Meet Catherine Roberts
Seaford, Delaware, USA
All photos courtesy of Catherine Roberts.
Click on quilt photos to enlarge.
Hi Catherine. When did you start quilting?
I started quilting in 1980 which comes out to many years….But, there were about 10 years when I didn’t do any quilting as I had children, husband, dogs and a job to tend to.
Why did you start quilting?
I knew of a quilt shop in Wickford, Rhode Island and it was simply enchanting. A Swedish woman owned the shop and her work was exquisite. I wanted to do what she was doing so I signed up for classes. And, as they say, the rest is history.
Who taught you how to quilt?
Along the way, I learned quilting from many people. The sewing portion came from various teachers as did the actual quilting. What I really threw myself into was hand appliqué. I adore hand work. I joined my local appliqué guild here in Georgetown, Delaware. The women were very generous with their mini-instructions. I also took classes.
Do other people in your family quilt?
My beloved mother, Kathleen, quilts. My older daughter, Michele, has made baby quilts off and on. I think the older she gets, the more she’ll gravitate to making more quilts. I have given my two daughters, Michele and Hannah their very own featherweight sewing machines hoping that one day they will be inspired to sew up a storm.
Tell me about your family. What do they think about your quilting?
My immediate family consists of my husband Chris, Michele, Nat, Hannah, Everett and our two dogs Tory and Tigger. They all know when I get into a “phase” I go “all the way”….something my Catholic school nuns used to warn us against!
When I was building computers at one job I had, I started bringing home orphaned motherboards, PCI cards, memory etc and built computers for my family. That led to my networking the whole house with CAT 5 networking cable. We then saw our formal dining room turn into the “fortress”; that is-computer central. Everyone in the household has their computer there. It worked out well for all, especially to monitor the kids.
Once I had enough of computer building, I entered the sewing phase and logically there went another room in the house. That room is now my command central for sewing, most Quilts of Valor computer stuff, and my podcast show is there. As an aside, my husband has forbidden me to even think of metastasizing into another “empty” room despite my pleas of needing more space.
What does the family think? I would wager they would just shake their heads and laugh and woof.
Where do you live?
I live in Delaware… slower lower Delaware where we have more chickens than people. This is the mid-Atlantic region on the East coast.
What other hobbies do you have besides
quilting? How do these interests affect your quilting?
I’ll list them first and then elaborate on each:
- Computers/internet/podcasting.
- Military history.
- Building sustainable buildings.
- Watching foreign films.
- Boating
- Traveling
1. Computers and the internet have always fascinated me. I am usually downloading beta versions of anything because I typically like ‘bleeding edge’ things. A natural extension of this is my learning how to code for my QOV website with a focus on being accessible to all no matter what the disability. I have started podcasting as I believe it’s just one more way to communicate with those around the world and try and impress upon them the absolute need to cover our combat wounded with quilts. I have found I enjoy podcasting because I get to interview people and hear their stories, as I am sure you do. Learning about editing and mixing the audio files to become a podcast is a challenge, but still enjoyable.
2. My husband opened up the door to military history and specifically our civil war history. As a result of extensive reading, I have a better sense of different civilizations, their growth and decline and how really not much has changed with mankind in thousands of years. I enjoy going to our national battleground sites and reflect on the meaning of war from all perspectives. It’s very sobering but something I feel makes me a better American citizen. I listen to as many books as I can on tape or my ipod.
3. I am realizing that we have limited resources here on earth and that I must become a good steward or else my grandchildren will be wanting. Along these lines, I found out about straw bale houses and I am fascinated. I would like to learn how to build an energy efficient house-specifically a straw bale house. Along with this mind set, I want to learn how to fix things around the house. I recently went to Sears and bought my own set of tools and toolbox. When I came home, I announced to my husband that these were MY tools and he had to ask permission to use them. (What prompted this action was the disappearance of all my computer building tools. The kids say that it must have been the dogs that used and didn’t return them.)
4. I adore watching foreign films. I find by watching films from all over the world, I see that we humans are not really so different. Love stories, stories about families…all so familiar. The only thing that throws me is the language but that’s why there are subtitles. Generally, Indian movies are universally loved. You can put a two year old in front of one…let’s say “Lagaan” and even though it’s in Hindi, they’ll be moving with the music and dancing. Most Indian movies are romantic but you will rarely see the protagonists kiss. What you will see is fantastic set designs, beautifully made costumes, and singing and dancing that will have everyone smiling.
5. I enjoy boating. We live in the Chesapeake area and there are hundreds of creeks and rivers to explore. We have traveled down the Nanticoke to Washington DC several times and I never see the waters the same. It also is lovely to see the workmen in their work boats crabbing.
6. Finally, I love to travel. My favorite country is Ecuador and probably number two would be India. I do not know Europe and would like to explore the UK.
Did you study art in college? Do you ever wish you would have?
