This month's guild member spotlight is the lovely Stephanie who joined the Cheshire Quilters Guild in September of 2023, during our quilt show. She was so impressed by the quilts, but more importantly by the delightful women she met that she actually attended on Saturday, and given that she kept dreaming about what she saw, she attended again on Sunday! She had a fabulous quilt show experience which we love to hear as a guild. See what Stephanie told us about her quilting life.
Answer: “I started sewing at a very early age; my grandmother enjoyed hand sewing; I still have my "baby" quilt from the day I was born. Then I was introduced to the foundation of making clothing in my high school economics class; my mother made our clothes from time to time, and that sent me on my adventure with fabric and design. I reconnected with sewing once my son was older, and my mother and I started our first class with quilting fabric in preparation of creating vests and jackets. Then we were introduced to piecing for quilts at Close to Home (in Glastonbury, CT). I always found myself in a different classroom environment from then on: learning something new, and expanding my skill set. After returning to "back East" from a stint living in Montana, I found a renewed interest in quilts and started taking classes. I started with a beginner class at Seams Sew Together (Bellows Falls, VT) with Shelley; in Montana, I mostly repaired horse blankets and that was the extent of my sewing. Then I was introduced to Bonny Peters (at the Cheshire Quilters Guild in September 2023) and the amazing Deb Tucker tools and techniques; I found I really appreciate the precision of the tools and techniques, and Bonny is a top-notch instructor. I recently attended a class led by Linda Pearl using the Sew Kind of Wonderful curve tools; that was exciting. And as of late, I was introduced to Donna Vau (at a trunk show at New England Fabrics); I registered for the beginner class which has taken the mystery and fear out of paper piecing, applying the Judy Niemeyer technique of paper piecing (Quiltworx). I enjoy learning and expanding my knowledge, thus classes are a staple for me.”
Answer: “I have not entered a quilt into a show; I am still honing my skill set. I am still learning color theory and quilt piecing skills.”
Answer: “I spend about 20 hours a week quilting, but it is more than sitting at my sewing machine. You see, I enjoy "petting" my fabric; I like re-organizing my fabric, and playing with colors. And I can't seem to get enough of working with new designs, and putting to paper some of my own creations and layouts. I am working on "modern" quilt designs but I haven't quite turned the corner on that concept yet.”
Answer: "I enjoy precision; that is the OCD side of me I guess. Thus, I prefer tools that get me to that place where my seams line up and my points meet. The patterns using the Deb Tucker tools, and patterns using the Judy Niemeyer paper piecing technique have surfaced to the top of my go-to patterns of choice.”
Answer: “I decide to get back into quilting once I relocated to Charlestown (NH). I worked on horse blanket repairs in Montana so my finer sewing skills were rusty. I decide to make a quilt that represents my sister's cat's many lives (by way of various colors and tones of fabric); Shebah (the feline) passed over the rainbow due to age and poor health. I chose what I considered a very easy pattern, from one of those pattern cards you purchase for $2.00 at any quilt shop. Now this is before I met Shelley (Seams Sew Together) or Bonny (Deb Tucker tools and techniques) or the Cheshire Quilters Guild. It was a pattern full of cat profiles; lots of glorious cats. I must confess that my cutting was NOT straight as my rotary blade was quite dull, my seams did not match up, and I did not press correctly so that the seams did not nest. I had no idea when I last changed out my needle; that wasn't even in the realm of interest. My points were so out of whack, as I did not understand the concept of "snowballs" on the corners. BUT to top it all off, the cat's ears ... I sewed each and every one of them on upside down! The cats resemble Scotty dogs! Plus, I used some flannel as the batting, which made for a very heavy end-product. My sister (Phyllis) loves the quilt; and she is fussy (as she is an artist in her own right). And in her opinion, the ears are perfect ... just as Shebah was perfect in her odd, cranky, quirky ways. (I suggested that the quilt would be great for a beach blanket, but Phyllis prefers it on her couch.) And this is why I take classes ... from qualified and patient instructors, as I can't be trusted to follow the pattern instructions on my own!”
Mailing Address: PO Box 1481, Keene, NH 03431-1481
Cheshire County Courthouse 12 Court Street; 2nd Floor, Keene, NH 03431
Email: Cheshirequiltersguildkeene@yahoo.com Website: www.cheshirequilters.com Webmaster: Ann Burns
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