UFT retiree Louise Naples fell into quilting serendipitously. She went to buy a new sewing machine to make clothing and happened upon a quilt exhibit, where she saw a display of women’s first quilts and knew she could do that.

The avid seamstress quickly shifted to quilt-making. “It’s a lot more fun than making clothing,” said Naples, who retired in 2008 after 25 years as a school secretary in Manhattan and Queens.

Naples’ first creation was a baby quilt for her then-principal at PS 60 in Woodhaven, Queens, and his wife. Twenty years and some 200 quilts later, her pieces have ranged from small art quilts and table settings to king-size bedspreads.

In April, 25 of Naples’ most prized creations were featured in a month-long solo show sponsored by the Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery at The Center, a communal gathering space at the cemetery in Kew Gardens, Queens. Friends, family members, neighbors, fellow quilters and Women’s Club of Forest Hills members admired her artistry at an April 16 reception.

“I believe that the giving of a quilt is a gift of love, and even though many are with people I don’t even know, I am pleased that my artwork is appreciated and is out there in the world making people happy,” Naples wrote in a biography for the exhibit.

In fact, Naples, who was born and raised along with 13 siblings in Queens and on Long Island, seldom sells her quilts. She instead has given dozens as gifts to family members and friends, as well as to charitable organizations that have auctioned them to raise money. Her quilts have also been displayed in the offices of her state Assembly member and senator, she said.

Naples regards quilting as “meditative” and “calming.”

It’s also an art form whose makers should be acknowledged, said Naples, who attaches a specially printed label on each quilt she gives away. Older quilts on display in museums often have unknown artists because makers didn’t think they had to sign them. “If you sign a painting, sign a quilt,” she said.

Over the years, Naples has employed different quilting techniques and styles, some of which she learned from taking classes and attending lectures as a member of the Empire Quilters guild in Manhattan. The styles of quilting that she has studied range from simple utility quilts that farmer women and homemakers made from old aprons and overalls to the crazy quilts of the late 1800s that used embellishments and upscale materials.

Naples said she is always looking for new challenges and opportunities to be original in her craft. “I want every quilt to teach me something new,” she said.