Guild Member Spotlight

Cary joined the Guild in 1999, shortly after she moved to Keene. She had been quilting for many years and had expressed interest in joining a guild. Her mother asked a friend of hers from her local (Newport, NH) quilt guild who was also a member of the Cheshire guild if she’d take me to a meeting. Erna O’Shea, whom some members will remember, brought her to a meeting in September 1999. During that meeting the president announced that they were looking for someone to take over the Guild newsletter. She had done newsletters for other organizations and to her surprise – this was WAY outside her comfort zone – She raised her hand and said, “I’ll do it!” The president said, “That’s great! Thanks! Who are you??” She figured taking on this job in the Guild would be a good way to meet people and get involved. She was the newsletter editor for several years, and went on to serve as vice president, quilt show co-chair, and member-at-large. 

Response: "Wow, let me count the ways! I’ve always loved working with fabric and turning it into something. I love finding just the right fabrics for a quilt, and there are so many gorgeous fabrics to choose from! My first quilt, made in probably 1977, was made from ugly polyester fabric with a sheet as the backing. Fabric sure has come a long way since then. I love batiks, and novelty fabrics, and landscape fabrics. I love going through my stash and being reminded of all the lovely things waiting there for me to create something with (and I will have to live another 50 years to make much of a dent in it). But I also love the camaraderie of being a quilter, the support we give each other and the things we learn from each other, and the beautiful work we share with each other and our community."

Response: "My first quilt was pretty challenging, since I didn’t have a clue what I was doing! But my most challenging quilt ended up also being my most rewarding. I took a picture of a window in a stone building with a window box full of beautiful flowers, intending to use it as the basis for a quilt. But it was 10 years before I had the confidence to try it. One year the Guild challenge theme was “architectural detail” and that was the push I needed. I cut out individual stones to recreate the walls around the window, and cut many, many tiny flowers to recreate the flower box. Fusible vinyl made a realistic-looking window, over which I painstakingly fused thin strips of fabric for the window panes. It really stretched my creative muscles and, in the end, I was very happy with it because I was able to re-create all the elements of the photo with fabric the way I’d envisioned all those years ago. I have several other photographs that I’d like to turn into collage quilts, and I’m currently very interested in and fascinated by the new technologies that can be used to create patterns from our own photos. "

Response: "I worked in a library in the 1970s and came across a book about quilting that piqued my interest. I hadn’t been sewing long but decided to make the quilt pictured on the cover! 

It was hideous...I made HUGE blocks, so I didn’t have to do too many; the fabric was probably all polyester and I used a polyester sheet for the back. I used whatever fabric scraps I had on hand to make the Dresden Plates and used such narrow seams to make them come together correctly that many of the fabrics unraveled and the seams came apart. The batting was very wispy and I only tied it at the block corners so it didn’t hold together very well. But I used that quilt proudly for years! I don’t still have it or any photos of it, unfortunately. It wasn’t lovely but I have been making quilts ever since, and (I hope) improving with each one!"

Response: "That is very difficult to answer; it depends on so many things. Large quilts take much longer, of course, and I don’t often make a bed quilt because of that! I prefer wall hangings, for many reasons. They’re smaller and don’t take as long, and because they’re (relatively) quicker to make, I can try out different types and techniques more easily. Over the years I’ve gone through ‘phases’ of making stained glass quilts, photo quilts with photos printed on fabric, collage quilts, etc., etc. Each type and technique have brought new opportunities for creativity. My oldest UFO is a baby quilt I started for my second child. He’ll be 39 in June.”

Response:

"I was good friends with a woman I worked for/with, but after I took another job and she became ill with cancer we kind of lost touch. In January of 2020 she called to ask me if I’d help her put borders on an old quilt top, she’d purchased somewhere and wanted to finish for her daughter. I agreed, and ended up finishing the quilt myself except for the tying of it, which she was able to do. Over the course of several months, we spent quite a bit of time together, working with the quilt and reconnecting. By the time it was all done the pandemic was in full swing, so I had to meet her outside in her driveway to give it to her. She loved it and was able to give it to her daughter before she passed away a few months later. I was so grateful that the quilt gave us a chance to spend that time together