My mama always sewed beautifully for my sisters, me, and herself, most of the time on a treadle machine until she got her Singer machine. She quilted as well. I can remember as a small child four long attached wooden poles suspended from the the ceiling by ropes, and neighborhood women would come to visit her and each other in cold weather to quilt, gossip, bringing along a dish to add to the communal table for lunch. Every stitch was quilted ... Read Full Bio »

My mama always sewed beautifully for my sisters, me, and herself, most of the time on a treadle machine until she got her Singer machine. She quilted as well. I can remember as a small child four long attached wooden poles suspended from the the ceiling by ropes, and neighborhood women would come to visit her and each other in cold weather to quilt, gossip, bringing along a dish to add to the communal table for lunch. Every stitch was quilted by hand. These women, who had so little in the way of material wealth, enjoyed this fellowship, and I can still picture them all these years later. The kids had a great time playing underneath the quilt. When the day was over, mama and daddy would use ropes to pull the quilting frame up to the ceiling so the room could be used. So, you see, I have always had a great love for handwork. I have modern machinery and expanded interests in other types of handwork, but my work always pales in comparison to my dear mother's. Though gone for several years, she has and always will be my inspiration.