Karen_Whiteside

Hi Karen. When did you start quilting?
I started quilting in 1987 with a few girlfriends. We all had grandmothers that quilted, but we had never taken the time to learn from them. And then it was too late. The grandmother of a friend’s husband offered to teach us to hand quilt. We faithfully drove to her house each week for 6 months to learn.

We went on our own when we secured a top at a garage sale to quilt (needless to say, there was a reason why this King Sized “Star of Bethlehem” was never quilted!). Then my mother gave me one of my grandmother’s tops to quilt because she thought it to be just “an old thing”.

We thought we were pretty darn good quilters by the time we got that one done! Of course, no one told us not to use bed sheets as backings, or that we could ADD to the backing to make it larger than the top! I just whacked off a row of blocks because it was too big for the sheet! But you could definitely tell which end of the quilt that we started on, because we improved from one end to the other!

I sure had a lot to learn and spent the next years learning how to piece tops using that “pizza cutter thingy”. By that time my friends went to work full-time, but my passion for quilting just kept growing. I had sewn since I was 11, but I LOVED quilting. I wondered if this new passion would go by the wayside like all the other crafty things I had done…cross stitching, tole painting, etc. I’m still waiting to get tired of it, almost 20 years later!

Yes, my 6 year old granddaughter! My Mom’s generation had NO interest whatsoever even though their grandmothers quilted on both sides of the family! But, my granddaughter has loved fabric and sewing since she could barely walk and talk! We recently made a quilt for her new little cousin by her request. She was very distraught that her cousin (not my grandchild) didn’t even have one quilt! She picked out the fabric and then laid it out in the design that she liked. My granddaughter has very definite ideas on what she thinks her quilts should look like!

I’ve been married to my husband, Kirt, for almost 32 years and he is a very strong supporter and advocate of my quilting. He has built me different work stations, ironing centers and whatever else I can think up. He bought me my first sewing machine, my second one, my first “top of the line” one and has bought many, many yards of fabric over the years for me. He even searches out quilt shops internationally for me!

My 3 daughters, Tenille 31, Cortney 28, and Sheleah 25 have all sewn and made at least one quilt. The older two are married with children, husbands and full time jobs, leaving them little time to quilt. I’m hoping one day when life slows down for them, they’ll pick up that desire again. They are all great supporters of my passion.

My youngest daughter, Sheleah (who has Down’s Syndrome) often teases me, and once when her father asked, “What DO women want?”…She answered, “Dad, FABRIC!”

What other hobbies do you have besides quilting? How do these interests affect you quilting?

Most of my hobbies have been shoved to the back burner, no—I take that back. What other hobbies?!! I do like to travel—and I take sewing with me and a machine, if possible! I hunt out quilt stores everywhere I go. So I view that hobby as one that enhances my quilting!

No, but I sure wish I had. I would have loved to have that background knowledge.

I was a stay-at-home Mom, but have always dabbled in some type of free lance work….making silk screens for my husband’s manufacturing company, doing accounting work, and even a catering business with some friends. I currently teach Quilt Classes at my own studio, quilt shops, and JoAnn Fabrics, and have taught adult education classes as well.

Tell us something about yourself that you think would surprise us.

I love to lay out naked. Just kidding—I threw that it in to see if you were paying attention!

Oh, I’m a lucky one for sure. I went from the dining room table, to a “bonus” room, to half of the basement, and finally settled into a guest home on our property. It was originally meant to be for my daughter when she became an adult to live close to us, but semi-independent. It was a rental for many years and then she finally reached an age to move out there with a roommate. The roommate had the nerve to get married and didn’t want to live there anymore! My daughter only lasted a few more months and really didn’t like being in a separate location, so we moved her back into the house. We took my nice new sewing space and made it into an efficiency apartment for her. Well, that only left one place for me to go! And I take FULL advantage of it, too!

