Chris and Sharon first met in 1993 as performers in a production of Quilters. A couple of years later, Chris decided to make her own set of Quilters quilts for rental purposes – why not enjoy the process of learning to make all those beautiful quilts herself? She researched the quilt patterns, went out and purchased a lot of fabric, got home and laid it all out, and realized that she had gotten herself into a huge project. So she called Sharon to see if she if she’d be interested in lending a hand. Sharon was thrilled to be part of it. And so the partnership began.
The project took several years to complete. Having performed in the play, each woman had her own interpretations and emotions involving each quilt block. Extensive time was put into deciding which colors and fabrics (and sometimes which pattern) to use. It was important to them that each block set the mood for the scene that followed.
Once a block was designed, either Chris or Sharon would volunteer to assemble it. Two identical blocks were made at a time – one as a part of the large quilt and one to be used individually.
The assembly process was also a learning process. Although both women had sewing experience, neither came from much of a quilting background. The first Lone Star block refused to lay flat and ultimately had to be disassembled and reassembled. Sharon remains hesitant to this day to try quilts with curved pieces. If you are looking at a block with curves in it, you are looking at Chris’s handiwork. And Chris was somewhat uneasy about tackling all the angles in Babies Blocks. Those stitches are all Sharon’s. All said, this project resulted not only in the beautiful quilts you see, but also in forming a deep friendship between Chris and Sharon. It is easy to see how the quilting bees of our nation’s history helped to form lasting bonds between the women who shared in them. Hopefully you too will find as much enjoyment in using the quilts as was experienced in making them!
