By Joanne Psyk
As early as I can remember my mother had a magical way with fabric. I watched her every move. She taught me much about sewing since she was an artist with a needle. I wanted to carry on this tradition, but I was interested in 3D.
About 20 tears ago we visited Golden, Colorado. It was a lovely old-fashioned town. On the street right in front of us was “Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum and Store.” What a beautiful sight!
The sweet ladies in the museum conjured up books, notions, beautiful fabric, batting, lots of needles and thread; everything a first-time quilter would find necessary. This was the beginning of a love affair with the art of putting batting between two pieces of fabric which I know as quilting.
I was hooked.
The Villages Quilt Guild consisted of 800 members. There were 90 women in my chapter to share their gift, tell stories, teach techniques and give support to one another every week. My love for quilting continued and the yearly retreat for several members was my responsibility in 2012. Organizing, arranging lodging, speakers, teachers and reminding members to bring lots of snacks to share was exuberant. All day for four days the buzz of sewing machines could be heard. The finished show ’n’ tell was worth it.
John Knox Village is where a few of us gather to preserve this beautiful art form. I worried about finding a group to join but soon learned there are dedicated quilters whose group would welcome a newcomer. Quilters are a unique bunch. The outpouring of caring and willingness to share and give from the heart cannot be matched. Our group is small but welcomes new members. There are no rules and no dues. The only criteria is caring about others and the willingness to share experiences with fabric, needle and thread.
There is space in my cottage where I create, surrounded by my favorite books, patterns and a design wall. The wall has hundreds of photos of past projects and members of quilt groups from The Villages and here at John Knox.
To this day, quilting by hand or machine is a peaceful pastime that I love and find worth
talking about.