Meet Augusta Cole

Richmond, Virginia, USA

All photos courtesy of Augusta Cole.

Hi Augusta.  When did you start quilting?

I started 28 years ago in Canadaiqua, New York…a friend of mine asked me to
take a quilting class and I could not because I was getting ready to have my
second child.  She would come to my house after her class and show me what
they had done in class.  I knew then that this is what I wanted to do.

In January of 1979 we moved back home to Washington, North Carolina and moved   
in with my mother so I had a built in sitter.  I then enrolled in the first quilt class
that was available.  It was at the Red Rooster on Main Street in Washington and
my instructor was Karen Pervier.  This was a quilt as you go sampler class and I
finished a double bed size quilt during the 6-week class.  Right after my class
ended Karen and her family moved to Winston Salem, NC and the owner of the
shop asked me “since you are the only one that finished a quilt would you be
interested in teaching this class?”  My reply was, “if I could teach it just like Karen
I would be happy to.” 

I had always liked knitting and crocheting and am interested in keeping my hands
busy.  I fell in love with all the aspects of quilting, and now I am hooked.

Tell me about your family.  What do they think about your quilting?

This is my second marriage.  My husband is a wonderful man.  I have 2 children,
Sara and Sam.  Sara is married and has 4 beautiful boys: Phillip, Taylor, Mason,
and Clayton.  They live here in Richmond.  Sam is a newlywed and lives in
Hatteras, North Carolina.

My family has all been recipients of my quilts and they are very supportive of my
habit.  When Sara was going to college she wanted a Laura Ashley comforter and
not one of my quilts.  Now, as she is maturing she is appreciating my quilting
interest. 

Do you work outside the home?

I have just finished my 17th year with the Henrico County Public Schools in
Richmond, Virginia teaching 6th, 7th and 8th grade Health and Physical Education. 
I am also the boy’s soccer coach, which is a fall sport.

Tell something about yourself that would surprise us.

While being physically active doing my daily walk one summer I basted half-inch
hexagons for a grandmother’s flower garden quilt.  My neighbors thought I was crazy
but it certainly kept my fingers busy!

Where in your home do you quilt?  And what do you call you quilting space?

My basement!!!!!!!!  My junk room!!!!!  I share my space with my husband, his
hobbies and the computer.  That’s where I do my basic piecing.  I have a floor
model Q Snap frame that I keep in the den where I do my hand quilting while
watching TV. 

What kind of machine do you use?  And how many machines do you own?

I have a Singer Featherweight, a Bernina and a Janome.  I enjoy using all three.

What is your favorite part of the quilting process?

I love it all.  At certain times I piece, hand quilt, or cut out.  Any available time
during the day I have to devote to quilting I use it to cutting, piecing and sewing. 
At night I relax with my hand quilting. 

What inspires you creatively?

I am inspired by beauty, whether it is color or style, I am attracted to simplicity
and the desire to create beauty.  I have very traditional tastes.  Also, my love
of scrappy quilts comes from my desire to use my stash of fabric. 

Please list your favorite quilting books and authors.

I love all the scrappy books.  I have made several quilts from the Nickel Quilts book
series by Pat Speth as well as the Fons and Porter magazine and books.

What is your favorite season?  Why?

Summer.  I am cold natured so I love the sun and the beach.  And, especially
because I am out of school!!!!

How many quilt projects do you have in progress right now?

Do I really have to tell you?!  Way too many…  Probably 20ish, but I do not slow
down to count!  I always have something in the hand quilting, hand piecing, and
machine piecing process, that way I always have something to keep my hands
busy.

How many UFO’s do you have?  Have you ever abandoned a UFO? What
did you do with it?                                  

I have tooooo many to count!  Yes, I have abandoned some.  I wrapped one
and gave it to a quilting friend for a Christmas present and one I put in a silent
auction.  And one that was not very wonderful was thrown in the trash!

Please tell me a funny story about your quilting.
One year at a retreat, I had a group of blocks from a chapter exchange that I
was not going to use so I kindly added my blocks to one lady’s tote bag as they
were leaving.  The following year the lady was inquiring of whose blocks they
were that she had accidentally taken home.  She asked all of my friends but she
never asked me.  I do hope she has enjoyed my block.



Has quilting ever helped you through a time of struggle or heartache? 
Can you share about that?

Yes, I have done many quilts for friends and family that were suffering from
cancer and by doing that it has helped me express my concerns and love for them.



Has quilting taught you any lessons in life? 

Patience and the value of good hard work, and the satisfaction that comes
with a finished project are always good lessons to know.




Please list your favorite quote or motto.

“Variety is the spice of life…”   
“Slow is faster….”  
"Be kind to your machine!”

What is your favorite bible verse?

Do you quilt your own projects?  By hand or machine?  If not, who quilts
them for you?

I always have a quilt in the frame for hand stitching.  I am beginning to teach
myself to machine quilt with my Teacher  loaner Janome machine.  And I have
used several different long arm-quilting friends. 




What are your favorite tools for hand quilting?
I usually use a #10 quilting needle.  I like the Clover, Piecemakers, and the
Richard Hemming large eye needles.  I usually use the YLI quilting thread.  My
favorite thimble is the indented thimble from the Original Raised-Edge Thimble
Company.  I could not hand quilt without that thimble…When I find them I
usually buy 2 or 3 just to have extras! 




Do you have any advice for quilters that want to try hand quilting?
I believe that hand quilting is very relaxing, but I also think that you have to
practice, practice and practice to get small even stitches.  Don’t get
discouraged.  Persevere, relax and enjoy the art!

