1 million stitches, the quilt took 10 months to complete. When bluebirds appeared, she wove them into the design and changed the dark shadows to a brighter purple to add more color.

 “Sunshine on My Shoulders” won viewers’ choice at the 2019 Black Canyon Quilt Show.

 Encouraged by a friend, Noah brought her work to the Montrose Center of the Arts, where it was welcomed alongside paintings and sculptures. Art quilts, she noted, are created for expression and display rather than function.

In 2025, her work earned Best of Show at the 2025 Black Canyon Quilt Show. It was also displayed at the American Quilter’s Society Show in Paducah, Kentucky. 

She is now working on a new piece inspired by cliff swallows. Like the sunflowers in her back yard, “My hope is to take a common sight and turn it into something extraordinary,” she said.

LESSONS IN RECOVERY

Now two years into recovery, Noah reflects on what she’s gained.

“I’m very proud of myself,” she said.

Like many stroke survivors, she has learned that recovery takes time. Strokes remain a leading cause of disability in the United States, and neurologists encourage patients to stay engaged and keep challenging themselves as the brain forms new connections.

 “Bea, the Bear, Contemplation” won Best of Show at the 2023 Black Canyon Quilt Show. 

 For Noah, the journey reshaped her outlook.

“I’ve learned to live a simpler life, doing what I love and being thankful for every day,” she said. “Especially this day.”