Welcome to the Cheshire Quilters' Guild Website

This month's guild member spotlight is Barbara Jeffrey who joined the Cheshire Quilters Guild in 2023, at the invitation of Lori Blake whom she has known since they were children in the "old neighborhood ". She has been quilting somewhere between 18 to 20 years and she made her first quilts out of necessity. She had an office in a building that had no insulation, so she made two 84" square quilts to hang in the windows to help keep the cold out. She got the idea from romance novels: the ladies of the castle would hang tapestries to keep the drafts out. She has been designing her own quilts for years and hopes to submit some of her designs to quilting magazines. 

Answer: “I am pretty much self-taught; I did have an aunt who guided me through my first layering and basting experience.” 

Answer: “My favorite colors are pinks but more rose than bubblegum and aqua, more blue than green and yes, I use them in my quilts. 

Answer: “I free motion quilt on my domestic machine up to full size quilts. Queen size usually get straight-line quilting on my machine, or I rent time on a long arm machine for queen or king sizes. I love feathers, so use those often. I sometimes plan out a design in advance but often decide as I go. I'm trying to learn doodle quilting.” 

Answer: “The most challenging quilt so far has been a large Lone Star. Getting the intersections of the diamonds to come out right and getting the setting triangles to lay flat were the most challenging aspects.” 

Answer: “I designed and made a quilt for my mom before she passed away. After she passed, I gave the quilt to my college roommate, who knew and loved my mom. It became a great memento for her. She later let her grandsons use the quilt for a play mat. I wanted HER to have the quilt, so I made an Eye Spy quilt for the kids!”