Welcome! I’m so happy you’re here!

I’m Kelli. Catholic, wife, mama to seven, big mama to 1, and quilter. Every quilt has a story. Join me as we preserve the collective memory of quilts and their stories. We’ll learn to sew the quilts your granny learned and tell new tales of how life used to be.

My grandma knitted incredible afghans. She had one pattern mastered that she could resize for a baby up to a throw size afghan. I grew up with these afghans draped across the back of our couch and neatly folded at the foot of our bed, ready for napping. My mom is an incredible seamstress. Like many moms in the 80s, she made a lot of clothes for us growing up, and we wore them until we outgrew them.

II’m a mediocre knitter, but I still love to nap under a blanket. I’m also a mediocre seamstress, but I can sew a straight line and follow a pattern. When my first was born, I attempted to sew a cute little dress for her. Two seams into that dress, I was defeated. For whatever reason, I could not figure it out. I had a table full of fabric pieces that should have matched at the notched seams, but did not. The following weekend, she and I headed to the library for a book on patchwork quilts. I couldn’t let the fabric go to waste, and I needed something to do with my time. I figured if grandma can knit a blanket and mom can sew, I can quilt. My love for quilting began as I persevered through that first quilt.

For our 20th wedding anniversary, I finished the quilt top I sewed for this man for our first Christmas together. He loved to fish and I loved to go with him. That quilt sat in a tub with basting pins for years! We were busy with kids and sports, and I was distracted by new quilts to make. Now our oldest is married and the babies aren’t babies any longer. I’m finding I have pockets of time again and a scrap bin full of possibilities.

Welcome to my sewing room, where I can tell the story of each quilt and meet the next generation where they are. Prayerfully, they’ll pick up a granny skill or two and carry it on to their own.