Eva D. King

Eva D. King

MI49016-003

Eva D. King

Estella Spates

05/21/2009

Battle Creek, Michigan

Eleanor Wilkinson

Estella Spates (ES): Good evening. I'm Estella Spates and I'm interviewing Eva D. King. We are at Second Baptist Church at 485 N. Washington, Battle Creek, Michigan. Today is May 21, 2009 and it is 3:24 p.m. Eva, tell me about the quilt you brought with you today.

Eva D. King (EDK): This is one of the quilt patterns that I saw at Barbara Mason's house. She didn't have the pattern so I had to kind of do my own little theme on it and it's mostly African print fabrics of jungle animals. I kind of liked the fabric so that's what I put in there and bits and pieces of this and that that I had left from another project that I had done.

ES: So, does this quilt have any special meaning?

EDK: No, I loved the way the pattern and the design kind of worked in together. I think it was an Amish pattern that I kind of worked on. I can't remember the name of it but I know it's kind of an Amish pattern.

ES: Why did you choose this quilt to bring with you today?

EDK: Well, it was on top of the pile.

ES: Okay.

EDK: And I thought, well, this is the--I think it's the third last quilt that I made--so there's three others that I did after it. This one had the most color schemes in it, so I thought it would be pretty on my picture or upholstery fabric or something.

ES: How do you use this quilt?

EDK: Well, there for a while it was on my bed and now it's kind of tucked away into a trunk. [laughs.]

ES: What are your plans for this quilt?

EDK: I don't really have any plans for my quilts. I kind of, like, collect them as I go along and I collect them as I see the fabric for the quilts because the fabric kind of talks to you and lets you know it wants to be placed in certain spots in quilts. So, that's what I do.

ES: Is it any fabric in here, or can you tell me about any particular fabric in here that talked to you about its placement?

EDK: Well, there was this one fabric that I got out of a quilt shop and it had mostly elephants in there. And I tried to cut it so that you could see most of the elephants as well as the other animals, the zebras, the water buffalos, and other African animals, the giraffes. And some of the fabric kind of has their skin coloring and design of the animal that's in there. There are also some African people that are in their characters. Other than that, at that time I just loved the fabric and that's what it told me it wanted to be.

ES: Tell me about your interests in quilting.

EDK: Oh, wow. I have an aunt that, when she came to [inaudible.], I think I was around seven or eight, and she would come to visit us from St. Louis, maybe once or twice a month. She would bring all these little pieces that she would have cut out and I would sit there, watch her coordinate these little pieces into certain designs that she would make. One day I asked her if she would help me make a quilt. And she said, 'Well, I'll make you a quilt one day when you get married.' Well, I've been married and now I'm a widow and I still don't have my quilt and she's gone now.

ES: So, are you saying that you started quilting when you were about seven?

EDK: Um hum.

ES: Okay, and any particular project that you quilted at that age?

EDK: Well, the only thing that I could grasp of her doing was the squares. I didn't know what they were, but later on in life I learned that they were Nine Patches. And I would do those and it would be all different sizes and that was the only block I knew--different sized squares.

ES: Did you make a quilt?

EDK: I made a couple of doll quilts that, you know, after you grow up, they disappear along the way.

ES: Are you saying that your aunt taught you to quilt or she was the most influential person?

EDK: She was the mostly influential because she showed me how to do some of the patterns she was doing, but she never showed me how to cut them out, so I didn't know.

ES: Are you a self taught person?

EDK: I would think so, yeah. I can see certain things that I liked in quilting and some I would have like a photographic memory of certain things I want to remember, and I can go home and draw those, put them down on paper and then get my fabric out and cut them.

ES: About how many hours a day, or week, I should say, do you quilt?

EDK: Oh, wow.

ES: Or do you time yourself?

EDK: I don't really time myself. I get up and get me a glass of juice, or a glass of water and I go in my room to start sewing whatever I'm doing for that day, and I'll look up and I'll want to have lunch or dinner and I think I'll go have something to eat and I'll look outside and it's dark. As far as checking the time that I start and finish, I don't really have a certain time. I just go when I get tired.

ES: So you don't even try to balance your time?