I never have studied art. In a way, I am glad I didn’t because then I’d be thinking how I SHOULD be doing something instead of how I want it to be. I know what I enjoy as far as art goes and for now, that’s enough.
What were your favorite arts and crafts projects as a child?
Reading, reading and reading was my favorite activity. I liked to cook and sew but they came no where near to my love for reading.
Are you retired? If so, from what?
After 12 years, I retired from working as a nurse-midwife in a hospital setting. I loved my work but as malpractice entered the prenatal and delivery setting, it became less enjoyable.
Presently, I work as the director of the Quilts of Valor Foundation which is more than a full time job. I thoroughly enjoy this work albeit at times I feel I am obsessed with it. It’s one thing to work for someone else and then when off call, you’re free. When you are the boss of your own project/business, there really is never any free time. I am not complaining but rather just making an observation.
Tell us something about yourself that you think would surprise us.
My husband and I worked at a clinic in the Himalayas which was on the I-95 to Mount Everest. We were at an altitude of 14,000 feet. One day, my husband and another doctor went on their own climbing adventure leaving me with the Japanese doctor who didn’t speak any English.
A tourist was brought into the clinic with altitude sickness. We had to intervene quickly or else he could have died. We put the patient in our compression chamber to stabilize him and then arrange for his transport at a lower altitude than we were. The Japanese doctor ran the compression chamber and I did everything else. As a result of our efforts, this man’s life was saved.
My husband and Stephan were quite surprised when they returned to hear about the rescue and treatment of our only altitude sickness patient the whole time we were there (3 months).
What is your favorite part of the quilting process?
The hand work is my favorite part. I tolerate sewing. I adore hand work and this includes redwork which I combine with my quilts.
 What kind of sewing machine do you use? How many machines do you own?
I use different machines for different activities. I have about 12 machines from a hand crank one to a new Bernina with the stitch regulator. Can a girl have too many sewing machines? I think not.
What inspires you creatively?
Old quilts really inspire me; especially those that one with a critical eye might want to judge as not having perfectly matching points, seams, or whatever. If I let myself become too critical, I don’t enjoy the process for I always seem to be “wanting”.
My mother’s quilts inspire me. They are so ‘simple’. Don’t be mistaken…simple doesn’t mean visually unsatisfactory. On the contrary, they are gorgeous quilts BECAUSE of their simplicity. I wish I had her talent and skill to pick out the fabrics and patterns she does.
Tell us about your favorite quilting books.
My favorite quilting author is Linda Franz (www.lindafranz.com). She writes about hand sewing and combines Jane Austen quotes throughout her books. She also self-published her books which then gives us exactly what she wanted to impart. I admire her vision to teach through her books with excellent images and instructions plus her accompanying instructional DVD.
Whose quilts inspire you? Why?
My mother’s quilts inspire me because she puts her whole self into them. She is one of the best human beings on this planet and her extraordinary qualities show through in her quilts.
How many quilt projects do you have in progress right now?
About five too many.
How many UFO’s do you have?
Actually two. The first is only lacking one border. It’s folded up and occasionally calls me on my cell to remind me that it only needs one border. The other is my daughter’s wedding quilt.
Has quilting ever helped you through a time of struggle or heartache? Can you share about that?
Thank you for asking this question. It is precisely because of a time of struggle that I started the Quilts of Valor Foundation or as it was formerly known, Quilts for Soldiers. My son, Nat and his 630th MP Company were being deployed from Germany to Iraq for one year. All of a sudden, I was thrown into a group of other Americans who send their loved one into harm’s way. I had read about it, been in favor of it for others and now it was my family’s turn to be sixty seconds from panic for one whole year.
My mind started working overtime to see what activity I could throw myself into to keep busy while he was deployed. I knew quilts were comforting and all of a sudden, the answer was before me. I googled in November 2003 to see if I could find any group that was making quilts specifically for our combat wounded and found there were none. So I started my group by appealing to both quilt-toppers and the longarming group to volunteer their fabric, their talents and time to make wartime quilts of valor that would comfort our combat wounded. Presently, our Quilts of Valor community has delivered over 7,000 quilts to be awarded by chaplains across the nation and in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are only one of many that make quilts to comfort our wounded and the families who have lost their loved one in this war on terror. What could be better than to have a quilt that was made with love, prayers and healing thoughts woven into the very fibers of the quilt? I say these quilts are our granny purple hearts for our combat wounded. We have tens of thousands more quilts to make. This project will continue for years to come.
