Sally Ambrose

Sally Ambrose

October 4, 2002

2019oh0220_qsosaqsg0006
AQSG-006

Paulette Lancaster interviews Sally Ambrose, a quilter and quilt appraiser, for the Quilters' S.O.S. Oral History Project. Ambrose discusses the quilt she has brought in for the interview and its deep meaning to her family. She talks about her experiences in learning to quilt, her preferred techniques in quilting, and who and what she has created quilts for. She discusses her career as a quilt appraiser and the quilting community to which she belongs. Ambrose details the emotional aspects of quilting.

Sally Ambrose started quilting in 1984 when she moved to Washington. Her grandmother was a quilter and she believes the story makes the quilt. In this interview she describes an unfinished quilt with a long history that she acquired and completed.

audio

Quilts

Quilting

Decorative arts

Textiles

Textile artists

Community

Family

Family histories

Women

Sally Ambrose

Paulette Lancaster

Emily Klainberg

Rockford, Illinois

Julie Henderson

This transcript was created by QSOS volunteers and was reviewed and, in some cases, edited by the interviewee. It may not exactly match the audio recording. For citations and interview quotations, please refer to the audio-recorded interview.
Paulette Lancaster (PL): Today is October the 4th, 2002. It is 1:37 p.m. and I'm conducting an interview with Sally Ambrose for the Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories project in the AQSG seminar, Rockford Illinois. Tell me about the quilt you brought in today, Sally. Sally Ambrose (SA): Well this quilt was started by my husband's grandmother [Elizabeth Scadden.]. She made this quilt for her oldest son [John Scadden.] that was going to be married. He was eighteen years old and he was killed and she never finished the quilt. When she older and blind, she moved in with her youngest son and his wife put on this border which is nineteen sixties. And then after that, my mother-in-law gave me the top and she wanted me to finish this quilt. And I of course was very delighted to do so because she told me the story about John. I finished the quilt using polyester batting. Also, my Aunt Mary, who put this border on, she marked the quilt with a ballpoint pen. And when I saw that, I thought, how am I going to quilt this? After I looked at it for a while and worked with it, I used silk thread and quilted it in black, which pretty well covered the ballpoint pen. You can still see some, such as right in there, but that's how I finished it. And John was killed, actually, I'll tell you a little bit about young John, because he was to have been married within the month when he was killed. And how he was killed is: they were standing outside doing work on their Maryland farm and the sheriff came along with somebody he was taking to jail and he was drunk--and was drunk at the time. This was a horse and buggy, it wasn't a car, it was a horse and buggy. The prisoner was in the back and when they stopped to talk to John and his mother, the prisoner grabbed the shotgun and in the struggle, the gun went off and killed John. So that's the reason I wanted to finish this. [Silence for ten seconds.] PL: Do you plan to keep this as a family heirloom and pass it down? SA: Oh, yes, yes. This goes to my son. PL: Do you intend to write down the information pertaining to the quilt and keep it with the quilt? SA: Yes, I made this label to put on the back. And I thought one of these days I might put it on computer so it looks pretty. But I don't care, I kind of like the way it is. PL: Tell me about your interest in quilting. When did you start quilting? SA: Probably just about the time I finished that--probably a little before. I think that was in 1986, so I started probably around 1984. It was after I moved to Washington. I finally had time to do quilting, so I started out just like everyone else with the basic class. I moved from there. It wasn't long before I wanted to go beyond the basic class and I started to design my own ideas. Other things evolved and that was really how I started. PL: Were there quilters in your family? SA: Yes, I had a grandmother who was a quilter and I had my mother's mother quilted only one quilt in her life, and that was a grandmother's flower garden. And I do have that quilt but she said she would never do it again [laughs.] and she didn't either. PL: How do you--do you display this quilt or do you keep it packed away? SA: A little of both. I display it quite frequently, actually. More frequently than I think grandma would have done because I like people to see this quilt. It means a great deal to me and it does to my husband as well. PL: Tell me what you find pleasing about quilting. SA: Oh, everything. I think I like the design part, right now, the best. I used to like quilting the best until the arthritis has made it almost impossible for me to quilt for any length of time. And of course the stitches really look bad now, so I don't do much quilting. PL: What do you think about this quilt makes is a great quilt? SA: Well for me it's the story and it's the story that it is a family piece. The pieces of fabric that she used were right out of that 1900 era. Some of them are pieces from her daughter's dresses and her children's shirts. These are her son's shirts, these shirting fabrics. She had eight children and it was a scrub farm that they ran so there wasn't much to work with. But it's very obvious to her daughter and to me that she went out and bought this fabric just for this quilt. When I quilted it, it was very also obvious that this was not a good piece of fabric because you would hit the nubs as you would quilt