Meet Joanne: A Maker in Bloom

If you’ve been following CottonVille Cuts, you’ve heard from Joanne many times. She writes our weekly tutorials that come out every Thursday. She is so creative, and her story is encouraging for those who have loved art since they were little. Read on to get to know a little more about her and her story.

As we go through life we learn from so many different people and experiences. My mom taught me how to sew Barbie doll clothes from scraps of fabric starting when I was about 8 years old. I remember her sewing matching coats for my sister and me to wear to church. Dad always had a workshop making things from wood. Just the smell of fresh cut lumber brings back memories of creating different projects with my dad through the years. When I was 10, he helped me make a covered wagon for a school project. I still have it today as a reminder of the little girl who thought anything was possible, igniting my passion to learn and expand my skills.

I started on a quest to pursue all different aspects of being a maker. I learned to draw, watercolor paint and make jewelry. I got into apparel sewing, learned to crochet a poncho (it was the 70’s after all!) My parents let me wallpaper, paint my room and the furniture as I learned about home decor. I enjoyed making and found joy in giving my handmade gifts. Taking the time to make something by hand it’s unique, like your handwriting. It marks a time in your life and your creative  journey. As I started my family, I found a love of photography and sewing dresses for every occasion for my daughter.

I started quilting in 2018 after my dad passed and my kids were adults. I had the time and creative energy to make bigger projects. My sister has been quilting for 40 years and I always admired her quilts. To get started I made this blue and white quilt for my son to celebrate his time as a swimmer at Saint Louis University. It was the first time I downloaded a pattern to make a quilt.

At my first guild meeting I signed up with a group called Beginners Luck to learn basic piecing skills. For the next year we met monthly and I made the Christmas quilt.

During that time, I also joined the Art quilting group with my sister's encouragement. There I found women who thought like me, who loved all things art! As a group, we have project challenges with a deadline and that is where I made my first 3D quilt, a Saguaro cactus. I chose a Saguaro cactus because they tend to take about 50 years to bloom. When I heard that, I felt inspired because, in a sense, it took me a while to finally bloom. I’ve always been a maker, but now in this season of my life, I’m able to devote a significant amount of time to it. My 3D quilt ended up being a symbol of my own artistic journey. And, to my complete surprise, it was chosen to go on display with four other amazing 3D quilts in the National Quilt Museum in Paducah.

That same summer I met Kim Moos at a local Modern Quilt show and I joined the Cotton Cuts family.  I loved all the beautiful fabrics and I would make small projects from the scraps. Kim offered me the opportunity to write a weekly blog and do some product photography. I have been creating projects for “Cottonville Cuts” … a place to visit to be inspired, since May of 2020. I choose projects that a beginner could make as a way to encourage all those new to sewing to build their skill set. Most of the projects are a learning process for me as I share what I learned along the way.

My current and most difficult quilt is Posh Penelope by Sew Kind of Wonderful. I nicknamed it the “Sister’s Quilt” since my sister and I are doing it together after being inspired in Houston while visiting the 2019 Quilt Festival. I currently have 12 blocks completed, only need to make 30 more! My goal is to have it ready for our Bits n Pieces Guild quilt show in 2023. I hope you will try something new because for me I think... it is just a little bit of fabric, thread and my time. See what happens. The reward and sense of satisfaction is worth it! I was even able to encourage my 82 year “young” mom to join the fun by completing her first Cotton Cuts puzzle mystery quilt that my sister will longarm quilt for her. Quilting brings it full circle as we all learn from each other.

If even one person is encouraged by my story becoming a “maker in bloom” that would be so worth it to me. Follow your passions, and keep creating. You never know where it will take you.