Violette Denney

Violette Denney

GA30116-DAR001

Violette Denney

Kimber Pepper

10/22/08

The Nat'l Quilting Assn

Carrollton, Georgia

Sheleigh Hight

Note: Kimber Pepper and Sheleigh Hight are not members of the DAR and volunteered their time to make Violette Denney's interview possible.

Kimber Pepper (KP): This is Kimber Pepper. Today's date is October 22, 2008. It is about 11:00 [actually 10:40 a.m.] in the morning and I'm conducting an interview with Violette Denney for Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories project in Carrollton, Georgia [through the American Heritage Committee of the Georgia State Society Daughters of the American Revolution.]. Violette, tell me about the quilt you've brought today.

Violette Denney (VD): Well, I selected my Baltimore Album Basket quilt because it was a real challenge, and I was able to complete it. For many years I wanted to make a Baltimore Album quilt and when Jennie Suter said she would come to Carrollton and offer classes and sell us the pattern I thought that was my opportunity. The first appliqué class was in January 1993. Even though we had the pattern and a teacher, we also had a lot of decisions to make. We had to select our fabrics, and this is always one of my favorite things to do. I usually get a plastic storage box to put my fabrics in and keep them together until I finish a project.

I choose fabrics that I like, and some that could be used in all four of the basket blocks. The first decision was to pick a fabric for the basket and to decide about [all.] the baskets. I think of the baskets as being brown, so I selected a darker shade of brown, and then to line it, a lighter shade of brown. And the lining had to be basted on first and then we started adding on the bias strips to form the basket. A huge task was to figure out what comes next, as you can see, they all overlap. Some of the necessary changes that I wanted to make was to substitute things for pieces of watermelon and things I wouldn't normally put in a fruit or flower container, and I replaced them with things like grapes or other fruits. And a few of the small flowers in my baskets are Broderie Perse. The sashing, the backing, the borders and the binding are all from the same fabric, California fabric by Hoffman, and it was the Countryside Collection, and I always use or almost always use a Hobbs Heirloom batting which is 80% cotton and 20% polyester.

The placement of the blocks and the white-on-white background was my choices. I really wanted it to be special. I outlined the flowers and outlined the basket with quilting stitches and in the [area.] on each side I put a rose pattern, quilting pattern, and then in the corners I used a rope for the corner designs of the quilt. And then in the background I used cross hatching in the corners, center around the [center.] wreath and around the baskets.

The borders I did the flip and sew method, which meant I could do it on the sewing machine, but you wouldn't see the sewing machine stitches from the top, but they [that.] made it a lot faster to get the borders on, and I did sew the blocks together on the sewing machine, but about 95% of the work was by hand. I have a little quilted violet that I use on my quilts, that's sort of my trademark, and it's down in one of the corners.

I started the quilt in 1993 and I finished it in June of '95, so it was under construction about two and a half years. It measures 91-1/2 inches wide and 97-1/2 inches long. I first entered it in a show at the Cobb Civic Center, Georgia Celebrates Quilts, which was sponsored by the East Cobb Quilters Guild, and I did win a ribbon there. In February 1996, it was in our West Georgia Quilters Guild show at the library, the regional library in Carrollton. In 1996, it was in the Great American Cover-up in Bulloch Hall in Roswell, Georgia and I received the Best of Show ribbon and the Viewer's Choice ribbon, those are actually the only two they give each year. I entered quilts there at Bullock Hall for 21 consecutive years and have the buttons to prove it. [laughs.] The reason I was interested in Bullock Hall was because it was a very interesting historic house and it was spared during the Civil War, it was not destroyed, and it's still there and you can visit it today. Bullock Hall is significant for 2 reasons, it has impressive Greek Revival Architecture, and it also has some famous names in American History associated with it. Major Bullock's daughter, Mittie, was the mother of Teddy Roosevelt, who became the 26th President of the United States. And Mittie's granddaughter, Eleanor, married Franklin D. Roosevelt. I have registered this quilt with the National Quilting Association and the Georgia Quilt Project.

KP: What is the special meaning around this particular quilt?

VD: Well, it's special to me because I'm the only one who started the classes with Jennie Suter that actually finished all the baskets and the center wreath. Some of the others finished one basket and framed it. The colors are pretty neutral, and it can be used most anytime and anywhere, so it is kind of special.

KP: How are you using it?

VD: I have it on a guest bed upstairs and I do switch out my quilts every couple of months.

KP: And your plans for the quilt?