it. This was not an easy quilt to quilt, and I found that out. But you know I just struggled right along. And I like the graphics of this one, too. It was just fun to work on. I found myself getting in touch with Elizabeth when I worked on this quilt. And you know I'm not somebody that is terribly into outer experiences, out-of-body experiences, but I felt her pain. PL: Are you a hand quilter or are you a machine quilter? SA: When I quilt, I try to do it by hand. Little projects that I do, I do of more of those than anything, I'll quilt by machine. PL: What part of quiltmaking aspect do you enjoy the most? SA: The design. PL: Why is quilting important to your life? SA: The people, number one the people. The places I go, the different people I meet – they all share the same joy. I wanted to tell you something, when you brought that up, let me tell you this. When I first started to go around to shows and just doing the things we do, people would ask me to come stay with them and I was a little hesitant about doing this. I wasn't raised to just go stay with people. So I agreed to do that and my husband said, 'You are what? You are going to stay with somebody you don't know?' And I said, 'Yes and we've become very close friends.' I think this is true with quilters. We have such a commonality that we're strangers. PL: Why do you think quilts are so important in American life? SA: Oh, why it's important in American life. I think it's the same thing we've been saying, it's a thread. It takes us from our beginnings, our roots and it gives us pleasure. It's an outreach to all of us. It's an understanding. PL: What do you think makes a quilt artistically powerful? SA: The graphics, the color. Sometimes the technique. PL: What makes a quilt appropriate for a museum or a special collection? SA: For a museum, it's part of that is--does it fall into the category of the prime mission? And if it doesn't, the museum may not be interested in it. The museum quality quilts that we hear about are not necessarily wonderfully made quilts, but they are part of their mission, so they want them. PL: How do you think quilts can be used? SA: Well they can be used as a metaphor; they can be used to express our love. Or--are you sure you want to ask that question? [laughter.] That's a hard question. Just to use it as a bedcovering or a wall hanging, because they give us pleasure. And yet we use them for picnic covers, the dogs love them, the cats love them. When you hear of people from other countries becoming involved in quilting, I think it's the same thing that we experience. They can be used to cross borders. PL: What do you think makes a great quilter? SA: Their love. PL: So you tend to think of it more as them putting themselves into than the mechanics of it? SA: Oh, I think we put ourselves into it first and the mechanics come later. The mechanics come when we think we can improve someplace. We can reach out and improve in the artistic quality, the technical quality, but first of all, it's what we put in of our love. PL: Have you yourself ever used quilting to get through a difficult time? SA: Yes, I have. PL: Would you care to expand? SA: No I wouldn't. PL: Okay. How do you think quilters learn the art of quilting? SA: Oh I think we learn from others. When I was growing up--I mentioned that my grandmother quilted, this was my father's mother--we lived in Michigan and they lived in Ohio so once a year in the summer we'd visit. When she knew I was coming she'd put everything away because I was a tomboy and quilting was the furthest thing from my mind. I much preferred to be out in the fields. But now and then she'd get it out and work on it while I was there and I was sort of fascinated by it. But she was not the one that got me quilting. It was a quilt that she gave to my mother for me that got me interested in quilts in the first place and that was quite a long time ago. PL: What's your first quilting memory? SA: My first quilting memory. [laughing.] I made a baby quilt for my youngest niece and this was in the 1970's. Quilting wasn't important then, but I knew that this baby had to have a quilt so I decided that I'd make her a quilt. I got one of those tri-fold things from Mountain Mist that told you how to make a quilt, and I looked at it and I thought, oh, this is simple. I'll just whip this thing together. I don't know how long it took me, but I pieced it by machine, did all those things. And I had a needle that probably was used to make horse blankets and that's what I used--I used that to do whatever. That Mountain Mist little people, I think it's called, or wee ones--the butterflies and the little Sunbonnet Sue, although I don't think it looked like that. I can't remember--that's the one I made, that's the pattern. And I appliquéd with the horse blanket needle and I quilted with the horse blanket needle--started to hand quilt it. She was born when I was almost finished hand quilting and I thought you know she really does have to have this quilt before she leaves the hospital so I finished the rest by machine. [laughs.] Later on I asked my sister, when I started getting interested in quilting more seriously, I asked her what happened to it. And she sort of gulped and she said, 'Well, Beverly really loved that quilt so eventually we had to get rid of it.' And I thought later on that's probably not the reason they got rid of it. [laughter.] It really looked pretty bad, you can believe me, it looked bad. PL: What are your plans for this particular quilt? SA: To go to my son. PL: And he knows the history of the quilt? SA: Oh yes, well, he better. [laughs.] No, he knows the history of this one. This means probably not as