Tell me about a project you are working on right now?

I teach many cutting bee workshops.  In these workshops we share 2 ½” and
4 ½” strips.  In all of the workshops I have done, we have never had a repeat
fabric; therefore, I have bins of two and half and four and half inch fabrics.  I
have finished two quilts using these and many more are partially finished and I
work on them as time permits.

I am also making Sunny Lane quilts.  These come from the Nickel Quilts book and
I have one with just fun fabrics and another one for a Christmas quilt that I am
working on.

Plus I’m working on a new teaching project for a Christmas block quilt.  I will be
teaching this in September to my Church Mice Quilting group.

Do you own any antique quilts?

Do you belong to a guild or quilting group?

I am a member the Virginia Consortium of Quilters, which is the statewide quilt
group.  I am a current member and was a past president of the VCQ.  I am also
a member of the James River Heritage Quilters and the Church Mice quilters. 

How has your quilting changed over the years?

I do not think it is changed at all.  I am still a traditional person and still love
the patterns and scrappy quilts.  I now know many more fast piecing techniques
which help make life easier!

Do you prefer to piece or appliqué your quilts?

I prefer to piece.  I have been given two appliqué quilts because friends know
I don’t enjoy the appliqué process.  Currently I’m working on an appliquéd vine
border for a North Carolina lily quilt that has been in progress for 12 years!!

Do you collect certain types of fabrics, quilting tools, gadgets, or supplies?

I usually buy fat quarters of fabrics that catch my eye.  I believe all quilters
love new quilting tools and gadgets.  I am real taken with the Omnigrid #96 ruler.



What’s the Omnigrid #96?!
It’s a right angle ruler which takes all the math out of the 7/8”.  I use it for the
Cutting Bee, putting 2 strips together and cutting half square triangles to resew. 
It also has a blunt end for the ¼” point so you can feed the triangles thru the
machine without the point being eaten by the feed dogs!

Have you developed any special quilting techniques or products?

Yes, I have developed many fast piecing techniques to help my projects go
quickly and more organized.  Plus, how to multi-cut and cut accurately, and a
twist to chain piecing are a few examples.

Have you ever entered a quilt show?  How was that experience?

My best quilting story ever…  One fall I entered a newly finished quilt in the
Richmond Quilt Guild show and I decided to put a price tag on it.  I went over to
work the show on Sunday afternoon and as I entered the show I heard a lady
talking about wanting to buy a quilt, and was thrilled when she came and asked
me about purchasing MY quilt.  She had me sit right down and wrote a check for
$750.00 and we discussed the delivery of the quilt to her home so I would know
where my quilt would live.  I put the check in my pocket and went around the
corner where I jumped up and down and yelled and screamed in excitement! 

A short while later, the woman returned and told me that she had changed her
mind and asked for her check back.  With trembling hands I returned the check. 
She told me that she had been back to look at the quilt again and that it was
so beautiful that she wanted me to have my asking price of $1000.00!  Needless
to say I was speechless.  This was such a blessing in my life at this time
because I was just going through a nasty divorce and was pinching pennies
to make ends meet.  I took the check home and put it on the table.  My
daughter came in and said, “Oh, mom we can go shopping!”  And my son also
said “Mom I can’t read this it has too many zeros!”  AND…. The name of the quilt
was The Wheel of Fortune!    



Do you ever teach classes?  What is your favorite class to teach?

I teach all of the time; anywhere I am invited.  I teach anything-scrappy, fast
piecing, using the stash.   I just love the teaching process!

Do you have any tips or advise for beginners?  What do you wish you would
have know when you started quilting?

I would say the best advice is to take a class from a qualified experienced
instructor. I tried my hand on a few quilts before taking the sampler quilt class
and having a qualified instructor made all of the difference in the world.  Learning
the correct way first is always easier that re-learning.

Also, slow is faster!  You should always try to cut accurately and sew accurately
to achieve the best results.

Do you use any tools or gadgets to achieve a ¼” seam allowance?

I started with masking tape, then progressed to sticky notes and then to mole
skin.  Now each of my machines has a guided ¼” presser foot. 

Please tell me about your quilting business…anything else you would like
to share.

I have been actively teaching classes for many years now and I feel like my
quilting business is finally taking off.  Recently I have been invited to teach at
several international shows and I just published my first pattern!  Most weekends
I travel and teach quilting. 

Do you have any suggestions for quilters who are trying to fit more quilting
time into their day?  Are there activities that you skip so that you can
quilt more?  Is your family supportive of your need to quilt?

Begin by being organized! The more organized you are the more stitching time you will have!  On cold winter mornings and those that are not so cold, I run in
and stitch until my car is hot.  I take what I have pieced out of the machine put
it in my lap and in traffic I clip apart and finger press.  Between classes I pin
for later stitching.  I always have a project in the car when I am the passenger. 

Cooking and cleaning are the activities that I skip.  Sometimes eating…..

My husband Steve is my right arm.  He is very supportive in every way including
organizational help, computer skills, cooking, grocery shopping, and always my
best friend.  There is no way I could do both full time jobs without his love and
support. 



Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Augusta! I wish I could have seen you power walking through your neighborhood while you basted quilt pieces!!  You Go, Girl!! 

If you would like more information on Augusta, her teaching schedule, and her patterns, please check out her website.

www.augustacolequilting.com

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always open to your suggestions.  and let me know.


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