Quilters Through the Generations - Yvonne Fuchs

Today I move beyond my personal family and bring in a new family of quilters... I "met" Yvonne last year when I participated in the 2016 New Quilt Bloggers group.  She was of great help and support to all of the newer bloggers trying to get started and growing our audience in the "cyber-world".  Be sure to stop by her blog and take a look at the amazing modern quilts that she makes.  You will not be disappointed.

Yvonne (nee Jones) Fuchs [Quilting Jetgirl]

Have you ever made a quilt? Yes, I have made well over 200 quilts.

I got started when I was a sophomore in high school, my paternal grandmother offered to hand quilt a twin size quilt for me to take to college for my dorm room if I would piece a quilt top. My mother and I went to a quilt store, purchased the Card Trick "Quilt in a Day" pattern by Eleanor Burns, picked out fabric, bought a cutting mat and rotary cutter. It took us many months to put the quilt top together (I did most of the work and mom helped me decipher the instructions and gave me sewing pointers along the way). My grandmother did indeed hand quilt it for me in plenty of time. It ended up being the last quilt she hand quilted before passing away 3 years later. 

Does your mother quilt? 


Yes, my mother, Lorna Jones, is also a quilter. My mother did a lot of garment sewing when I was younger and the quilting bug nabbed her at pretty much the same time I began my quilting journey.


Here are two quilt projects that my mom and I worked on together. We made the blue and yellow log cabin in 2010 (made for a new baby in the family) and the quilt with hearts in 2011 (made for a new baby in a friend's family). We continue to collaborate for family projects: she likes to piece the tops and have me quilt them. These just happen to show us together with the finished quilts.
 

How about a grand-mother? 

My paternal grandmother, Ocie Jones, was a prolific quilter. 

My maternal grandmother, Nerine Schwichtenberg, helped my mom create two twin size quilts in the 70s and they tied them together for the quilting / finishing.

Have I taught someone to quilt? 
I worked with two young children to make them comfort quilts after their father passed away. In the end my idea of making something for them turned into me teaching them about sewing and quilting and was a wonderful experience. They both loved the quilting process the best: I let them quilt their quilts on my long arm!

I also am a quilting instructor and teach classes locally.

Why do I quilt? I quilt as a creative outlet, but my quilting honestly took off when my friends started having children. Making and gifting a quilt is such a universally appreciated act of care and love, and I can't think of a better medium to put positive energy out into the world.

Yvonne recently shared on social media about her Paternal Grandmother - Ocie Jones...

Quick hand stitching for this morning: repairing my gym bag. This bag is one of two physical items given to me by my paternal grandmother (the other is my first quilt that I pieced; she hand quilted it for me). I might not pick out this bag in a store if left to my own devices, but it is precious to me and I took the handful of minutes it took me to hand stitch the seam closed this morning to think of my grandmother and be grateful for what sewing and quilting has meant to me in my life. Thank you, Grandma.









 Every one of us quilters and sewing enthusiasts have someone to thank for taking the time to teach us how to sew... Have you said thank you?  

Feel free to leave your "Thanks" in the comments... 
I'd love to hear your stories of how you learned.

Happy sewing!

Melva