much to him as it does to my husband and myself. He never knew her so it doesn't mean quite as much but he knows it's important. PL: How do you think quilts can be preserved for the future? SA: Well, they can be taken care of. I mean by proper storage, by proper cleaning when necessary. They can also be preserved by giving whoever you're going to give them to if that's the result--giving them the story and an appreciation of that piece. If they don't have an appreciation of them they won't want them a long a time. PL: With the techniques of quiltmaking growing and expanding so much in the last twenty-thirty years, how do you feel about machine quilting versus hand quilting? SA: I think a good machine quilted quilt is beautiful and I think it compares very favorably. I will still, I will probably always prefer hand quilting but that's a personal judgment. I think you put them side by side. They each have their own uniqueness. PL: Well, you talked a little bit about the quilt that you made for your niece. SA: Mmhm. PL: What happened to other quilts that you've made, or those that you know of made by friends or family? SA: They like them and they hang them and they use them, because that's what they're for. I sort of suspect when my sister received that quilt for her daughter, that she was really being very polite when she thanked me. [laughs.] PL: Are there other quilters in your family, or close friends? SA: Not now, no. Oh, a lot of close friends. Most of my close friends are quilters. PL: Tell me a little bit about them. SA: Hmm, which one? PL: You pick 'em. SA: Well, let me tell you about a group of friends that I have. It's not just the usual quilting bee-type friends. I'm also a certified appraiser. My friends that I've made through the certified appraiser group and through my other appraisal associations have become very close friends. It started with our interest in quilts, and it just expanded. So not only do we appreciate quilts, we have learned to respect and appreciate ourselves. PL: How are quilts reflected in your community or your region, the area you live in? SA: I'm not quite sure what you mean by that PL: Some areas are very active in quilting, for example, the Midwest has a very I think rich quilting history. The east coast has some in certain areas. You know, different parts of the country reflect different styles or methods. What reflects you community? SA: Well, most of the people I know in the quilt guild are very new quilters, started maybe ten years ago. They're not quite into art quilts yet. Most of them are traditional quilters. I can see several of them that are stepping into the art quilt area. Not very many are doing wearable art either, but I think they're emerging, would be the best explanation. PL: In your group. SA: Mmhm. PL: How many hours a week do you quilt? SA: I don't quilt at all. PL: So you're not doing quilting now? SA: No, not now, and not because I don't want to. It's painful. PL: So you have physical limitations. SA: Physical limitations, definitely. PL: And how do you keep your interest in quilting? SA: Through the appraising. And just because I love it. PL: Do you belong to a sewing group or a bee or a guild? SA: Yes, I do. I was a charter member of a guild in Wenatchee, Washington. PL: Is there a particular goal your group has? SA: I don't think so. I think we just get together and enjoy the show and tell and enjoy seeing each other. PL: have you ever used your quilting as part of a way to help others, such as fundraisers? SA: Yes. I will make small baby quilts. We also have a group in our area that are for--they call it alternate schooling. They've been taken from their homes and it's a boys' ranch. We make quilts for the boys' ranch. I haven't been involved in that for a couple of years, only because of time, mostly. PL: Have you ever been involved in the commercial side of quilting? Have you ever owned or worked in a quilt shop? SA: No. PL: Do you teach quilting? SA: I used to. PL: Since you did not do it in a business, did you just do it to a friend? SA: Yes. And I taught classes for a while, beginning quiltmaking. PL: Have you ever won an award? SA: No, except maybe for the worst. [laughs.] PL: In your quiltmaking experience, does it take you out of your hometown? SA: Oh, yes. PL: What do you do? SA: Well, this would be the appraising also of the quilts. I recently, let's see I was in Stevenson, Washington. I go all over. I'm going up to Alaska on a job in a couple of weeks, so I go all over and I absolutely love it. If you ever have to have a career late in life, this is the kind of career to have. PL: Do you have a collection of quilting or sewing memorabilia? SA: I do. It's very small. If it's three or more in a collection, then I have a lot of three or more. I really think I'm a fabric collector. PL: Have you ever been a board member or on a committee that deals with quilting? SA: Mmhm. PL: What were your areas that you worked? SA: Well, I was charter member of our quilt guild, president, secretary, treasurer. Of the Professional Association of Quilters, I've been president, secretary, education chair, and I'm on the board of directors at AQSG. PL: Do you sleep under a quilt? SA: Only occasionally. It's kind of hot in Washington most of the time. [laughs.] You wouldn't believe it gets hot in Washington when it gets twenty below and it's snowing, but the quilts are hot. [silent pause for ten seconds.] PL: I'd like to thank Sally Ambrose for allowing me to interview her today as part of the Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories and our interview is concluded at 1:58 [p.m.] on October the 4th, 2002. SA: Thank you, Paulette.

