My sewing journey started during my childhood; due to my mother's untimely death, my father was supported in rearing his four children by my paternal grandmother and an aunt who were both seamstresses. My initial exposure to sewing by hand and sewing machine started at home and was later coupled with a tenth grade sewing class. These experiences solidified my interest and basic skills in sewing. In my high school Home Economics class, I learned to construct basic garments, to crochet and to repair or alter gently used and new clothing that was often too big or short for my very long, slim body.
My senior year of high school culminated with sewing and designing along with my Sunday School teacher and Master Seamstress Mrs. Margarite Deverow to construct my prom dress; Ms. Deverow was a stickler for accuracy who taught me how to cut on the bias when we were short of chiffon fabric needed to complete my dress’s cummerbund. In hindsight, I realize she had given me an incredible gift. Shortly after graduating from high school, I left home for college, and sewing became a thing of my past.
Fast forward to 1988. I was newly married and living in Fayetteville, NC with my husband who was a member of the United States Air Force. We were adjusting to our new life of teacher and soldier. To relax after work, my husband played video games; I, on the other hand, found myself moaning and groaning because my thoughts were that we should have been spending time together. My husband suggested that I find something I would enjoy doing in
the same room while he played his games. This led to my picking up a craft magazine from which a blue themed wall quilt pattern called out. I had to make it. To do so required I have a sewing machine; we purchased one from our local JCPenney. I had found “my thing”. Sewing, through machine quilting, was a part my life again. For the next three or four years, I tried hand quilting and cross stitching/needlepoint, and began sewing garments and crocheting again. I continued this even as we moved overseas to Turkey. Being away from family and giving birth to our sons in 1991 and 1992, I was inspired to sew car seat covers, crochet blankets, and to piece and tiedown my first full-sized machine quilt which our family still uses today.
In 1994 stationed back in the U.S. our daughter was born. Two toddlers and a newborn left very little time for my hobbies, and I did not fancy having needles etc. accessible to a baby and toddlers. However, visits with my mother-in-law, who was an avid seamstress allowed me windows of opportunity.
In 2000, our children were older, and we moved from Georgia to California and lived there until 2006. During that time, I crocheted mostly, making prayer blankets for friends who were experiencing illness. My sewing consisted mainly of alterations and repairs of our family’s clothing; parenting and teaching full-time didn’t allow for much else. There was one exception.
In 2003, my husband retired after serving 20 years in the United States Air Force,
and I wanted to present him with something special to commemorate this special accomplishment. With fabric transfer paper and Air Force Gold and blue fabrics, I made my first photo memory quilt; this would be the first of many. In the years that followed, I continued my on again off again machine piecing, making special keepsakes for family and friends. All of that changed in 2022.
Quilt Camp, April 2022 in Houston, TX under the tutelage of Phyllis Simpson of Just Quilting changed everything for me. Phyllis took my friend Henrietta and myself through the basics of quilting. Our preparation for the trip to Houston included picking up basic supplies from a list. The class syllabus listed five sessions in lecture and hands-on format. Phyllis covered all bases, teaching us how to read a quilt pattern, set up our machines, standard measurements (I failed here; you'll understand later.), quilting vocabulary, the anatomy of a quilt, quilt blocks etc. She even designed a pattern especially for us that would allow us to apply our new understandings.
Although, I had made a few quilts, I’d never heard of nine patches, snow balls, or rail fences to name a few. Neither had I heard of colorways, the importance of quarter inch seams and accurate cuts, or pressing vs. ironing. My eyes were opened with the wonder of a child. The beautiful gift of Phyllis's instruction, the forging of a new friendship, and Henrietta’s incredible patient explanation of the true measure of a 9 ½ inch square, while we were in a traffic jam on the way home from Houston, all helped me to realize my passion for quilting and influenced me to diligently pursue it further.
Since quilt camp, I have been sewing, piecing and quilting at every opportunity. I have taken t-shirt making and longarm quilting classes, and my husband and I purchased our first longarm so that I can take my quilts from start to completion.
As I look back, I can't help but see the quilt top that is my life; its past, present, and future connected by a common thread. I have since learned that for generations women in my family have been sewing, piecing and quilting. In my next blog post, read about how quilting connected me to my family history.
Until then, I look forward to your comments and shares of how quilting connects you.
Sewing Seams of Love,
Christina