If you all have been quilting long you will soon realize quilting isn't only about quilts. It's about the friendships. That hit me afresh while I was doing my trunk show, "Quilting through the Seasons"
So many of the quilts I showed had a connection with my long time friend (and machine quilter- that came later) I thought I'd do a post about our friendship.
We met online through a group called Interquilt in 1997. That was the olden days of mirc chatrooms and online lists. We chatted online, we chatted on the phone and then Interquilt was doing a live get together and I was going! Kathy and her husband picked me up at the airport and that was the start of a long and quilty friendship.
I attended her quilt group and they did an impromptu show and tell for me.
Kathy was hand quilting this pickle dish with 1/4" lines!
Then she made her first trip "out west" to the Sisters show. We did a class, appropriately called, "To Sisters Through Ohio"
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To Sisters through Ohio |
We've done some amazing road trips!
Pretended we were on the commercial for Rice- A Roni!
And made more quilts together:
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Mystery Quilt class at Sisters Quilt Show |
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Road to Paducah (my first trip to Kentucky) |
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Trip Around the World. We actually made this at my home when she came out for the Sisters Show one year. It was so hot and we were getting so giddy and Kat kept sewing the pieces wrong. Finally I told her she was a shitty piecer! She never let me forget I said that! Of course, you all saw the pickle dish quilt, right? Nuff said about that! |
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Road to CA- three of us got together and swapped parts.
When I met Kathy she was working in a paint plant. She disliked her job so several years later she jumped in with both feet, quit her job, bought a long arm and started her own business. That was about the time Bonnie H stopped quilting for others and it was a smooth transition to Kathy. She is my primary quilter these days when I have to send quilts out. |
She guided me with the trapunto on this quilt showing me the Hari Walner way. Then she quilted it. She liked it so much we swapped a quilt top that I made for quilting one of my quilts.
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This is the one I made her |
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Obviously I needed to add one more border. I made this ocean waves as a swap for quilting too. |
January 2013 was my last trip to see Kathy and as you can see the weather wasn't favorable for traveling far, so we sewed a lot.
She has had knee replacement and is on the mend. I'm hoping she'll be up for another road trip soon! I think we are overdue. Wow! 18 years has flown by!