EDK: No,

ES: In terms of, you're going to do so many hours of quilting and so many hours of this, you just do it as it comes to you.

EDK: Do it as it comes.

ES: Now, you mentioned your aunt as your first memory of quilting and this is where it started, huh?

EDK: Um hmm.

ES: Watching your aunt quilt. Are there other quilters in your family?

EDK: I've been told that my grandmother, my mother's mother, quilted. My aunt Lucinda was the one that I'm talking about now is a quilter. Those are the only ones that I know of that quilted in the family. I understand that there may be others but I don't know about them.

ES: Do you have friends that quilt?

EDK: Oh, yes. I have five beautiful friends.

ES: You want to tell us about your friends?

EDK: Oh, they are characters. They are really great girls. I've learned an awful lot from them as far as how to cut out certain blocks that I like and how to assemble them and put them together, the type of battings that you put in them, the names of each blocks. They're really great girls. I enjoy working with them.

ES: How does quilting impact your family? Do you make quilts with them?

EDK: Oh, yes. I can't remember where we went one year with the girls. I saw this blue jean quilt. I asked my brother-in-law to send me all his old blue jeans and he kept asking me, 'What are you going to do with them?' I says, 'You'll see when I get it done.' I made him a blue jean quilt. Oh, my gosh, he's the biggest baby about that quilt. He carries it around like a two-year-old. I had to borrow it one day to take it so the girls could see it. And I had to get it right back to him. [laughs.]

ES: So that was a real hit?

EDK: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. I told him, 'Whatever you do, do not wash this in your washing machine. Take it to a laundromat and put it in the tumbler washer.' My sister put it in her washing machine and the quilt--one corner--came apart. You would have thought the whole quilt was disintegrated they way he talked on the phone.

ES: So her hurried up and got it back to you?

EDK: I had to get that thing fixed and get it right back to him.

ES: It sounds like a wonderful quilt. Tell me if you've ever used quilting to get through a difficult time in your life.

EDK: I would say, yeah, because it's a relaxing project. Like I said I'd get started on it and that's the only focus that I do and I don't have a timing when I start and stop.

ES: Tell me about an amusing experience that has occurred in your quilting.

EDK: Hmm. There's been quite a few. Probably the one when Barbara [Mason.] and I went into Lansing [Michigan.] to hear about color textile on quilting and stuff. One of the gentlemen asked me 'How long did it take you to make this quilt? How long did it take you to decide what you were going to do with this?' Again, this was another African print and it was reversible. And he says, 'Do you ever sell your quilts?' And I says, 'Hmm, it would decide on what kind of house I wanted to buy.' He goes, 'Okay. Then I guess I can't buy this quilt.'

ES: What do you find pleasing about quilting?

EDK: Other than the relaxation and watching the quilt grow as you do the blocks and when you assemble it together, you're not sure, at least I'm not sure what it's going to look like or what I'm doing, but when I get it all assembled I think, 'Wow, this is great.'

ES: What do you find that's not enjoyable about quilting?

EDK: Hmmm, there really isn't--well, the one thing I don't like is that my quilting room is not big enough. Otherwise there is nothing.

ES: What quilt groups do you belong to?

EDK: I belong to the SOULS, which is Sew Our Unique Love Stitches, The Cal-Co Quilters. Just those two. [And I also help Estella Spates with a quilt class at Second Baptist Church, the Quilt N-B Done 9 (Sept. 2007-Dec. 2008).]

ES: What do you enjoy most about being a member of a quilt group?

EDK: Mostly the camaraderie, meeting people, talking to people.

ES: Have advances in techniques influenced your work? And, if so, how?

EDK: I would say, yes. How? As far as how, it shows me how to cut out certain sizes, the measurements of quilts, like when I was in school, we had algebra and geometry and I thought 'I'll never need this in my life.' But I got a C out of the class. I see now, that fits into the measurements and when you're cutting your quilt piecing and you're designing. That fits in a lot.

ES: I'm sure your math teacher would appreciate hearing that. What are your favorite techniques?

EDK: I don't really have a favorite. It's just the one that I'm doing at that moment when I'm making that certain block or that certain quilt. So, all of them are my favorite. There's no special one. It's just maybe the one that I'm working on that day or that moment or whatever.