5.2 2019oh0220_qsosaqsg0006 Interview with Sally Ambrose, October 4, 2002 2019oh0220_qsosaqsg0006 0:19:31 qsosaqsg Quilt Alliance’s Quilters' S.O.S.- Save Our Stories Oral History Project: American Quilt Study Group Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Quilts Quilting Decorative arts Textiles Textile artists Community Family Family histories Women Family heirlooms Quilt preservation Family quilts Quilt tops Machine quilting Hand quilting Personal preferences Family stories Arthritic pain Women with arthritis Quilting communities Quilting circles Quilt appraisers Fabrics Fabric arts Sally Ambrose Paulette Lancaster 2019oh0220_qsosaqsg0006_ambrose_acc001.mp3 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/spokedbaudio/2019oh0220_qsosaqsg0006_ambrose_acc001.mp3 Other NULL audio 0 Introduction Today is October the 4th, 2002. The interviewer introduces her subject for her interview, Sally Ambrose. The interview is being conducted as a part of the Quilters’ S.O.S. Oral History Project. 17 17 Quilt brought for the interview Tell me about the quilt you brought in today, Sally. Ambrose discusses how the quilt was first started by her husband’s grandmother for her son, who was killed before it was finished. Ambrose talks about how other family members contributed to the quilt and her personal difficulties with finishing the quilt. She tells the story of the son who was killed. She then talks about who she will give the quilt to and how she intends to keep the story with the quilt. Fabric arts ; Fabrics ; Family heirlooms ; Family stories ; Finishing projects ; Quilt stories ; Women and quilting Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Family ; Family histories ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women 17 160 Beginnings in quilting Tell me about your interest in quilting. How--when did you start quilting? Ambrose discusses taking quilting classes and how she moved beyond those classes and began quilting her own patterns. She talks about her other family members who are quilters. She tells the interviewer what she does with her quilts, mostly displaying them at her home. Decorative quilts ; Family quilters ; Practical quilts ; Quilting classes ; Quilting patterns Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women 17 240 Favorite aspect of quilting / Qualities of a great quilt Tell me what you find pleasing about quilting. Ambrose talks about how designing quilts is her favorite part of quilting, as she now has arthritis and cannot quilt for a long period of time. She believes the stories behind a quilt make it a great quilt, more-so than the quality of the fabric or the construction of the quilt. She details the personal story of making the quilt which she brought to the interview, including the emotional process of creating a quilt with such a personal family story. Art quilts ; Aspects of quilting ; Crafting ; Craftwork ; Emotional connections ; Family stories ; Personal enjoyment Arthritis ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Family histories ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women 17 342 Technical aspects of quilting Are you a n--are you a hand quilter? Or are you a machine quilter? Ambrose discusses how she prefers to quilt by hand, and her favorite part of quilting: designing. Hand quilting ; Machine quilting ; Quilting preferences ; Technical aspects of quilting Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Machine sewing ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women 17 359 Personal importance of quilting Why is quilting important to your life? Ambrose talks about why quilting is so important to her. She discusses the various people she has met through quilting and the importance of the community within quilting. Ambrose then discusses how quilts are a common thread amongst people in American culture. She talks about the aspects of a quilt which make it artistically powerful and the qualities of quilts which are put in museums and special collections. Ambrose discusses the mission of quilts and how a quilt can be considered “museum quality” even if it is not a technically “quality” quilt. American quilts ; Commonality ; Exhibit quilts ; Museum quilts ; Quilt communities ; Quilt culture ; Quilting as an art Community ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women 17 477 Uses for quilts / Qualities of a great quilter How do you think quilts can be used? Ambrose discusses the various expressive qualities of quilts. She also talks about the wide variety of practical uses of quilts, as decorations and blankets. Ambrose then talks about the emotional qualities of a great quilter. She declines to answer a question about using quilting to get through a difficult emotional time. Art quilts ; Decorative quilts ; Emotional connections ; Emotional qualities ; Expressive qualities of quilts ; Practical quilts Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Emotions ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women 17 567 Memories of quilting How do you think quilters learn the art of quilting? Ambrose talks about learning quilting from other quilters. She tells the interviewer a personal anecdote about watching her grandmother quilt as a child. Ambrose recalls creating her first quilt, which was a