Maureen Hoyle (née Dickenson) was born in Liverpool in 1920 and was soon involved in domestic needlework with four brothers in the family. In her marriage to Bill, she had three children, for whom she sewed, knitted and crocheted clothes, always beautifully finished. About 1963 she completed a City and Guilds Diploma in Domestic Science with almost the top marks in the country. On retirement from service with British Gas, Maureen became an active member of Lymm (Cheshire) Jubilee Women's Institute. There, with no formal training, she made her first patchwork, using average sized pieces at first, with meticulous precision. Gradually her work became smaller and smaller, yet retaining the attention to detail and colour combination, and winning plaudits at Malvern and Harrogate. About 1986, Maureen met Margaret Menzies and Pat Simmonds at a Quilters' Guild meeting near Chester. Each brought friends to a church on Montague Road in Sale and thus Montague Patchers evolved into a thriving group, looking forward to its 20th birthday, largely thanks to her infectious enthusiasm. Maureen, ably assisted by her beloved Bill, who made her templates, taught countless quilters in Region13 and further afield. - Her Christmas decoration workshops were always a sell-out. Her preparation for these ensured no one went home dissatisfied with her efforts. She and Bill were both held in such high esteem that in 1990 several of her Quilters' Guild friends presented a Golden Wedding quilt - a much-treasured and well-used possession. When Margaret Quarterman was Regional Co-ordinator for Region 13, she was tasked to produce a Commemoration Quilt for the Guild's 20th Birthday AGM. Bill suggested a 20th anniversary is a China one, and from that Margaret got the Willow Pattern idea that Gwenfai Rees Griffiths designed into that memorable piece of work. Her special category became exquisite miniature quilts on little beds with mattress, pillow and sheet - and often a tiny teddy peeping out! Inspiration came in a piece of fabric or a bed given to her. Many quilts were pieced, mainly over papers, but some were embroidered and she was famous for her French Knots, with which she preferred to combine the layers of her quilts, rather than with quilting. Many of her pieces have tiny cross-stitched labels on the back, and some have an envelope or pocket which may have some information about the fabric or the inspiration. The CHARM QUILT (being) given to the Quilters Guild of the British Isles in 2006 represents the best in Maureen's work. She used to tell friends it took her 6 hours to remove and replace two 3/8" hexagons of the same fabric. Only Maureen would have done that. Her devotion to the truth and her generosity of friendship live on in her superb little quilts.