My Favorite Quilter
(As presented to the Springhouse Quilter’s Guild, September 2003)
By Ruth Y. Nott
©2003
First of all, let me say "Thank you to Kay for asking me the type of question I find most difficult to answer."
"What is your favorite....whatever?" I'm the type of person who can't choose favorites! I'm asked "What is your favorite color?" for Secret Pals and I always reply "All of them." My favorite things are those things which have caught my eye, or tickled my fancy, or aroused my sense of smell, or simply "felt good"...at the moment. I may have a favorite book today, but read another tomorrow which I think is just as good - or choose a portion of a dish on one of our fabulous pot-luck menus and say "Wow!", but then I taste the next one and it's just as delicious. Life, to me, is like one big smorgasbord and I just can't choose favorites!
But I do remember snuggling down under layers of my grandmother's old quilts on cold winter nights when I was growing up in Orlando in the late 40's and 50's. We were never allowed to run the kerosene heater while we were sleeping, so, even though we were in central Florida, some nights did feel bitter cold to this little girl.
I remember those quilts were frayed and old and I don't know if my grandmother made them or perhaps her mother did. I only wish now that I still had one of them for I would value it a lot more now than I did back then, not for it's warmth, but for who may have made it.... for the family history it held... and for the warmth and comfort it brought to all those it may have touched over the years.
I don't remember ever thinking about quilts again after I married, left Orlando, and began a life raising my own children. Flannel sheets, warm store bought blankets, and heaters and furnaces which worked all night long were a better way to stay comfortable. We lived in Georgia, Massachusetts, Florida, Nebraska, and finally Virginia as my first husband traveled with the Air Force, and I lost touch with 99% of my family.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere in the mid 80's, my half sister contacted me and began trying to become reacquainted. On the one occasion I visited her home in Tennessee, I learned a lot about my family I'd just as soon forget, but I also learned that she was a quilter. She had a Double Wedding Ring quilt in the frame in her dining room and I marveled at how she had the patience to do such delicate work... and do it again and again for each member of her family.
The next quilt which came into my life was a little Christmas couch throw I received as a gift in the early 90's. It was made by my sister-in-law and I never knew she was a quilter, or even that there were quilts made that small.
As you can see, quilts have not been a big part of my life, but rather just occasional visitors, introduced to me by special people whom I loved and admired.
How could I have known back then though that I would one day meet all of you and in so doing find a whole new family of friends to love and admire... all of whom happen to be quilters?! When Verna Mae asked me if I'd like to join her quilting group after she had helped get us settled in Chiefland, I was hesitant because I knew that I had never been a talented seamstress. Yes, I got by, made some of my own clothes and made some of my children's clothes, but never once did I believe that I could even attempt to be as creative, talented, and patient as any of those people whose quilts had touched my life over the years.
None of us here may ever be a Georgia Bonesteele or Alex Anderson or Mary Ellen Hopkins, but each of us has the ability to be somebody's favorite quilter:
Onnie Mae and Ollie Mae for their beautiful spirits, and excellent quilting which they are so willing to share with others,
Marie Webb for her dedication in continuing to come to our meetings even when she doesn't feel up to it or can only sit and listen,
Lois Schroeter for her ability to take someone who's never picked up thread and needle and turn them into an avid quilter in just six or eight short lessons,
Lois Scott for her untiring efforts to pull us all together toward a home of our own,
Kay Fales for her ability to hang in there and never give up,
Michel DuMont for making us think and consider our actions,
Barb Davis and Goldie Bartusek for their volunteerism in projects that others might have avoided,
Sandra Crowhurst for making us an intercontinental group,
Evelyn Etheridge for continuing to try, even when doing it seems unlikely,
Alice Gilbert for showing us that a raffle quilt can be put together quickly if necessary,
Anna Gilliam for her soft voice and willingness to help,
Betty Willms for making us smile and showing us the lighter side,
Ann Heckard for trying to write quickly, hear correctly, and then make sense of it all afterward,
Pat Hodges for keeping track of us all,
Mae Leedom and Marge Brown for always asking and always caring for how we're all getting along,
Jan Litzinger, Lois Scott, Diane Schweder, Evelyn Wheeles, Anne Heckard, Mary Jo Hefner, and anyone else who has served more than one year as a guild officer, for theirs is no easy job,
Lillie Barron, Michel DuMont, Kay Fales, and all the others who have worked unceasingly as committee leaders and dedicated volunteers over the years,
Gloria Sutton for providing us with beautiful and challenging Blocks-of-the month every month, for so many years,
All of our workshop teachers and assistants,
Everyone who has planned, cut, stitched, sandwiched, and quilted on all those raffle quilts, community projects, and sale items,
All of you who have lost loved ones through the years, yet still managed to keep holding on and keep coming back to quilting whenever you could,
And all those we loved and miss so much who have left our guild to work on their Heavenly quilts. I can still see Yula, agile and willing, kneeling atop a table, basting in long flowing stitches, a quilt which had just been sandwiched... or heading out the door for a "smoke break" - And I can still feel the warm friendship hugs of Betty Hagan who I knew for such a short time, but found to be a kind and loving soul.
All these memories of all you wonderful people I have accumulated in just a few short years. Can you imagine how these women touched the lives of others in all the years before I ever met them? Can you see any reason why my favorite quilter shouldn't be each and every one of YOU, either singly or collectively??
And as for showing you an example of my favorite quilter's work, all you have to do is wait for Show and Tell at any business meeting and you'll see what my favorite quilter has been inspired to do, and do, and do some more!
All of you have all of the qualities necessary to make YOU someone's favorite quilter and I can think of no one else any better suited to be MY favorite. I want to thank you for being a part of my life, and for the chance to tell you how much you mean to me...even though there are times when I've wanted to take you all over my knee and spank you like I would a stubborn, spoiled child.
We all come to Springhouse as individuals, bringing our own personal styles and characteristics. We have each given a part of ourselves to the group. This is what being an individual is all about. We have learned about others and also about ourselves. We all are unique members of the Springhouse team, with our own thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and dreams. We are valuable because of this, and because of what we have to offer to others.
No one else is exactly like us. We need to look in at ourselves, see who we are and recognize our potential. We have the ability to accomplish whatever we start out to do. We must realize that our only limits are those we place on ourselves, and only we can make things happen.
I want you all to give that some thought and know that when you leave here today you are taking a little piece of my heart with you. These fabric hearts which I am passing out to you represent the experiences we have shared together, the fabric of our lives. Take one, look at it, and remember who you are. Different patterns emerge - as each of us is different. But, they are similar too - just as we all have similar hopes, desires, and ambitions. Dig deep down inside and always have the courage to be yourself.
Keep this token heart and know that you will always have my love and respect, and I hope that you will one day realize the potential within you. Listen to the voice inside you, think about all there is for you to accomplish, and challenge yourself to do it. Make me proud that I once was a member of Springhouse and chose you as "my favorite quilter."
