Congratulations to QNtvN's 3rd Member Of the Month (MOM) winner:

Althea Foster
MOM for September 2006

Hi, My name is Althea Foster. I got hooked on quilting when I met my husband's Grandma Bell.  She had the most beautiful quilts. I thought how I would like to own quilts like hers someday and that to do that I would have to learn this art as I knew the price of hand made quilts.  I wasn't able to start quilting though till I retired from the USAF in 2002.

I learned to sew from my Mom, so sewing wasn't my problem. I didn't have a clue about quilting though so I started out buying books on the subject so I could learn. The first book I bought was a Fons and Porter book called the Quilter's Complete Guide. It is a great book to learn how to piece from. My first quilt was an 8 pointed star that I made utilizing this book. I quilted it myself by hand. I don't have it anymore as it went through the washer many times and one of the fabrics just deteriorated so at present I have taken it apart and have it in a bag to redo one of these days. I think my library now contains over 500 books on quilting. I love reading them and learning new techniques from them. I still consider myself a beginner quilter though.

I absolutely love quilting. I spend every minute that I am able to in my sewing room.  It is usually a mess and I am constantly attempting to straighten it up and organize it so I can find things easily. I am a quilting tool junkie. I have almost every ruler I come across. I will try almost anything and if it works will tell all my friends about it.  Anything to make life easier for a quilter.
 
I became enamored with Beth Ferrier quilt patterns and have made many of her quilts. I became a member of an online quilting group that makes her BOM each year. We help each other out and test out her pattern. I started with her Simple Pleasures quilt but have backtracked and made her A Year in the Garden and Moondance quilts. I took her A Year in the Garden to the QNNtv Quilter's retreat as my show and tell. I am pictured here standing next to a part of this quilt in my living room. I have also made her Stillmore Stars Quilt and Sleepytime in Poseyville. Her patterns are beautiful and I love making them. The first picture here is of my Simple Pleasures  - then the second is me with my cat buddy in front A Year in the Garden.followed by Stillmore Stars and then Sleepytime in Poseyville.

Me with my cat buddy in front A Year in the Garden.

Stillmore Stars

Sleepytime in Poseyville

I spent 21 years in the USAF and would probably still be there controlling air traffic if I hadn't been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis so I am profoundly glad that I found such a great hobby called quilting. I am learning more with each quilt I make.  One of my first quilts was a lone star which I made completely by hand... my Mother in Law told me hand piecing and hand quilting was the only way to make a quilt. I hand quilted my Lone Star and wish that I could continue to do that but my hands hurt so from my arthritis and have lost so much strength that I am unable to but I found a wonder long arm quilter who is a treasure for me. Darlene Bishop  does the long arm quilting of my quilts for me. She has quite a talent – she lets my quilts talk to her and then makes them a treasure for me.

Lone Star

This year I have decided to make traditional quilts along with the BOM's I am involved in. I want to make quilts for all my family and a few of my close friends.  Do you have any idea how many flying geese blocks go into a queen size quilt? I can't believe how many I have to make but I'll plug on and get them done.

I am also looking forward to my trip in September to the 2nd annual Quilt Retreat for QNNtv. I went to the 1st one last year and had so much fun. I met so many wonderful women. I hope some of them are back this year.  One, my roomy from last year will be there, Luann Bruce. She is from Connecticut and a great new friend.

I became a grandmother for the first time this year.  My Granddaughter, Echo, was born on July 11th. I have started making quilts for her too. I made the little camouflage outfit she is wearing. I have made at least 4 quilts for her so far. I hope she enjoys them when she gets them. She is a great addition to our family.  Her Mom, Cassie, made her first quilt last year. I hope Cassie keeps up the good start that she has. I made Cassie and Brandon a quilt for their wedding too. The pattern was called Tesselating Pinwheels and I made it from a group of Batique fat quarters that I had bought.

I became a grandmother for the first time this year. My Granddaughter, Echo, was born on July 11th.  I have started making quilts for her too. I made the little camouflage outfit she is wearing.


Cassie's First Quilt

My quilts are used every day. I don't believe, yet, in making quilts just to hang on my wall. I display them throughout the house and when someone gets cold they just grab one up. I am glad that my skills are improving by watching the programs on QNNtv so my quilts are staying firmly together.

I tried this year for the first time to design my own quilt. I had been making quilt blocks just testing out blocks and had quite a few of them. I utilized my design wall to put them together and then sash and border them – That quilt became known as Twisted Braids and was featured on QNNtv's first quilt design contest month. It is a huge quilt. My hubby loves it.

One of the ladies I met at the retreat last year Thea Jirak designed a pattern called Four on the Floor.  I introduced this quilt pattern at my guild, The Cherokee Strip Piecemakers and at last count I think over 100 quilts have been made.  Some of the women belong to a Compassionate Quilter's group and are making this quilt for the hospitals in the area...giving these quilts to sick patients of all ages to cheer them up.  Here is my quilt from this pattern.

I would be remiss if in closing I didn't mention my helpers.  My cats have to check out each and every quilt I make - from the first cutting to the final finishing stitch when I am sewing on the binding.  Here is a picture of China helping after I had finished a quilt bag to hold my quilts that I take to show and tell at my quilt quild.  He is laying on my Christmas Quilt from 2004 and the second picture of him is helping me make A Year in the Garden, he thought the block was going to fly away so he held it down.  The last he was testing out 3 little kittens quilt to make sure it was soft enough to sleep on.

I would be remiss if in closing I didn't mention my helpers. My cats have to check out each and every quilt I make - from the first cutting to the final finishing stitch when I am sewing on the binding. Here is a picture of China helping after I had finished a quilt bag to hold my quilts that I take to show and tell at my quilt quild. He is laying on my Christmas Quilt from 2004 and the second picture of him is helping me make A Year in the Garden, he thought the block was going to fly away so he held it down. The last he was testing out 3 little kittens quilt to make sure it was soft enough to sleep on.

Thank you Althea and congratulations!