StephSews was started in 2009 (at least that is what my Facebook history tells me), 6 years after my loving husband gave me the best birthday present I ever asked for: Sewing lessons! Through sewing, I discovered my passion could reach millions of people (again, “Thanks Facebook”) – ok, maybe only hundreds – by producing a comforting, unique, heirloom quilts or functional keepsakes that bring joy to their owners. I continue to push my limits and love the challenge of “see what you can make with this!”
Sewing runs in my blood. My mom sewed during an era when making clothes was considerably cheaper than buying store bought. She usually added a creative touch to make the clothes special, like a adding a Cheer Bear (my favorite Care Bear) or a Cabbage Patch iron-on to my Easter dress and matching doll dress. My grandmas, great grandmas, and aunts all seem to have possessed the same textile talents too!
My specialty is t-shirt quilts. Each one is unique and tells the story of a person. The memories of a clothing item can take a person back to a time in their life when they were on an epic vacation, winning a state championship, running their first race, graduating from high school or college, or attending a legendary concert. Compiling the collection of shirts and stitching them together in a monumental quilt brings me such joy. I become attached to each and every quilt I make and hope to continue sharing my gift well into my future.
We did not value [quilts] for their appearance, but for the memories in them…
Rose Wilder Lane
The whole quilt is much more important than any single square.
Rohinton Mistry
We stitch together quilts of meaning to keep us warm and safe, with whatever patches of beauty and utility we have on hand.
Anne Lamott