ES: Do you have any favorite fabrics?

EDK: No, I don't. It's just certain fabrics. I don't know. I used to wonder why people said they had a stash of fabric. Now I know why.

ES: And that is?

EDK: I have a closet that has pull-out drawers and some of the drawers I can't get closed or I can't get them open. I have the fabric in by colors so when I think I want to work on maybe the blue and greens, then I go get two drawers out, the blue drawer and the green drawer of fabrics.

ES: Do you have favorite colors that you like to work with?

EDK: Most of my favorite colors are green and yellow.

ES: Are there favorite tools that you like to work with?

EDK: I'm learning to like all the tools, because they're easy, they're convenient and they make the job so much easier than a pair of scissors.

ES: Describe your studio or the place in which you create your quilts? You mentioned that you have a small room and you wished it was larger.

EDK: I do, I do. In my sewing room I have my television, my sewing machine, all my sewing equipment, a day bed, five lamps and all of my quilting accessories, the scissors, the rotary cutter, the cutting mat. I have a little table with the cutting mat so that when I'm sewing the quilt in the three layers, I have to lay the quilt on a side table in order to get it under the machine. In my kitchen, my kitchen table has now got my cutting mat on there. And in my front room I have a certain space that I don't let people walk in there because I usually have a quilt or blocks laid out to put them together to get them assembled.

ES: Would that be your design wall?

EDK: That would be my design wall. Yes, and before anyone comes I have to go find the vacuum sweeper to make sure I get the pins up out of the carpet.

ES: What do you think makes a great quilter?

EDK: Well, I notice you have to love people. You have to, somewhat, kind of understand a little bit about some of the ideas that they have on quilting. You must love to travel with quilters, which I do. You must love fabric and have at least two or three different kinds of sewing machines.

ES: And how many do you have?

EDK: I think I have five?

ES: Oh! Okay, that's quite a collection. Well, what do you think makes a quilt artistically powerful?

EDK: Wow! Golly, gee. It would depend on the, I would say the pattern that you pick, the fabric that you put into this quilt and the designing of the quilt. Gee, that's a big question. I would say just the fabric, the pattern and the time in putting in the quilt.

ES: What makes a quilt appropriate for a museum? Or a special collection?

EDK: Well, it would depend on the thing that the museum was looking for, if they're going to use an all general quilt, whether it's hand quilted, machine quilted or tied. It would depend on what the museum was looking for as to what you had to offer them.

ES: What makes a great quilter?

EDK: The love of the quilts.

ES: Whose quilts work are you drawn to, and why? Any particular artist that you're drawn to?

EDK: No, because I love all quilts no matter what style, what color schemes they had, whether it be outdoor scenery, floral scenery, backyard scenery, housing scenery, stars, animals, birds. I love them all.

ES: Well, I see that your quilt has quite a few animals in it. Are you an animal person?

EDK: In some way I am, and some way I'm not. I don't have a pet or bird, but I love them as long as they are outside.

ES: How do you feel about machine quilting versus hand quilting?

EDK: Machine quilting sort of terrifies me. I have tried it several times. I've gone through six or seven packages of sewing needles on machine and I find that hand quilting is more relaxing to me than machine quilting.

ES: Did someone teach you how to hand quilt?

EDK: You know what? I don't think so. I think I just did it, just started doing it because, like I said, when I used to make my doll quilts I did those all by hand. So, I think that's probably where I got my hand quilting from, from those little doll quilts.

ES: What do you think about the longarm quilting machines?

EDK: I think they are really, really great. But I don't know if I could handle it because I'm terrified of needles breaking.

ES: That's something you have to look out for.

EDK: I know.

ES: Why is quiltmaking important to your life? Or, is it important to your life?

EDK: It is, and it isn't. I just love making quilts. I try to do it with the girls, the Soul group. We have a block change every month and each block that each girl teaches us may be a little difficult but I'm willing to challenge it. Sometimes I love a challenge. And they are willing to help when I can't get through it. I know all of their phone numbers and where they live.

ES: In what way do your quilts reflect your community? Or the region where you live?

