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I think young people are wanting to kind of get back to where you ’ re creative , you ’ re doing something . I think people want to be able to create and make something that ’ s like a home … we need that creative side in us .
In the wake of a sustainable reckoning among the fashion industry , designers and makers are turning to torn and forgotten vintage quilts to revive into reworked pieces of clothing while Houston ’ s International Quilt Festival , which regularly draws in around 55,000 people from around the world , shows a modern take on the past . Working off of the same patterns dating back to the 1800 ’ s , new generations are altering the classic designs to make more modern versions , while others have broken into a new territory of thread play , using thread to create a free motion thread painting on the fabric with a sewing machine .
After 40 years of quilting , Gilmore is in awe of the creative visions of others that keep the industry alive . However to her , the Tall Pines Quilting Guild is more than just the craft , it ’ s the camaraderie between a sisterhood of women and the work that they do . With 70 active members , the guild collaborates on projects together , sharing patterns and ideas , and has donated over 90 quilts to local charities last year .
“ I can create something that I can give to somebody else and it gives a part of me to them . A quilt is something that can wrap you in love , it ’ s a way of expressing your love for someone and in a tangible way ,” Gilmore said . “ If I sat at home and read all day long , I haven ’ t contributed to the world , and when you quilt , you ’ re making something that you can give to
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someone else that warms them and takes care of them .” She spends her afternoons and evening making quilts for her kids , their friends and now her grandkids , with some even made for the dogs to snuggle in . It ’ s a way for her to bottle her love that will be passed on for generations to come .
“ We don ’ t want people to just covet them that they don ’ t every really use them . I make them for my grandkids and I want them to make forts with them or drag them outside and make a picnic on them , and if they get worn out , that ’ s okay ,” Gilmore said .
Though quilting isn ’ t only for grandparents , Gilmore notes that she ’ s seeing a younger generation emerging in the industry as the DIY mindset settles in . Through the pandemic , a return to a heritage lifestyle has emerged and ingrained itself again in younger generations striving to perfect their own sourdough starters to finding a sense of comfort in the hobbies of our elders .
“ I think young people are wanting to kind of get back to where you ’ re creative , you ’ re doing something ,” Gilmore said . “ I think people want to be able to create and make something that ’ s like a home … we need that creative side in us .”
HUNTSVILLE LIVING | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 13