VD: Well, it'll be part of my legacy. I'll leave it for my children. I have two sons. They can decide which one gets it and if they can't decide they can draw straws. Actually, they did draw straws over my Cathedral Window quilt. I did two Cathedral Window quilts and they both wanted the same one, so they resulted in drawing straws.

KP: When did you first start quilting?

VD: I started quilting in '83 [1983.] or '84. I quit work in '83, and I probably didn't do much quilting until the next year.

KP: And from whom did you learn to quilt? How did you learn?

VD: Well, I guess basically I learned from my mother, my aunts and my grandmother. I was very small, and they didn't let me have a needle and sew any, but I watched them and played under the quilt. But when I got ready to make a quilt, I bought a Reader's Digest needlework book and followed the directions in the book.

KP: So, what attracted you to quilting?

VD: What attracted me to quilting? I live in the country, so I wanted some country quilts and I had always had quilts at home when I was growing up and we used quilts, so I just wanted my own quilts.

KP: Do you remember the first quilt experience?

VD: Well, my mother gave me a couple of quilts that she had started, and this was several years before she passed away, and she told me at the time that she thought that I was most likely of her six [seven.] daughters to finish the quilts. One of them was a Grandmother's Flower Garden and the other was an eight-pointed star. And I did finish them; it was in the latter part of the 1980's. I still have the Grandmother's Flower Garden, but I gave the 8-pointed star went to my youngest son and his wife.

KP: So, a number of your family have been involved in your education when it comes to quilting? How many people are there total? Who are these people that influenced you in quilting, family members?

VD: Well mostly my mother, and then my aunts that quilted with my mother and grandmother. That's really the only relatives that I remember quilting.

KP: Anyone else in the family today?

VD: Well, no, not really. My oldest sister quilted a little bit but she doesn't quilt today.

KP: So how does this quilt making impact your family?

VD: Well, all of them are proud of my quilts. And my sons, their wives and grandchildren all have quilts on their beds and walls, so I guess that's a pretty good impact. One grandson went to the quilt show in Roswell one time, and he told the person at the door, 'I want to see my quilt.' She asked him his name, and when she heard the name 'Denney' she connected it with my quilts and remembered the child's quilt that was there and took him to it. I thought that was kind of neat. And my son Tony displays a quilt in his office all the time; he changes it once a month and people come to his office just to see the quilt, even when they don't have business to conduct.

KP: Do you sleep under a quilt?

VD: I do.

KP: How do you decide which quilt you are going to sleep under?

VD: Well usually I kind of have a seasonal quilt; like on my bed now I have one that's fall colors.

KP: Have you ever used quilts to get you through a difficult time?

VD: Well, when I'm having a real difficult time, like when my husband passed away, I didn't quilt. I didn't want to quilt. I couldn't really focus, concentrate on what I was doing so I guess I'd have to admit not really.

KP: Any amusing experiences that have occurred in your quilt making?

VD: Well, it's kind of amusing that we have heart blocks in February, and we group these in groups of 12 in our quilt guild and use them as door prizes and our little Friday quilting group realized that we didn't have any; that we've never won those blocks even though we've been doing this for 20 years. Sometimes there's more than one set of blocks given at the guild meeting, so we decided to do our own. So now we have heart quilts too.

Sheleigh Hight (SH): I think that's great. We actually gave three away this past year.

VD: Other years we gave away multiple groups. That's a lot of quilts and if we'd kept our 20 blocks, we'd have had more than enough for a quilt. [laughs.]

SH: How long ago did you do the heart blocks? Your group?

VD: A couple of years ago.

SH: Have you shown them at guild?

VD: Probably. Probably, we all, one at a time got them quilted and finished.

KP: The Guild. You belong to the West Georgia Quilt Guild now. Have you belonged to other guilds?

VD: East Cobb Quilters Guild. Sue Hardin and I went over for their meetings for a couple of years, but the traffic got so bad going to Marietta till we quit going. But they had interesting speakers and we enjoyed going when we went but it got to be too big of a chore.

KP: Now you're one of the founding members of the West Georgia Guild, how did that come to pass?

VD: Well one of my first quilts that was in the East Cobb show at the Cobb Civic Center was my tie quilt made from my husband and sons ties. And it was hanging there and the people from Carrollton, some of them that visited the show, saw the quilt and contacted me and said that they were trying to start a guild here. So, that's how it got started. How I got connected with them, even though I knew some of them. I knew Tommie Freeman before then, but I didn't know she was interested in the quilt guild until then.