The ball started rolling and has never stopped. Another quilt project I did was to get Nat’s whole company to put their hand prints on batik blocks (fabric was donated from across the country) which I sewed together into their respective platoons. This was quite involved, ie, getting the fabric blocks cut, hand paint materials together, instructional DVD and sending these to Iraq and Germany. Then the hand-printed blocks came back and they had to be put together, sewn and quilted. Dear friends, Jo Anne Fields and Linda Strong, machine quilted the six quilts called “Band of Hands”. The day the first Sgt had his company start the project, one of their patrols hit an IED and Danny was killed and four wounded. The first platoon’s quilt reflects Danny’s ultimate sacrifice as he is the star and all hands are facing him.
So, what started as a comfort for me has extended to those who voluntarily serve our nation while we are at war.
And, when you think about it, American women have been sending their men off to wars with family quilts since the Revolutionary War. If this tradition is to continue, we must teach our young to sew.
Has quilting taught you any lessons of life? Please share.
I have learned that the more one gives, the more one receives. It seems an oxymoron but it’s one of life’s tenets that stands steady no matter what. Quilters know this and they practice it.
Do you have a favorite quote or motto?
Still at war; still quilting.
Do you quilt your own projects? If not, who quilts them for you?
In the beginning I hand quilted my quilts. Now if it’s lap-sized or smaller, I will machine quilt it. Otherwise, I use longarmers.
Do you enjoy machine quilting?
It’s ok but gets laborious on my sewing machine. Now if I had a longarm machine that would be different. (Can you see the wheels turning in my brain?)
Tell me about a project that you are working on right now.
Ssshhhsh…don’t tell my mom, but I am making her a quilt for Christmas. She makes quilts for everyone…and, I mean everyone. I want to make her a quilt that she will love looking at and touching….So that’s why I am combining “redwork” and piecing. I’ll back it with Minkee. Now, I just have to do it!
What is your favorite color?
Yellow.
Do you belong to a guild or quilting group?
Before I got started in my Quilts of Valor project, I belonged to an appliqué guild. I loved going to the meetings. It had about 70 members and we met once/month. Now, I don’t belong to any guilds. I would love to belong to a QOV bee where someone else was in charge and I could just show up and sew. Otherwise I let business get in the way.
Do you plan out your whole quilt before you begin or do you start with an idea and let it develop on its own?
I plan the whole thing and rarely deviate.
Do you work from patterns? Do you innovate your own designs? Or both?
I work from patterns, period.
How has your quilting changed over the years?
I have gone from beginner’s level to more hand work. I adore appliqué and embroidery. So I would say I have gravitated to hand work over the years vs. more machine work.
What’s your favorite color scheme in a quilt?
Color scheme? Just look at what I wear and you’ll know I know nothing about color schemes!
Please tell me about your favorite quilt shop. What makes it special?
Rosies in San Diego is my favorite store. I go in there and suddenly become manic. Another shop I adore is the Pomegranate in Alpine, California but it’s closing. This shop excelled in customer service and really, isn’t this what quilt shops are all about?
What is your favorite brand of fabric? Do you have a favorite fabric designer?
I love Princess Mirah’s fabrics and designs. Also, the indigo fabric made in South Africa.
Do you daydream about quilts while you are doing other things?
Whenever I see fabric, I always think of it as either being suitable for a quilt of valor or not. Then this leads me to think of our combat wounded and war.
Do you have any tips or advice for beginners? What do you wish you would have known when you started quilting?
Sweetie, know this: It’s a slippery slope but sooooooo enjoyable!
Take a class so you learn the basics. Ask the older quilters for their tips. Watch how they sew, quilt, appliqué. Go to museums and look carefully at the quilts.
Do you have any suggestions for quilters who are trying to fit more quilting time into their day?
If you have any advice here, please pass it along to me! I do my handwork while listening to the nightly news. Otherwise I am behind a computer screen doing something or another.
Is there anything else that you would like to share?
My passion is to cover all our combat wounded with quilts. I invite everyone to get involved. I want to share with your readers that we are a nation at war and we must get involved. With only 5% of our nation emotionally involved with someone in harm’s way, it leaves 95% un-involved. It’s a sorry state of affairs. So, I implore each of you to contact every quilter you know to get involved with comforting our wounded. It doesn’t have to be through my organization. You can do it on your own or with another group. But it should be done or else we’ll be facing another generation of veterans like those from Viet Nam. Remember talk is very cheap and plentiful.
Ok Girls...if reading this article doesn't get you fired up, I'm afraid your wood may be wet...or your needles are dull...or some such thing! I don't think it is possible for a quilter to read this story and not be impacted by Catherine's passion to cover the combat wounded with quilts. I certainly hope that this touches each of you very deeply. Please move forward and take action today...together we can take a stand and help Catherine to spread quilts of valor like an epidemic...an epidemic of LOVE.
For more information, please visit the Quilts of Valor website, sign up for the newsletter, and make a quilt (or 10!):
www.qovf.org
So who do you want for the next Real Women Quilt Featured Quilter?!! I'm always open to your suggestions.
and let me know.
Featured Quilter Achives!! sort of like our own little Hall of Fame!!
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