December 2024 Guild Member Spotlight

This month's guild member spotlight Sara Fredette is a retired nurse. She has worked as a Charge Nurse in a Northampton, Massachusetts nursing home 3 evenings a week for 10 years, followed by 3 years in Private Duty and 10 years in Hospice. She joined the guild in 2001. She and her husband had purchased a park model trailer on a lot at Forest Lake campgrounds in Winchester and when she realized they would be staying there from May until October she stopped in at the Moses House Quilt Shop and said, "Where are the quilters?" She was given information on the contact person and soon received membership information and a nice welcoming note from Sue Weeks. At her first meeting she recognized familiar faces from the Vermont Quilt Festival and soon felt like one of the "girls". She hopes that people who are joining now feel that same welcome. She feels that the camaraderie of a quilt guild is very special. At the end of the camping season when they returned to their home in Williamsburg Massachusetts, she continued to attend meetings, not only monthly but also weekly small groups. She states that she has been lucky to have served as a guild secretary and enjoyed the Board meetings as well. 

Answer: "I learned basic sewing from my mom, who did dressmaking, drapes and slipcovers, and I took 4H sewing classes. Our leader was a young Mom who had a baby, a toddler and a preschooler and she had to drag me by the hair back to my machine since the little ones were a lot more fun. In later years she became a guidance counselor at the regional high school our kids attended and one day in the hall she stopped our son to tell him she had judged quilts at the Northampton fair and was proud to put ribbons on some of my work since she had a hand in my early efforts in putting fabrics together. She got a surprising reaction from Don, as he said "It was YOU!!! You're the one who got her started? You can't use our dinner table because she's got quilting all over it! You can't sit on our sofa because you'll get a pin in your butt! You have to make your own snacks because she's too busy QUILTING !!"  Good thing she had a great sense of humor! It was in the mid '70's when I got excited about quilting, seeing the commemorative quilts being made for the Bicentennial showing important places in towns, created as big display pieces using applique and embroidery. Prior to that the quilts I'd seen were typical 40's and 50's creations, with tulips and wind mills or other simple designs that didn't excite me. My skills were basic and improved with practice over the years, but now I feel they are deteriorating back to basic, between problems with my hands, eyes and back! It's okay...I'm happy with what I do.”

Answer: “I spend some time nearly every day doing something in my quilting space. (I said to my husband the other day "Some quilters have a design wall where pieces can be arranged prior to stitching. I have a design floor!") A lot of work can be done while I listen to books thru Libby on my phone, especially the applique or other hand stitching.”

Answer: “My preference is for hand sewing, as applique prep is so easy with freezer paper. For a few months this year I focused primarily on small Cathedral Window items following a tutorial I found from Australia. They are great fun. The units are assembled using the machine, and then the finishing is easy by hand.”

Answer: “Neither of our kids is a quilter. Lucy is a good knitter. That skill skipped my generation, as it was something my mother was very good at, but I didn't take to it. Don is good with his hands, but not with fabric. Over the years he has appreciated my mending skills.”

Answer: “One quilting story that comes to mind occurred at the Vermont Quilt Festival. I was visiting with a quilter from a guild on the Connecticut shore and mentioned a friend had recently moved to that area and was interested in that guild. I didn't say that she had shared with me the cool reception she got on attending. As a coincidence that friend happened along with others from my home guild while we were talking, and I introduced them. The CT girl took my friend "under her wing" and brought her to the next guild meeting and made sure she had fun. My friend subsequently became Treasurer of the guild and a valuable member in other ways and enjoyed her time there. It's a reminder how we need to be aware of new faces and make sure the welcome is warm. Quilts are warm...and we should be too!!”