Sewing Up a Story

November 27, 2021

Quilt making at first meant sewing together every scrap of cloth to make warm bedcovers. But over time making quilts became a kind of art and quilt making a social event.

A pioneer mother made all of her family’s clothes. Leftover scraps from shirts and dresses would be saved and sewn together until they made a piece large enough to cover a bed.

In the spring, all the women in the area would gather for a quilting bee, sewing together the plain bottom, the warm padding in the middle, and the ornamental top of the quilt. The women could talk with friends after the long winter and there was a party for everyone to end the bee.

My paternal grandmother and maternal great aunt were avid quilters. I have several quilts created by them. I remember seeing my great aunt Rosa Walker sit and constantly cut and piece quilts by hand. I sometimes helped her by cutting individual pieces using a cardboard pattern and scissors. Quilt tops pieced by Mama Dee and Aunt Rosa have been quilted by me and are used in my bedroom. They are very special to me.

As a quilter, I am very frugal with fabrics and have a definite love for them. I am constantly creating numerous quilts. Until now all have been made as gifts for friends and family or used for fundraisers for charitable causes.