EDK: Hmmm. That's a hard one, because I don't really do quilts to please other people. I do them to please myself.

ES: What do you think about the importance of quilts in American life? Or in American history?

EDK: Oh, I think they are so fantastic, like the one we did on sweet Clair and the history that she went through where each block told a story and I thought that was so fascinating. And then, like what's the other one? I can't think of the name.

ES: Underground?

EDK: Underground Railroad. I love the stories that each one of those blocks tell. And most of your quilts, they kind of talk to you or they have a story to tell you. To me it's like reading a book.

ES: Okay, that's good. In what way do you think quilts have special meaning for women's history in America?

EDK: Like I said, all quilts have a story to tell you and each quilt tells you something, a little bit about the person that made it. And you can almost see her sitting there, maybe with a candle light or a very dim light making a quilt when all of her kids have gone to bed. Making something for winter to keep them warm.

ES: Now, looking at your quilt. What do you think someone viewing your quilt might conclude about you?

EDK: Well, with all the different kind of animals in there they might think that I'm a curious animal lover. Like I said, as long as they're on a quilt, or on a paper, or outside they're fine.

ES: How do you think quilts can be used?

EDK: I notice that a lot of quilts are used for bedding, a lot of quilts are used for wall hangings, a lot of quilts are used for table toppers, a lot of quilts are used for babies to lay on on the floor. Various, many ways that quilts are used.

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

EDK: Hopefully your children will know how to handle the quilts and take care of them and hand them down to their children, and their children will hand them down to their children. Hopefully.

ES: What are your plans for your quilts?

EDK: Hopefully my children will hand them down.

ES: What has happened to your quilts that you have made? Have you given those to family and friends or are you just saving them?

EDK: I have given a few out. Most of them I'm just saving because I'm making them for myself and once in a while I think someone will need a quilt and then I'll make one. I made two for my two sisters. I finally gave them their quilts because I got tired of moving them around. And, like I said, my brother-in-law has his quilt. My young son has his quilt, my oldest son has not received his yet. And I have a nephew yet to make his quilt.

ES: So they only get one quilt?

EDK: Yeah, well, my grandchildren, they have three each.

ES: Okay, they're a little bit more special?

EDK: Oh, yes!

ES: What do you think is the biggest challenge confronting quilters today?

EDK: The biggest challenge? I don't think there are enough quilt shows on the TV. My problem is I think I need a yard of fabric and when I start my quilt, get three-fourths of the way done to run out of this particular fabric and I cannot find it anymore. Other than that?

ES: You're saying that you buy fabric because you like it? And not for a particular project?

EDK: Not for a particular project.

ES: Tell me about the last quilt that you worked on.

EDK: Oh, wow! That was exciting. Thelma Jones gave us a quilt pattern. It consists of the Log Cabin and the Grandmother's Fan. I got the blocks all done but some of my blocks were smaller. When I tried to arrange them into the heart shape that she gave them they didn't fit. So I called and I didn't get any answer from her. She was helping other quilters of our group. So I got ahold of her the next day. She came right over, stayed four hours with me until I got it all figured out. She bought extra fabric because I told her my blocks were small, so she bought me extra fabric and she showed me how to get this heart shape. I think it's the most beautiful quilt I have done. When did I do this? Last month. [April, 2009.]

ES: So, you're not working on anything at this present time?

EDK: Yeah, Barbara [Mason.] gave us a tote bag to work on. So, I've got the tote bag all done and then I have all these little scraps of fabric and I remembered I've had this pattern for a jacket, so I'm taking all the extra scraps and I'm trying to convert them into this jacket to match this tote.

ES: Now, when I asked you about how your quilts were used you didn't tell me about bags, and jackets.

EDK: And pillows and pillow cases.

ES: So lots of useful quilts. Now, do you go to quilt shows?

EDK: Yes, I do. Went to one this past Sunday. Beautiful quilts they had there.

ES: Okay. Is there anything else about your quilting that you would like us to know?

EDK: I wish there was more time in the day to get them done.

ES: Well, I thank you for coming.

EDK: Thank you for having me.

ES: And this has been Eva King interviewed by Estella Spates on May 21, 2009 and it is now 3:55.