KP: What roles have you played within the Guild?

VD: Well, I've been guild president for a couple of years. I've been treasurer for a couple of years, did publicity for probably more than 2 years, and helped with the special shows and hanging our shows and I've just had a multitude of jobs. [laughs.]

KP: Are there any other groups that are related to quilting that you belong to?

VD: The American Quilter's Society and National Quilting Society and the Georgia Quilt Project, to name a few.

KP: You also have a Friday gathering of quilters? How is that?

VD: Well just some close friends decided to get together in our homes and work on our project, whatever we were working on at home, and just have a little time of sharing and light refreshment. It's six or seven of us. We still do that on the first Friday of each month.

KP: Do you collect or sell quilts?

VD: Well, I have, as I've collected quilts-- and I've actually sold a few but not very many. And usually when I sell them I have them make the check to charity, either to the Veterans' Park or the DAR chapter or church. I just don't want to get involved in keeping books for income tax purposes.

KP: Now you do have some quilts that are part of a collection. For example, the Olympic pins and then you have a relative in the Military. And you've made a quilt specifically for those pins? Describe those a little bit.

VD: Well during the Olympics, there were 197 countries that participated in the Olympics, and we made two quilts for each country. One went to the flag bearer, and one went to the representative from the country. And, of course, with that many participating we had over 400 quilts and these were made by Georgians, the Georgia Quilt Project. I made one for the Olympics that was included in that 400 and then later we did make quilts for the Paralympics. And I did a quilt based on the 100-year Olympic Torch that was used to show ACOG [Atlantic Committee Olympic Games.] what we wanted to do for each country before we started making the quilts. And they gave us permission then to make the quilts to be given to the athletes. And then after the Olympics were over, the pins I collected during the Olympics, I have on that quilt. I had it framed and it's hanging in my house. My son tells me that once I'm gone, he'll hang it in his pool room.

SH: And that was the '96 Olympics here in Atlanta [Georgia.]?

VD: The '96 Olympic Games in Atlanta, right.

SH: And the Paralympics Games, which one?

VD: They were in Atlanta, same year. And we got to go down, being a part of that, we got to go down and actually meet the athletes, we were a part of the welcoming ceremonies and the reception as they were welcomed into the Atlanta Olympic Games, and we got to meet the person who received our quilt and make pictures with them. So, it was really a neat deal.

KP: And the military quilt?

VD: The military quilt. I have a grandson who's in Afghanistan right now. He spent a year in Iraq, he came home, and we thought he would get out in January. But instead in January they extended his stay for 15 more months and sent him to Afghanistan. And so that's where he is now and each time that he earns a ribbon or a pin, he gives his grandmother one and I have it on a quilt hanging in my house and eventually I'll give it to him; but anyway, it's kind of special now, it helps me remember him.

KP: Have pictures of you, your quilts and/or patterns been published?

VD: I haven't had many published, but I did have one that was made from feed sacks. It was made in the, probably around 1940, and my mother had some feed sacks in her stash, so I backed it and quilted it after she passed away, and I have it and it was featured in a magazine.

KP: Your earliest award dates back to 1987 at the Cobb Civic Center. What are some of the other ribbons and awards that you've received throughout the year? What types of quilts, usually, what type of work do you receive awards for?

VD: Well, I like to make all kinds of quilts. I don't have any particular technique or pattern that I'm biased to. I have entered different sizes, and different quilts and different shows so I don't really have any one thing that I can pinpoint. [laughs.] That's not my objective; I don't make quilts to enter into shows so if I have a quilt that meets the criteria, and somebody wants to display it that's fine with me. But that's not my desire and I do have quite a few ribbons. The last time I entered some at the Georgia National Fair in Perry, Georgia I entered five quilts. I got five first place ribbons and five ribbons for excellent workmanship. So, you know; they're hanging inside the closet door with the rest of them.

KP: What do you think your quilts reveal about you?

VD: That I like to do my best and I want them to [be pretty.]. I want my workmanship to be as good as I can make it, and I want to, well anything worth doing, I believe, is worth doing well so I really try to make them as attractive and as well made as I can. I think that maybe it shows that I am a little bit picky. [laughs.]

KP: What aspects of quilting do you most enjoy, and which ones do you dislike?

