Q.S.O.S. Volunteer Spotlight
By Jeanne Wright
January 18, 2011
Windham, Maine
Left: Q.S.O.S. Volunteer Jeanne Wright photographed for her 2010 Q.S.O.S. interview with Midge Shaw.
My journey with the Alliance for American Quilts has taken me in ways that I never dreamed. I was approached by the Daughters of the American Revolution about this oral history project the day I joined. My interest in genealogy further piqued my interest as I have realized that many stories are lost to history because they were never recorded.
My many family quilts, the oldest being c. 1835, have been handed down to me. One was made by my great great grandmother and used by my twins aunts (now in their 80’s) when they were little girls. A good number of these quilts were made by my great grandmother (1870-1963). I remember watching her pencil patterns on frugally saved scraps of fabric and sew them together by hand. The family farm where she was born in 1870 is still lived in by my uncle. I remember watching her make a quilt for me, using fabrics I would identify with, when I was a little girl and I use the lapboard my grandfather made for her to quilt on. I found out there was a mysterious secret associated with one of her 1930’s quilts. No one in the family knew it except one aunt. Now it is recorded for the rest of the family to know and enjoy.
I share this with you because I am one of the lucky quilters. I have ties to the past and I know many of the stories. Many quilters are not as fortunate. Because of my interest in the Alliance for American Quilts, I have been able to capture stories that will not only be shared with their families, but all over the world.
I interviewed one quilter who thought she knew about all the family quilts she owned, but because of this Q.S.O.S. project she found one that her grandmother had made that she had never seen. She saw that the pattern and colors used by her grandmother were her very own favorites and it touched her deeply. While looking through her quilts we found that one of them was lined with a quilt. She didn’t know this and she feels she has found a double-tie to her family in this quilt.
Another interviewee is a 100-year old woman who still quilts. But the surprising part is that she only has one arm. She was an inspiration to me. (read Jeanne's interview with Louise Carter here)
Another interviewee is a long-haul trucker who travels with his sewing machine in his truck and quilts as he travels back and forth across the county. He enjoys making intricate quilts and giving them to charities.(read Jeanne's 3-part interview with David White here)
Another interviewee is a female Minister who gave a very different slant to the reasons to make a quilt. Look for Diane Wendorf's Q.S.O.S. interview on the AAQ website soon. Jeanne Wright has also been interviewed by Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories! Read Jeanne's interview here) Join us! Click here for more information about volunteering for Q.S.O.S.