Revived Traditions: the Quilting Bee

It started with a yard sale find and a spool of thread.

I have always found patchwork quilting a beautiful art. Though modern day quilting can also be very beautiful and require skill, there is something even more lovely about the humble and simple patchwork tradition. Patchwork quilts were a way of making the practical into something beautiful and meaningful. Old clothing or fabric remnants could receive new life as a piece in a quilt block. A quilt might hold many memories of different people and occasions through the fabric used. The actually quilting (stitching all the layers together after the patchwork top was complete) would often be done communally, bringing generations of ladies together.

I found a lovely vintage patchwork quilt top at a yard sale last year. I had cotton batting and fabric backing in my stash to complete it. After washing the quilt top on the gentle cycle, I hand basted the layers together and was ready to start the quilting. The only thing I needed to buy was thread for hand quilting (which is stronger than thread used in a sewing machine). I stopped at a locally owned quilt shop. I couldn’t find any hand quilting thread, so I asked the store owner about it.

“Hand quilting thread? No one hand quilts anymore so we don’t stock it. Anything we have left will be in this basket.” He walked away as I looked through the meager offering. Another voice said, “Excuse me, do you hand quilt? I love hand quilting, but I don’t know anyone else who still does it.” I started telling the lady about the quilt top I found and wanted to complete. Her eyes got wide. “I have restored vintage quilts too! I’ve been looking for a group that quilts together. Do you know of one?” I didn’t, but we exchanged information and agreed to get together.

When we met again to show each other some of our quilts and other sewing projects, we found that we had much in common. We even owned the same sea foam green, 1960’s Singer sewing machine! Mine was handed down from my great grandmother. As we shared our art with each other, we also shared about our lives. I continued working on the quilt. When trying to decide what pattern to make with the stitching, I kept seeing the 9-square blocks as tic-tac-toe boards (I probably spend too much time with 1st graders). I asked my students to play a couple rounds of tic-tac-toe and give me the results. I stitched each game into a different block, so the quilt now holds memories of my students.

Since our first meeting, this lady has become my dear friend and two other ladies have joined our little sewing circle. I have learned so much about the craft of quilting, including useful techniques and tools. One lady, who is an expert on textiles, told me the ages of several of the fabrics in the patchwork top I had rescued. Many were from the 30’s and 40’s. She said the small blue and white prints were likely from the 19th century! Though I don’t know what significance each scrap of fabric held for the person who originally hand pieced this quilt, I know it has history and represents many memories and stories.

The quilt now also holds many memories of the sewing circle. We have begun to call ourselves the “Spool Sisters.” We have probably cried more times that we are together than we have left dry eyed. Stitch by stitch we are making beautiful art (and restoring what was once beautiful) with tender love and care. As we stitch and talk and pray, we are also healing our souls and building sister-like bonds. I finally finished my quilt this weekend while listening to inspirational online talks from likeminded artists. This winter when I curl up underneath the quilt to read a book, I’ll be enveloped in all sorts of memories.