VD: I guess I most enjoy finishing, that's my favorite part. I like to finish quilts and [2 second pause.] the ones I enjoy the least would be ripping out and doing over. I'm not fond of doing that but I don't want to look at something later and wish I had ripped it out and [3 second pause.] did it over. But anyway, one of the hardest things I've ever done was to remake a quilt, repair a quilt. The Macedonia Church had one that was made by their Church Ladies in 1934 and they wanted to display it, but it very badly needed a back, a new back on it and binding. And that's one of the hardest things I've done, and I don't think I'd ever want to tackle another one because it had to be just re-quilted. And to quilt it again I wanted to be sure my stitches did not deface the quilt. So, to make bad matters worse, they used the old-fashioned cotton, which was very hard to needle, very hard to stick a needle through but I did finish it. They were very proud of it and some of the people on that quilt, there were over 300 names on it, and some of them are still living. And one of the ladies I knew, she came and held it in her lap and went over the names and remembered every one of them. It was amazing. She's 90-something now. But anyway, that's one of the hardest things, or most difficult things I've ever done.

KP: Well, you've been quilting for 25 years now. So, in that time what changes in quilting technology have you seen? Which ones have you adapted for your own use? Which ones do you think, 'Naw, not going to work'?

VD: Well, there are quilting programs which I've never used but I do use my computer and copier for enlarging patterns and copying patterns and I like to do my labels on the computer; but as far as the other technology, advances in technology, I use very little of it. I do use the rotary cutter [laughs.], that's not really technology but it's one of the benefits we have that's been discovered.

KP: Describe your sewing atmosphere, your quilting atmosphere?

VD: Well, I like to quilt and work where the family lives, so I can be a part of whatever's going on. So, I usually quilt in the kitchen, in the dining room and den area so I can watch TV with family members that are here and still work on my quilts.

KP: Do you have a design wall?

VD: I don't have a design wall; I use my dining room and kitchen table and if that's not big enough then I use the floor.

KP: So how do you balance your time with quilting and family?

VD: I usually limit my quilting to after dinner at night when family usually settles down and watches TV or reads the paper and I can quilt then and be with them at the same time. I guess I balance my quilting hours by whatever needs to be done and finished first. If I have something that I've promised to get done by a certain time or if I need it for a certain reason then I'll quilt maybe some in the morning, some in the afternoon and at night to get it finished. But normally I just quilt after dinner; that's when I get most of my quilting done.

KP: You've used a variety of quilting techniques, sewing techniques, within this Baltimore Album quilt of yours; which ones were the most difficult, which ones are your favorites that you like to use and often use in your quilts? Describe some of them for me.

VD: Well, it's a lot of appliqué work done there and some embroidery and just a variety of fabrics. I made my own bias strips for the baskets and they're all hand appliquéd on. I don't really have any favorite, as I said before, patterns or techniques, but I like to try them all; and I like flowers and fruit and birds, so I've got some birds and butterflies in my pattern and, well, a lot of people are pulled and drawn to the Ruche Rose, which it was fun to do, and I learned to do it. But I haven't really used it in a lot of other quilts. It's more suited to the Baltimore Album quilt. It can be used in others of course, but I don't really think I have it in any of the others. But it's a pretty flower, an interesting technique.

KP: Are you able to get out and visit quilt museums and quilt shows?

VD: I have visited quite a few. I've been to the American Quilter's Society Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. I actually entered a quilt there one time. I also entered, sent 12 quilts to the National Quilting Association Gallery in Ellicott City, Maryland and filled their gallery with my quilts in the early '90's. And I've visited lots of quilt shows and I've also done lots of trunk shows and displays.

KP: So, what makes a quilt great? If you were judging a show, how would you decide which quilts were worthy of a first-place ribbon?

VD: Well, I'm drawn, and prejudiced I guess, to hand quilting and good workmanship. I like to see if it's appliqué all the edges tucked in. I like pleasing colors and outstanding patterns. [4 second pause.] Well, I really prefer hand quilting because I think it accentuates the design more and you can outline objects on your quilt and they stand out more than--I know some people are experts at machine quilting, and that's okay, and some are very attractive, but my preference is the hand quilted quilts.

KP: Are there any quilt artists or fabric manufacturers that you are particularly attracted to? And if so, why?

VD: I like Hoffman fabrics. They've got, well good 100% cotton fabrics, some of them are so fine they feel like silk, and I just like good fabrics. No particular designer in fabrics; but I do--a lot of people call pre-printed quilt patterns cheating [cheater cloth.], but I really don't feel like they're cheating because they were designed by very trained people and are very attractive and some of my quilts that have been, I've had the most compliments on, that have been entered in a lot of different shows, I have used panels, pre-printed panels.

