Jo's Little Women

On the second Saturday of each month a group of ladies meet at The Rabbit's Lair, a charming Rogers quilt shop, for Jo's Little Women group gathering.  I joined my first Jo's group years ago at Sisters Quilts in Lowell, Arkansas and have loved the "group" ever since. That was really when I first began quilting.  I'm always at a loss for when exactly that was.  I suppose I should try to figure it out as I'm often asked to share that, as well as information of which I have better recollection (such as my name and where I'm from) when I attend various quilting events or meet fellow quilters for the first time. Once again I am thankful for Google, as I was able to find an out-of-print Fons & Porter magazine that I associate with my first visits to Glenda Triplett's shop.  My quilting adventure began in 2004 when the local cross stitch shop closed. It was there that I'd shared so much time over the previous 15 or so years learning new techniques, teaching others and just relaxing and enjoying the company of women with a similar love of needlework.  Several of us were looking for a new hobby.  It's not like we didn't (and I still do) have enough cross stitch to keep us busy for the next decade.  I think, more than a new hobby, we were looking for a new way to interact with other women who shared a similar interest. My friend Peggy had heard about a new quilt shop in Lowell so while she, Cyndi and I were out one day we stopped  by just as Glenda was about to leave.  She was actually closed but took the time to visit with us and tell us about her shop.  She was the only shop at the time that offered evening classes and even had her shop open on Friday evenings where several of us gathered to just sit and sew.  That experience forever impacted my sewing habits - it made me a complete social sewer.  I can sew alone, but it's always so much more fun with others. 

As I said, it was at Sisters Quilts that I was first introduced to the brand new concept by Jo Morton - her Little Women Group.  The idea was that she provided patterns for 'small quilts' and we were to use only her fabrics in our quilts.  What a great marketing idea for a new fabric designer!  Her quilts aren't true miniatures, but small quilts, ranging anywhere from placemat size to wallhanging size.  Back then we never saw a color photo of her sample as part of the project was to learn about color combinations. We received a new pattern and were enticed to finish our tops each month by a Show & Tell and drawings for door prizes.  It was so fun to choose our fabrics and sit and sew together on our little quilts for an evening and what a great way to learn new techniques without a huge investment in fabric or of your time.  Believe me, once you've made points match on little quilts it's not so daunting to do it on a big quilt! 

I missed my Little Women Group and the fellowship of the women when Sisters Quilts closed.  I was so excited when The Rabbit's Lair started the program about 3 years ago.  It has given me a chance to meet another group of women and join them once a month for sharing our creativity.  I'm not as good about finishing tops as I used to be, but I try to never miss a meeting because I love to see what others have done and learn from our leader.  Chris Clardy lead our Saturday group at the Lair for 3 sessions and Alice McElwain is leading our group this session.  She has introduced me to something new every single month - sometimes not even quilting related!  I'd never heard of the Slave Narratives by the Federal Writers' Project of the WPA during the Great Depression or knew exactly how a woman's dress from the 1860s was put together.  She shared both with us this morning, along with an introduction to Shadow Applique. It seems so quaint to think of the sewing and quilting bees of years gone by, but I think that women gathering together to enjoy fellowship and needlework is something that transcends time.  We find strength and fulfillment in these groups that gets us through our day-to-day lives, whether it's the stress of daily chores and just plain surviving on the prairie or the stress of deadlines and paperwork in the business world. Maybe I'll post some of my Jo's Little Women Quilts one day but for now you'll have to settle for Alice in costume and her Courthouse Steps quilt.  Both are just darling!  It was truly a delightful morning!

To learn more about the great fellowship opportunities check out the website for The Rabbit's Lair at www.therabbitslair.com and follow their blog at http://therabbitslairrogers.blogspot.com/.  Mary Schopp and her mother, Clarice Moore, make The Rabbit's Lair a haven for those of us who love fabric, fiber and fellowship.