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Author Catherine Castle quilting blog, Grandma's quilts, Sunbonnet Sue Quilt, The Writer's Block Quilts and More with Author Deanna Klingel
Just the Way Grandma Taught me
I was very young when my grandma let me sew with her. I was always playing in her button box anyway, so it was probably inevitable. Grandma did all kinds of fancy work. She crocheted ruffled doilies and bedspreads, she embroidered sheets and pillowcases, she hooked rugs and she made quilts. Granddad cut her templates out of tin. She taught me to make tiny stitches in straight lines. She, and my mom, showed me how to embroider and make doll clothes. And naturally, my dolls needed quilts. I can’t sew anything without thinking of my mom and my grandma.
Over the years, many moves, many children, I have fond memories of women who have been part of my life, women I met with to sew and knit and quilt. I’ve worked on group quilts that were raffled for charities, and I’ve created very personal quilts. I’ve made some other fun things, wall hangings, doll quilts, jackets, pillow tops, all quilted just the way Grandma taught me.
I don’t have any of my grandma’s quilts. But I did find the raggedy ruin of my Sunbonnet Baby crib quilt that she made for me when I was a baby. It was my treasure for many years. I found it in my mom’s cedar chest; I brought it home. Don’t be horrified when I tell you that I cut it up. There were a few “good” sunbonnets that I cut out and had framed to hang in the bunk room where my grandchildren visit. I tell them, your great-great grandma made these for us.
My next quilt, which I hope I can tackle this winter, is a valor quilt. I purchased everything last January with every intention. I haven’t started it yet. Starting is the hardest part for me. I don’t enjoy the math and the cutting. I love to quilt.
About the Author:
Quilter/author Deanna Klingel has loved quilts since she was tucked into her crib under the Sunbonnet baby quilt her grandma made for her. Her first quilts she made for her dolls. The love, the skill and the complexity grew up with her. Even as a girl she took her work seriously, quilting, sewing, knitting and writing. Deanna writes primarily historical fiction for young audiences, but also has Pre K picture books and teen novels. You can find her website at booksbydeanna.com. She also has an author page on facebook.
I appreciate all of that, but I have to admit that I’m old-fashioned in my attitudes about quilting. My favorite quilts are made of scrap fabrics in traditional patterns. My favorite quilts have significance beyond than their aesthetic appeal. My favorite quilts have stories. Quilting is essentially relational. Often, it’s an act of service or a gift, especially when done as a group activity. It’s the perfect venue for social interaction; while the hands and eyes are occupied, the ears and hearts are open.
I started teaching workshops, retreats and classes in 1992, and I loved teaching, but I gradually came to realize that I wanted to use quiltmaking as a ministry. My real joy is in directing events for women, especially in family or church groups. Separated by busy lives and distance, many of us seldom have the opportunity to really visit with our mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, grandmothers, nieces, and old friends. We meet in passing at weddings and funerals, but we don’t know each other well. So I created a new kind of quilting bee.
The quilting bee starts at 9:00, with everyone assigned to work stations according to their skills. Even young girls or people who don’t know how to sew are important participants, picking out seams, pressing, lining up pieces of fabric to be sewn and helping with other small but necessary tasks. Luncheon is served at noon, followed by a devotional message, and then the sewing starts again. It’s exciting to see the quilt start coming together. By 5:00, the quilt top is completed.
Some brides make scrapbooks of the event, with bits of fabric and precious multigenerational photographs. The best part of the quilt is the label on the back, declaring that it was made for the bride by the women of her family, signed by each of the women present. The quilting bee hostess usually has the top professionally machine quilted and displayed behind the gift table at the wedding reception.
Quilting bees aren’t just about making a quilt. They are about friends, family and love. Real quilts are about relationships.
assion for quiltmaking until 1992, when she started teaching and leading workshops. She enjoys designing patterns, being creative and making fine quilts, but her real enthusiasm is in using quiltmaking for ministry and building relationships, especially within families. She writes romantic suspense and contemporary fiction from a Christian worldview, featuring interesting characters of all ages and backgrounds, often in eccentric communities and locations. You will find quilts and quilters in the pages. Check out her website – 
Catherine Castle 