Estelle S. Pete is a full-blooded Navajo, who was born and raised in Parker, Arizona.  Estelle is a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT), whose reservation is located south of Parker, Arizona, along the Colorado River.  She learned how to sew in the 6th grade and continued sewing throughout high school.  The first quilt she made was for her younger brother, Alexander, who still has that first quilt in his possession.

Since then, Estelle has been sewing on-and-off.  Over the past two years, Estelle has re-established an interest in sewing quilts.  Her inspiration for quilt designs come from an assortment of places – old family photos, childhood memories, and objects of nature (sunset, animals, trees, rivers, seashells).  Recently, she has begun to snap photos with her Nikon D-60 digital camera at local pow-wows.  With her Nikon camera, Estelle captures action scenes she may incorporate into a quilt design.

In October 2011, Estelle entered three quilts in the first CRIT Quilt Exhibit.  She was awarded a purple “Championship” ribbon for each quilt.

Estelle currently lives in Laguna Niguel, California with her husband and daughter. She is employed as a litigation secretary.