Restoration Stories

NOTE: To access Susan’s Essays, click here. For her Childhood Story, click here. For her Sewing Stories, click here.

Grandmother’s Flower Garden

As part of my semi-retired life, I have taken on a new kind of sewing: restoring and reinventing vintage textiles. I had studied quilting and embroidery for many years when one of my favorite clients began giving me Victorian crazy quilts to restore. These unusually extravagant quilts were made by privileged women who had access to a large selection of the very best silks, velvets and ribbons available. Read more …

The Postage Stamp Quilt

My friend, Nina, is above all a benefactor to many. Our friendship began years ago along with her curiosity into whatever project I was working on.

I began to understand my friend’s creative nature when I first visited her in Forestville where she and her husband, Richard, have made their country haven. Nina has the keen eye of a woman who is able to find beauty and craft among the chaos of what the world has to offer, so that when you walk into her home, you are surrounded by authentic handcrafted beauty. Read more …