What kind of sewing machine do you use? How many machines do you own? Hmmm, I don’t know whether I should divulge that information in public! My main machine is my Pfaff, but I do own a Bernina, a Viking Husqvarna, a few Featherweights, my old Singer, my old White, my husband’s grandmother’s Singer, a treadle machine, a Singer 301, another Pfaff at my vacation home and a HQ16. I also purchased 8 Bernette machines to use in my classroom—I’ll let you do the math.

That would be hard to say—I love picking out the fabrics and playing with the quilt design. I’m always anxious to see how a design is going to play out—the beginning stages are the most fun. Playing with EQ5 (and now the new EQ6) commands a lot of my time! I like the piecing and LOVE doing binding. Everyone tells me it’s because it means I’m almost at the end of the quilt. But to me, it’s so relaxing. My least favorite part is doing long borders!

Fabric for sure—seeing old quilts and how they had to make do with what they had on hand. Plus designs that I see on walls, floors and buildings are also inspiring. I even have my husband seeing designs in unexpected places! We recently went on a vacation and we BOTH came out of the hotel lobby bathrooms commenting on how great the design on the wall was for quilting!!

The authors that I really enjoy are Jan Mullen and Gwen Marston—both who are liberated quilters. I like Freddy Moran, too.

Ted Storm-van Weldon, from the Netherlands. Her use of color and unusual designs along with her incredibly immaculate handwork is just so inspiring. Her quilts take her up to 5 years each to complete, and that is working on them full time! I will never be at the level she is, but she inspires me to really take the time to do my best work.

Heeheehee, you surely don’t think I’d divulge THAT number, do you?! I do have them all listed on an Excel worksheet. I did that in 2000 when I sewed ALL year long and could hardly remember what I made! I give a lot of my quilts away as gifts, for charitable donations, etc. I needed to see that I really wasn’t wasting my time and was truly accomplishing something. Although listing them like that does have a downside, I can see the total that I STILL have to do! Let’s just say it’s more than 50 and less than 70. Eww, I can’t believe I told you that!

So, have you ever abandoned an unfinished project (UFO)? What did you do with it?

In the past, I rarely abandoned UFO’s—but have recently started doing so. I heard once that we can look at that project as a learning tool and then can be done with it. So I’ve started adopting that policy. There is so much to do, why spend your time and your precious fabric on something you really don’t like? I have given a number of my UFO’s to others who might enjoy them. I’ve also recycled the blocks and fabric into something else.

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

It’s funny, I can quilt like mad when it’s someone else’s struggle and I’m hurting for them (like 9-11, for instance). I couldn’t watch the news anymore and had an overwhelming desire to make quilts for someone. I immediately pledged 3 quilts to donate and I went right to work. Whenever I’m working on a quilt for someone specifically, a lot of prayers and thoughts are for that person. I ended up making a quilt for myself, because of a deep desire to keep my hands creating and praying for the masses. On the other hand, when it’s ME who’s hurting or struggling, I find it hard to quilt or do much of anything. I can’t explain it and thankfully that doesn’t happen very often.

Many! How to have a generous heart—sharing my knowledge, my fabric and myself with others has come back to me tenfold. (Not like that is the reason I share of myself though.)

I also like compare the quilt world with the rest of the world….How diverse quilters (and people) are. Quilters may like different fabrics, designs, styles of quilts, methods of piecing and quilting….But yet we all love one another as quilters. The same goes for life. We are all individuals with many differences but yet we are all children of God.

Geez, now I have to get profound?! Actually, borrowing a phrase loosely my mother-in-law used to say, “I’m just an ordinary gal with an extraordinary passion for quilting”. Actually her quote was, “I’m an ordinary gal with an extraordinary God.” I think the same thing—and He is the one who gave me that passion. I’m not famous, nor probably ever will be, but I sure can share my love of quilting with others and share in the joy they get when they create their own masterpieces!

Romans 8:28 “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those that love Him.”

