Lost in Quiltland April 20 2015

We recently ran across many vintage quilting magazines and books, most out of print and very old.

I remember seeing many of these great quilting books in years gone by, but none grabbed me like a Kaye Wood self-published book in particular, dated 1969. 

1969. Oh my!  How I remember those days and my mind took me back there again.

Back in 1969 I was still a new bride and the kiddies didn't start coming for another few years. Having quilted off and on most of my life, I was still doing everything the way I was taught: cut patterns from cereal boxes to mark the fabric and then cut with scissors. I pieced with a treadle sewing machine, and the quilt was mounted on a home made quilting frame and quilted by hand.

Our one local PBS station got it's start a few years prior but with only an antennae (before cable), it was hard to pick up their programs very often. When I was lucky enough, there were one or two sewing and quilting programs I could catch on Saturday morning. Kaye Wood's program was one of them. 

Oh my! How great it was to learn about tools & techniques we now take for granted: rotary cutters & mats, cutting rulers, chain sewing & strip piecing techniques, etc.

A whole new world of quilting had opened up for me! 

Look at the back page of this book with all these new quilting tools Kaye had for sale in 1969! Most of them are still classics and have a place in nearly every quilting studio. 

Books, video tapes, rulers and other things to make quilting super fast!

Fast forward to 2015.
My three kiddies are now in their 40's and have made me a proud grandma seven times over. After my hubby and I parted ways a few decades ago, I returned to school and got a BS degree in Graphics/Fine Arts. I moved west to work in Seattle for 20 years, then moved back home to West Virginia when I retired.

A few years ago, I got a longarm machine and started a new quilting business, then started designing and producing a line of rotating quilting templates.

So much has changed since 1969!

Today, Kaye Wood is still going strong and is a true inspiration. 

A visit to her website shows that she has definitely not stood still herself and is even sponsoring a quilting cruise to Hawaii in December 2015. Wish I could go. Sigh.....

She has more than 70 books currently listed for sale on her website (but no word on how many are already out of print and not available). Kaye still does classes and speaking tours, and events like the quilting cruise. 

WOW! Is she impressive or what!

(And no, I'm not acquainted or affiliated with her, just a long-time admirer and wish I really did know her!)

WOW! Just WOW!

Happy quilting!

Betty