Getting To Know Us: VIvian

How did you start sewing / quilting? Who taught you? 

- I started quilting about 28 years ago. My first formal class was in 1987 but I'm mostly self-taught. My mother and grandmother both quilted. It appears to be skipping a generation in my house.

What advice would you give a beginner?

- Don't let anyone tell you there's only one way to do something ... find the way that works for you.

Aside from quilting, what other hobbies do you have?

- I knit. I read - a lot. Sometimes I do both at once. Audio books were the best invention for multitaskers like me. And contrary to popular belief, I do cook. Well, not a lot. (Does looking at recipes on Pinterest count?)

Tell us something about yourself that we might not know!

- I married the guy I took to my high school senior prom. (And yes, after 31 years we're still married.)

Do you have a favorite tool / pattern / technique you find yourself using a lot or can't live without?

- My Quick Trim ruler. I cannot retire until all my customers have purchased one.

Why do you sew / quilt?

- Besides the fact that it's my job? I like to make stuff! (And we've already established I don't cook.)

What's your favorite thing about working / teaching at SIQS?

- Relationships. Fabric.

What's your favorite / most memorable quilt(s) you've ever made, and why?

- There are two. One is my Biblical Blocks sampler. I hand quilted it for a year - queen size - during a very difficult time in my life. And second, the African Coins quilt I made my oldest son for his 21st birthday right after I left my corporate career to open a quilt shop. I still have it; he's 30. If my house was on fire and I could grab two quilts, I'd grab these.

What 5 items must you have in your sewing box?

- See Favorite Tool above. Tan or Grey Aurifil for piecing. My Fiskars thread snips. Definitely not Universal Needles.

How has quilting impacted your life?

- It's not so much that it's impacted my life but that I've been able to impact so many other lives. Especially my family's. I'd like to think it's a way to leave a legacy.