Sadie Bird began out of a lot of things. I am a young mother who always has several quilt tops hanging around, waiting for me to take them to this quilter or that. I love the creative process of quilting, from the fabric purchase to buying the fabric, to the picking out the fabric . . . oh wait. I guess I love spending money on fabric. I do also love the feeling of a finished quilt top lying on the living room floor. For several years now I’ve wondered about doing the top-stitching myself, but was overwhelmed by the idea. I went to Quilt Market in Portland this spring and my life was changed. I can’t believe how many great things there are out there in the quilting biz. And I can’t believe how supportive all of those women are for each other. So many young mothers are making a name for themselves in fabric and pattern design. Being with so many artists in one room made my soul fill up and flow over, and I knew there was something more for this one small quilter. And then I put my hands on a long arm machine for the first time.
All of those feelings at the completion of each quilt over the years, combined with the euphoria of Market exploded and I came home ready to buy a long arm machine of my own and make it possible for anyone to finish their own quilt top. Long arm quilting, although a skill requiring practice like anything else, is doable. I want to provide that channel for other quilters like myself.
Along with being a quilter, I am also a mother of small children. I find that I produce quilts quickly because my moments at the machine or cutting board are centered around how long my children can play easily together, how long my son’s school lasts, or how long the video takes. Other quilters must feel this way as well. My fabric is in stacks or drawers around the house. It dribbles into every room and everything we do. I quilt like I need to breathe. Surely you must feel the same way too! So this is why I’ve created our Sadie Bird studio in my home. This studio is an oasis of relaxation and creativity where there’s always enough room, always enough energy, and always enough peace.
Also in our studio you will find quilt kits I have chosen or created, to entice you to keep the quilting bug (or was it a bee?) going in the world. There are so many fantastic prints and designs these days, and I enjoy putting them together for you. In the studio we also have fine art from local artists for sale. I believe there is more beauty and talent in this world than we realize, and I feel that bringing it into my studio not only enriches our quilting space, it also helps you find it more easily.
And why the name, Sadie Bird? Sarah Ellen Ludlum Bird was my Great-grandmother on my father’s side. Sadie, as she was nicknamed, was the daughter of a Mormon pioneer family who moved to the United States from England in the 19th century, pulled handcarts over the great plains, and settled in the Bear Lake, Idaho, area. Sadie spent her life there serving others, mostly her elderly relatives and four children, and wishing she could have her own business. She was an entrepreneurial woman born in the wrong time. She was constantly reminded that her place was next to her wood-burning stove (even into the 1940’s, can you believe it?). And Sadie was a quilter. She was prolific. She quilted by hand so quickly people called her a machine. She would comment if she thought your stitches were too inconsistent or far apart by saying, “You’re going to catch your toe in that stitch!” My grandmother remembered Sadie’s girlfriends coming over regularly to stretch a quilt and sew together all afternoon, and the casserole dishes and bowls that would fill their kitchen table. I didn’t know this when I started quilting in 2003, but now that I do, I know she’s the one who put the bug in my ear.
So this business is partly for Sadie Bird, who never got to have one for herself, and partly for me. And hopefully partly for you, too. Because we quilters are all in this together. We have been stitching and talking and keeping our families warm with our quilts for generations and generations. And that makes each quilt I finish today feel pretty important.
All of those feelings at the completion of each quilt over the years, combined with the euphoria of Market exploded and I came home ready to buy a long arm machine of my own and make it possible for anyone to finish their own quilt top. Long arm quilting, although a skill requiring practice like anything else, is doable. I want to provide that channel for other quilters like myself.
Along with being a quilter, I am also a mother of small children. I find that I produce quilts quickly because my moments at the machine or cutting board are centered around how long my children can play easily together, how long my son’s school lasts, or how long the video takes. Other quilters must feel this way as well. My fabric is in stacks or drawers around the house. It dribbles into every room and everything we do. I quilt like I need to breathe. Surely you must feel the same way too! So this is why I’ve created our Sadie Bird studio in my home. This studio is an oasis of relaxation and creativity where there’s always enough room, always enough energy, and always enough peace.
Also in our studio you will find quilt kits I have chosen or created, to entice you to keep the quilting bug (or was it a bee?) going in the world. There are so many fantastic prints and designs these days, and I enjoy putting them together for you. In the studio we also have fine art from local artists for sale. I believe there is more beauty and talent in this world than we realize, and I feel that bringing it into my studio not only enriches our quilting space, it also helps you find it more easily.
And why the name, Sadie Bird? Sarah Ellen Ludlum Bird was my Great-grandmother on my father’s side. Sadie, as she was nicknamed, was the daughter of a Mormon pioneer family who moved to the United States from England in the 19th century, pulled handcarts over the great plains, and settled in the Bear Lake, Idaho, area. Sadie spent her life there serving others, mostly her elderly relatives and four children, and wishing she could have her own business. She was an entrepreneurial woman born in the wrong time. She was constantly reminded that her place was next to her wood-burning stove (even into the 1940’s, can you believe it?). And Sadie was a quilter. She was prolific. She quilted by hand so quickly people called her a machine. She would comment if she thought your stitches were too inconsistent or far apart by saying, “You’re going to catch your toe in that stitch!” My grandmother remembered Sadie’s girlfriends coming over regularly to stretch a quilt and sew together all afternoon, and the casserole dishes and bowls that would fill their kitchen table. I didn’t know this when I started quilting in 2003, but now that I do, I know she’s the one who put the bug in my ear.
So this business is partly for Sadie Bird, who never got to have one for herself, and partly for me. And hopefully partly for you, too. Because we quilters are all in this together. We have been stitching and talking and keeping our families warm with our quilts for generations and generations. And that makes each quilt I finish today feel pretty important.
No comments:
Post a Comment