As part of our ongoing Q & A series to get to know our
members Rachael Dorr talks to us today about her experience as a quilter.
Bear Paw quilt made for a family who
lost their mother - it is made from her shirts.
Q: Tell us about yourself.
Where are you from and how long have you been in our guild?
A: I'm English
but I have been in the states for 11+ years now. I live in Bronxville, NY with
my husband, 3 kids & a small dog who looks like he escaped from Disney
land. I joined the guild at the end of 2013.
Q: Have you
always been crafty? What other things do
you make?
A: I think so .... I like
making things. Anything. It is more than cathartic for me. I started with
knitting & crochet but since having kids I find the sewing aspect of things
has really taken off.
Fabric Cupcakes
Q: Where do you sew?
A: I have a small work room in our attic
space. It is packed full of random materials. I never throw anything away and
being able to see the carpet is rare. My longarm machine currently lives in our
bedroom - my husband is thrilled about that!
T-shirt quilt made for a family
who lost their father/grandfather/firefighter in 9/11
Q: What is your favorite type of project?
A: My favorite projects
come from when I work with grieving families - taking their loved ones clothes
& turning them into quilts. It is really something else when you hand over
the finished quilts and see their reactions.
Q: What’s your favorite quilting tool?
A: I have recently
discovered a drywall aluminum t-square ruler. It enables me to cut perfect
right angles and enables your quilts to hang beautifully.
Q: What type of fabrics do you use most often?
A: Recycled clothes, scraps & anything
white.
Q: Who or what inspires you most in quilting?
A: Karen McTavish & Katie Pasquini Masopust
are two people that I would love to have lessons with. But my biggest
inspiration to make things comes from a toy rabbit I was given when I was very
young. That rabbit came with me everywhere - I still have her - one eye missing
& matted fur due to too many kisses. After so many years with this rabbit
it amazes me that this hand made gift has been more important to me than many
other things that have passed through my life so far. There is something about
hand made things - they contain so much love & effort - ad they carry great
beauty because of this.
Kids Art Quilts
Q: What are you working on now?
A: 4 quilts
for siblings who recently lost their mother. The materials range from wool
picnic blankets, childhood coats, kilts, velvet & cotton dresses .... And
some fabric art projects I have done with my kids (see photos above).
Q: What kind of projects would you like to tackle in the
coming year?
A: I'm a little obsessed with texture - white on white texture - I
would really like to explore this in the coming year & improve my longarm
skills.
Q: Do you have a blog, flickr, pinterest, or other place on
the web you’d like to share?
Great to find out more about you Rachael and go you with that long arm in your bedroom, I nipped over to follow your blog and saw you line dancing with it! Hope to meet you properly on the 5th :D
ReplyDeleteYour work is really lovely and I think it's great that you use your talents to comfort people in times of sadness.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see this Q&A series back!
ReplyDeleteAlso, that is the best t-shirt quilt I've ever seen! Rachael you rock.
I agree with Bernadette! Best t-shirt quilt ever. You are a very talented girl!
ReplyDeleteThanks guys - your being too kind ;-)
ReplyDelete