“ ... but, remember I said, when I get old I want to learn to HAND quilt,” quarreled my mom.
Her long time friend, neighbor and connoisseur of fine crafts urged on ....
"But we are old, and I found someone who teaches the old Appalachian way of hand quilting, it is a woman to woman art learned only by passing it down through word of mouth and you're going to love it!"
After a little more convincing, off they went down the Bitterroot to the land of the Stevensville Promise Stitchers ... and that is how it started. That is how my family lost mom to her quilting addiction.
Through her newfound love, she found a common interest of women who LOVE color, textiles, creativity, and I think, most of all, the long lost art of making time, once a week to gather.
These are the ladies who still celebrate birthdays with cake and tea, They get together to cackle and cluck, share patterns and patches, talk about their week, their kids, their diets, late breaking news and to celebrate each others pretty quilts.
What quilts? Outside of their secret circle, these gems are rarely seen. They aren’t flaunted at shows, photographed for magazines, or sold in stores. They get used for ... quilts! They stay as secret, as sweet and as un-assuming as their gentle creators. Until now! I acquired (don't ask) one of their treasures to share with you just in time for Valentines Day. I want to introduce this little promise stitch pillow. It is stitched with ladder patches, a heart applique and finger patches.
Here it is --- ever so sweet and one of a kind! (the colors really are much more vivid than my camera can capture.