quilt for her newborn niece. She tells the story of creating this quilt and what happened to it after she created it. Baby quilts ; Creating quilts ; Creative processes ; Family quilters ; Novice quilters ; Tomboys Children ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Family ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women 17 714 Plans for the quilt brought in for the interview / Preservation of quilts What are your plans for this particular quilt? Ambrose talks about giving the quilt she brought for the interview to her son. Ambrose discusses how she believes quilts can be preserved for the future by being given proper care and giving people the stories which go along with the quilt in order to foster appreciation. Family heirlooms ; Family stories ; Future of quilts ; Quilt care ; Quilt preservation ; Textile preservation Children ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Family ; Family histories ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women 17 773 Machine quilting versus hand quilting How do you feel about machine quilting versus hand quilting? Ambrose discusses her preferences regarding machine quilting and hand quilting. Hand quilting ; Machine quilting ; Personal preferences Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women 17 797 Quilts given as gifts / Quilter friends You talked a little bit--bit about the quilt that you made for your niece? Ambrose talks about how the people she has given quilts to use them in their homes, as a decoration or as practical blankets. She discusses how most of her close friends are quilters and talks about how she has become close with her fellow quilt appraisers. Appraisal of quilts ; Common interests ; Community friends ; Quilt appraisers ; Quilting communities ; Textile appraisals Community ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women 17 874 Quilting in her home region How are quilts reflected in your community or your region? Ambrose discusses the quilters in the community she lives in and how it is beginning to venture into art quilting, usually preferring traditional quilting patterns. American quilts ; Art quilting ; Art quilts ; Community quilters ; Quilting in America ; Traditional quilts Community ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women 17 938 Hours per week spent quilting How many hours a week do you quilt? Ambrose discusses how her arthritis limits her quilting abilities, keeping her interest in quilting through appraising quilts. Arthritic pain ; Older women ; Physical pain ; Quilt appraisers Arthritis ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women 17 967 Sewing groups Do you belong to a sewing group, or a bee, or a guild? Ambrose discusses the sewing group she belongs to and how it has no common goal. They show and tell their pieces and enjoy each other’s company. Quilting groups ; Sewing circles ; Sharing projects ; Women and crafting Community ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women 17 986 Miscellaneous questions Have you ever used your quilting as part of, uh, a way to help others, such as fundraisers? Ambrose talks about how she makes baby quilts for fundraisers and full-size quilts for disenfranchised boys. Ambrose discusses how she has never been involved in commercial aspects of quilting. She also talks about how she teaches quilting to friends, but not in a class setting. Ambrose discusses her travels from quilting, particularly in quilt appraising. She tells the interviewer about her quilt and fabric collections. Ambrose talks about various groups she has been a part of in relation to quilting. Appraisers ; Baby quilts ; Commercial quilting ; Fabric arts ; Fabrics ; Full-size quilts ; Fundraiser items ; Quilt appraisers ; Quilts for charity ; Teaching quilting ; Textile careers ; Travelling for work : Quilts ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Quilting ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women 17 interview Paulette Lancaster interviews Sally Ambrose, a quilter and quilt appraiser, for the Quilters' S.O.S. Oral History Project. Ambrose discusses the quilt she has brought in for the interview and its deep meaning to her family. She talks about her experiences in learning to quilt, her preferred techniques in quilting, and who and what she has created quilts for. She discusses her career as a quilt appraiser and the quilting community to which she belongs. Ambrose details the emotional aspects of quilting. No transcript. All rights to the Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories (QSOS) oral history project, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred from the Quilt Alliance to the University of Kentucky Libraries. Please contact the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History regarding rights pertaining to individual interviews. audio Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2019oh0220_qsosaqsg0006_ambrose_ohm.xml 2019oh0220_qsosaqsg0006_ambrose_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt71gb4bdd5xb

Family heirlooms

Quilt preservation

Family quilts

Quilt tops

Machine quilting

Hand quilting

Personal preferences

Family stories

Arthritic pain

Women with arthritis

Quilting communities

Quilting circles

Quilt appraisers

Fabrics

Fabric arts