We would like to introduce our March Queen Bee, Pat Johnston
Tell us a little bit of your quilting history and experience:
It all started when my mother began downsizing her home. She had a stack of quilts and tops from her mother that needed a new home so I became their current owner. My love of fabric and sewing really began in high school where I majored in commercial clothing and had the best sewing teacher, Mrs. Ordiorne. I did get all of my grandmother's quilts hand quilted plus two more but have not hand quilted for quite some time. While living in Bend Oregon I took many classes at the Stitchin' Post, which I count as a real blessing. After living in Central Oregon for 18 years we moved to Brookings, Oregon and I joined the Azalea Quilt Guild. It was a wonderful 9 years of fun and lots of new quilting adventures. Making many new friends down there I was lucking enough to absorb some of their talents and spread a few of my creative ideas to them, thru some teaching and workshops. So I have basically been a quilter since 1979. When we moved to Eugene in 2000, I continued to work full time which slowed my quilting somewhat and I did not join any quilting groups. Now that I am retired, I continue to make quilts but with a renewed sense of creative independence and I've been busy working my way thru bins of scraps and a closet full of fabric. I just finished piecing a quilt top for my Granddaughters high school graduation. She is just turning 4 this April, so I have a bit of time to get it quilted, nice to have one quilt project "way" ahead of schedule. I love scrap quilts, wonky quilts, crooked stars, crooked blocks, and any new quilting idea that comes along so I can try it out before finishing all the other projects I have going.
What does quilting means to you?
Quilting gives me a firm identity of who I am, it gives me " a place " off far away from the messy world of today where I can create what and when I want to. Quilting gives me opportunities to meet new ideas, friends and places head on, eyes wide open to a tactile world of possibilities.
Why did you want to join our bee?
Just looked like a whole bunch of fun. A nice way to be part of the guild, meet new people and be part of quilts destined for a place close to a quilters heart.
What was the reason or thoughts behind your choice of block/design/project for the bee?
As I mentioned earlier I have a closet full of fabric, well it's actually two closets full but don't tell anyone. I wanted a block that would incorporate fabrics that quilters and myself already have yet have a modern look. I also love star blocks so when I came across a picture of this wonky rainbow star quilt on Pinterest I liked it's simplicity, use of lots of fabric or scraps and I don't have a rainbow quilt, and it's a easy and fun block to sew. I think this is important when requesting time from fellow quilter to sew for you.