An artistically powerful quilt? If it's an original design, if it's unusual or different that makes it more powerful to me. I recently make a quilt for a retired university art professor. He wanted a quilt for his daughter for a graduation gift. She was receiving her Doctorate in Art Education and the quilt was made out of 50 different fabrics, and these were from the clothing she wore as a bridesmaid in different weddings. And there were quilt fabrics from cotton to wool and all in-between. Actually, the center background was white satin and white linen. And all the different--it was all appliqué and all embroidery, so it was a very powerful quilt for me. Also, the design itself with the boy and girl dancing and then the bride and groom on the wedding cake were having a really good time throwing food so there's food scattered all over the quilt, the punch bowl was overflowing, turned over, cups and saucers were falling, and the cork popped out of the champaign bottle and champaign was spewing everywhere and the brides' beads were broken. And so, you can imagine it was very powerfully [laughs.] artistic.

SH: Those were all different aspects of the quilt?

VD: That was that one quilt yes.

SH: Not that anybody threw food on it. That was just--it was all part of the design?

VD: That was the pattern. There were petit fours, asparagus, broccoli and fried eggs [laughs.] flying through the air along with the bride's pearls. So, it was very powerful, you'll see it in the show. He promised to display it in our show, so you'll get to see it. He sketched it himself and then selected the fabrics and brought them to me.

KP: What other quilts have you given as gifts or for charity?

VD: Lots. In all I have made about 189 quilts. I do keep a log of my quilts and I probably have less than 100 still, so those others I've given away. So I've given lots of quilts away. And that doesn't count the quilt tops that I've made, I did five for the DAR that were quilted by someone else and used as fund-raisers. We've made many, many for the children's home, we've made them for Kosovo and troops, and I did one for Merrill Gardens, the assisted Living Facility here in town. I did one for the Historical Society to be given to the city during the anniversary celebration and it's hanging in City Hall [Carrollton, Georgia.] now. My daughter-in-law works for Home Depot, and I did a quilt for her, and it actually ended up in the Home Depot Museum. So, anyway I've done lots and given lots away, but I guess my favorite is giving them to the children. I gave 8 to hospice last year for the children patients at Heartland Hospice and made pillowcases with animal prints and all for them too. So, I like to do things like that.

KP: How much time do you spend on these charity quilts?

VD: Probably, well it depends, but probably a couple of weeks, and I do a lot of that on the sewing machine. A lot of times because you don't know how they're going to be cared for and you don't know how many times they're going to need to be laundered. So, I usually try to use my time wisely.

KP: So why is quilt making important to you in your life?

VD: Well, I've made lots of good friends through quilting. I like to show my quilts, I think it's [3 second pause.] a really good way to get to know people, because you already have something in common with them when you first meet them. And quilts speak the language of love, comfort and goodwill so it's just important to me that I participate in those things. [7 second pause.] We even had time to exchange ideas with people from foreign countries through quilting which I would never have been able to do like the people in Nagano, the Olympics in Nagano, Japan. After we had the Olympics, they wanted to copy us and do quilts for the Olympic athletes, and we made little quilts for their quiltmakers, and it was an interesting experience and we got to know and exchange ideas with people from other countries as well as all over the United States.

KP: Have you ever taken your quilting skills and made something other than a blanket?

VD: Absolutely! I've made 20 something banners for church and you use a lot of the same appliqué and embellishments on those as you do in quilting. I actually had a request the other day to do a quilt for the [3 second pause.] college in Johnson City, Tennessee, Emmanuel School of Religion. They wanted a [wall quilt.] --they had a new building and they wanted to decorate the halls with quilts. They wanted me to give them some quilts and make them some quilts, so my quilt activity has spread far and wide. [laughs softly.]

KP: Have you made any wearable art?

VD: I made a few jackets. I did them on my own. I did not do them in classes, but you only need a few. They're very handy; you base them on a sweatshirt. The ones I made I based on sweatshirts. I have one trimmed in bargello and, I don't know, two or three other different ones. That's the only wearable art that I have made with quilting techniques.

KP: In what ways do your quilts reflect your community or region?

VD: Well, I've had a chance to participate in a lot of different things; like my contact with the schools and our quilt guild actually has three quilts hanging in three different schools in our county. But I've done lots of programs at school and quilt guilds, DAR chapters. I even did a quilt show for the Kiwanis Club because most all of them remembered quilting, quilts and used quilts when they were small.

