As a child I remember many hand made quilts in our home, all made by my grandmother, Roselma Jacques Demers. These quilts had many uses in our home of six children; bed quilts, tents to play under, beach blankets, tarps for the ground while my father worked on the car. More uses than you can imagine. I didn't think much about these quilts at the time. I didn't know my grandmother very well, as she died when I was around 7 years old.
All of her quilts were hand pieced and hand quilted. My mother washed and reused these quilts until they fell to pieces. I didn't realize it at the time, but I'm sure all of this made an impression on me as a child. It was hard to tear me away from the sewing machine after my mother taught me how to sew at the age of 12. After my college graduation my mother and I thought we would try to figure out how to make quilts. By now most of my grandmother's quilts were very well used or trashed.
Today I love to make quilts with meaning and purpose, and for people to treasure for years to come. For me, it is an expression of warmth and love. It is also a form of wearable art, which can be enjoyed in many ways; baby quilts, dorm quilts, wedding, birthday, anniversaries, and many more occasions. A few years ago it gave me much pleasure to see my nephew wrap himself up with his new graduation quilt for his future dorm room.
To date, I have made over 110 quilts, and plan to make many quilts in the years ahead. Just like grandmother did.
