It took a few winters before Mildred Armstrong found a hobby that she would use to help the community. For eight years now, the Winter Texan has been creating quilts using donated material to give to The Salvation Army, a women's shelter and local hospitals. Armstrong spends many hours sifting through squares of fabric, designing, sewing and sandwiching the final pieces together and loves doing it.

Age: 81

Originally from: Kansas

Winters at: McAllen Mobile Park

Q: How did you first get involved in sewing?

A: My mother was a good seamstress. And if I didn't get it right, I had to rip it out.

Q: What was life like before wintering in the Rio Grande Valley?

A: I got married and had a daughter, but salaries were not so high back then. So I started working then. I worked as a teacher when I was just out of high school. I worked in a one-room school. I was the teacher, the janitor, I did everything - including lighting the fire in a cold stove.

Amy Nichol Smith covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4420.