KP: Have you ever participated in a quilt history preservation?

VD: Yes, I participated in the Georgia Quilt Projects, and we documented a lot of quilts and [3 second pause.] they published a book based on the documentation that we did and the records for that documentation are supposed to eventually be accessible to the public. I don't know when because that was in like 1990. And we did a documentation; well actually we did 2 days in Carrollton, [Georgia.] and documented over 200 quilts here. Yes, that was a big participation.

KP: How do you think quilts can be preserved for the future?

VD: Well, we can see that some of the best ones get into the museums throughout the country; but also, we can take care of our own as if they were a museum piece. [3 second pause.] Only wash them when they need to be washed, [2 second pause.] store them inside pillowcases or some other fabric and refold them periodically, keep them away from the sunlight and [2 second pause.] just give them a lot of tender loving care.

KP: What's happened to the quilts that you've made for those who are friends and family?

VD: Well, they display them. They use them. As I mentioned before, several of my quilts are hanging around town. I have one hanging at hospice, and I have one at one of the periodontist's office in town. She asked me to do one that was similar to my "Rivers" quilt, the one that had the pictures of Georgia rivers and the signs that described the river. And those were in a traveling show and they traveled over the state of Georgia bringing awareness to our rivers. But anyway it [her quilt.] hangs in her office and it turned out to be a "This is your Life" quilt for the owner. I just have a lot of them hanging around town. [laughs.]

KP: So, what do you think about the importance of quilts in American life?

VD: Well, I think quilts are going to be around for a while because there are a lot of people interested in quilts; and they're being used not only as bed covers but they're being used to decorate with, in restaurants, in homes. The people in assisted living homes, they really enjoy them when you do a show for them or display quilts on their walls.

KP: So, in what ways do you think quilts have special meaning for women's history in America?

VD: Well, it just shows a caring and loving side of women and the comfort they're interested in giving their family. Women made lots of quilts for soldiers during the wars and we have even in the current wars. We've sent quilts to our soldiers to remind them that we're thinking about them and that we love them, and we want to comfort them with our quilts. I really think that quilts are important.

KP: And the biggest challenge facing today's quiltmakers?

VD: The price of fabric! [laughs.] It keeps going up and up and up!

Before you get through, I want to tell you about a friend, a best friend of mine that I met through quilting and it's just a real interesting story. I'll tell it like a story. Once upon a time there were twin girls. They were named Mabel and Mildred. They were born on the first celebrated Mother's Day in the U.S.A., May 10, 1908. They, Mildred and Mabel, grew up to be schoolteachers. They both taught for many years. They both got married, they raised families. Their husbands died and they moved back together. But all this time from age five on up they made quilts, and they continued to make quilts. Mabel made more than Mildred because Mildred had vision problems. But one day they had quilts on the beds, they had quilts in trunks, they had a closet full of quilts. And talking with Mabel one day she shared her dream with me, and her dream was to walk into a room, and it be filled with nothing but their quilts. So I talked to my husband about Mable's dream, and I talked to my good friend Sue Hardin, and Sue and I decided to go and make pictures of their quilts and get information about their quilts and we talked to them about displaying them and then we made arrangements with the Cultural Arts Center at the local Regional Library and reserved December of 1997 and the first week in January of '98 and displayed their quilts. And during Christmas of that year, Christmas of '97, the Director of the Library opened the library up for a special showing for her family, their families, and let them stay in there and enjoy the quilts for a couple of hours. The twins then gave their quilts away; they sold their house and lived the rest of their lives in an assisted living facility. Mabel died in 2003 and Mildred died in 2004 but these are the kind of friends you make through quilting.

KP: That's true. And for young quilters? Some of the Guild's members, those who have recently joined the Guild have been younger quiltmakers, what advise do you have for them?

VD: Well, just to seek out the council and help from the experienced quiltmakers. Then the experienced quiltmakers can very easily share with the younger ones. I've been able to share not only quilting techniques and tips-- [interview interrupted by cell phone.] That's my cell phone, excuse me.

KP: Did you have any other last comments before you run off?

VD: Well, I've shared fabric too with a lot of young quilters and that's always a very interesting thing to be able to share, things that they will need.

KP: Well Violette, I'd like to thank you for allowing me to interview you today as part of the Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories project in Carrollton, Georgia. Our interview has concluded at 11:30 on October 22, 2008.