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

Most of them. I started my quilting career by hand quilting everything. Well, that didn’t last! I was making more tops than I could possibly quilt myself, so I found an Amish lady that hand quilts for me and usually has something of mine at all times. But it could be 3 months or almost a year.

I do most of my machine quilting, but sometimes get in a bind or would like something more custom than I think I want to handle. One of my favorites is Deb Berkebile of Mountain Trail Quilting in Geneva, Ohio.

Have you ever quilted in another country? Please tell me about that experience.

Yes, one year for my birthday, my husband surprised me by sending me to a week long quilt retreat in Chateauponsac, France. (It’s close to the Limoge area.) That’s where I met Ted Storm. I took a hand appliqué class from her. I was the lone American in a class of women that were mostly from England, a few from France, from Switzerland and Belgium. I took another course a few years later from Ted again on hand quilting. I discovered that I ALWAYS can learn and improve my skills more. Just when I think I’m doing okay, I find that I can get even better.

I learned that hand skills are highly regarded in Europe. NO patterns are given as most classes are technique classes and you are guided in making your own designs. They do not have the “need for speed” like we do in America. First, the fabric is horribly expensive and they have no place to “stash” it anyway. Nor do they have lots of wall spaces to hang them or places to store quilts once they are done, so their motive in quilting is to enjoy the process and really learn the skill of making your own designs in quilts. It was quite a humbling experience.

I belong to a group that meets every other Friday night and has two retreats per year. We currently have 8 in our group. Being in a small group allows you to connect on a very personal level and be more involved in their lives. We do block exchanges every year and it makes me look at the past years’ quilts where some of the members are no longer with us with quite fondness. Oh, the memories we are creating in our quilts, during our meetings, throughout the years. I would surely miss not having a group to quilt with on a regular basis. They are encouragers, critics, friends, and special quilting buddies.

Besides improved?! Well, I no longer use bed sheets for backings and I know how to make backings larger! My tastes in fabrics and designs have evolved, going from the dark, country look to a lighter, brighter and sometimes funky look. I’ve kind of settled somewhere in between! I still like traditional patterns, using fresh colors and I like the over-the-top kinds of looks, too. Right now, I seem to be favoring quilts that use lots of fabrics and have lots of colors, especially the pure, saturated colors.

Is there a quilting technique, pattern, color combo, etc. that you’ve been dreaming of, but haven’t tried yet?

Yes, I would like to do a portrait quilt of some type. I have the most beautiful grandchildren in the world and would love to capture their little faces in fabric. (Flashback to the question where I wished I would have taken art classes!)

Do you work in a series with your quilts? Please explain.
Not usually, but I have done two “series” (I’m using that term loosely) in the last year. I’m working on another series of Challenges. It’s how to make the most of your fat quarters (FQ’s) and use every bit of them in making a series of quilts. I did the first one when a friend gave me a bundle of Kaffe Fassett FQ’s and since these fabrics play best in their own playground, I wanted to see what I could do to make the most of that fabric. I was tired of patterns that have you buy a bunch of FQ’s and then you use a part of them, leaving the balance to linger in your stash forever. So, I came up with 5 quilts (from large ones to small ones) and had just a sliver of fabric left! A friend heard about it and wanted to join me in another Challenge. This time I went over the top—I ended up with 10+ projects and a Grand Finale that used every last THREAD of fabric! I featured them on my blog.

I am now starting another Challenge that I’m opening up to anyone who would like to participate. I will have the rules posted on my website.

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

I used to collect all kinds of fabrics, but I have been on a fabric diet since last July. I have more than my fair share of fabric and one day while straightening my overflowing closet, I decided that I could sew until I die (and I’m young yet—or at least I feel young!) and still have fabric. So what started out to be a little challenge (one started by someone in my blog ring), has turned out to be a testing of my willpower. I’m doing great so far and I sure wish it was this easy to diet with food!

Do you hand piece or hand quilt any of your work? Tell me what you like about this process.

I love to hand quilt, but sad to say, it gets pushed to the back burner a lot. I have so many ideas and things I want to do, I always think that the next one will be hand quilted. I am working on a Dear Jane quilt, done entirely by hand. I love the quiet times it takes to do it and how it slows me down to enjoy the process. I do have to admit I haven’t done a whole lot on it in the last year. I’m not in a big rush, calling it my “Lifetime Achievement Quilt”, figuring if I get it done in my lifetime, it will be an achievement! Hand work allows your mind to wander onto other things because it’s so relaxing. Maybe this year?

Not a juried show or to be judged. They have all been for exhibition only. I quilt because I love it and am not really a competitive type of person. I love to share my quilts with others and that is satisfaction enough for me. I have other things that I like to do that challenge me in the quilt world.

Have any of your quilts won awards or been published in a book or magazine? Please share about your favorite honors.

My Y2K quilt was chosen to be in a special exhibit in Houston in 2000 and that was quite a thrill to see my quilt in an exhibit hall full of absolutely outstanding quilts.

The following year, my quilt in memory of 9-11, “Shaken, But Not Broken”, hung in Houston. All the quilts in that particular exhibit were honored to be in the book, “America: From the Heart” that Karey Bresnehan published. My quilt was chosen to be on a Traveling Exhibit with other quilts from that exhibit. It ended up being on tour all over the world until 2004.

Yes, several. I teach technique classes like machine quilting, paper piecing and the basics. But most of my quilt classes are based on a project that ALSO teaches a particular technique as well.

Teaching beginners is my favorite, though! It’s so fun to see the light bulbs go on as they begin to understand that they truly can create a beautiful quilt all by themselves. That is SO rewarding to me. I like working with teens and in fact, I mentored a young lady this past summer who wanted to take her sewing/quilting skills to the next level. I hope to work with teens again this summer as there is a need to teach these skills to young people. Sewing is no longer taught in the schools as they have other things to focus on. It would be a shame to see quilting be a dying art as fewer and fewer people sew. I say we all need to go out and grab these young teens and help them express their creativity by giving them the skills they need to do it.

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

Take as many classes as you can from a variety of teachers. Every teacher has their own way of teaching and you can learn so much from all of them. You can really shorten that learning curve by taking classes and learning all the tips and hints they have to offer. You can certainly learn on your own, but you can avoid so many errors by having a little help. Plus, it’s more fun to learn with other quilters. And join a quilt group! You are more likely to pursue your new hobby when you have others to encourage you. Besides, quilters are the friendliest, most generous groups of people I have ever met.

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

I dabble in a little bit of everything, must be the wanderlust in me. I am the business manager for Ted Storm, who has developed a Thumb Thimble to be worn on your thumb while hand quilting in other directions. I also host retreats at my Studio. And I will be teaching online at Quilt Campus.net in the next few months. That’s a new venture for me and I’m thrilled to be part of the program there.

Do you have any suggestions for quilters who are trying to fit more quilting time into their day?

I once had a friend tell me that she gets up at 5 AM (yes, AM!!!) to get in one hour of quilting before she goes to work. Well, I tried that. Being the night owl that I am, the alarm jarred me awake and I forgot why it was going off! Second day, I remembered….So I got up, went up to my room and proceeded to sit on a chair and STARE at all the things I could do. I went back to bed after an hour and deemed that experiment a wash out!

I prefer to schedule quilt time into my day. It’s important to me. And now that quilting is my business, I’m trying to schedule in PERSONAL quilt time, as sometimes my own quilts get put on the back burner. I don’t watch TV, unless it’s on for background noise, I no longer take time to read (only while on the treadmill), and I TRY to watch my computer time. It’s so easy to lose track of time while chatting with other quilters, reading their blogs, and surfing the net. Be careful not to spend more time TALKING about quilting than actually doing it!

Thanks for sharing your story with us Karen! It's always fun to peek into another quilter's life. We've enjoyed meeting you!

Here are links to learn more about Karen and her teaching schedule.
Karen's Website

Karen's Blog

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