Quilting a Life: One Patch at a Time

By B. L. Eikner

Margaret Love with her quilt Shadow Box, 98” x 108”, cotton, machine quilted and hand sewn, Photo by Don Thompson Images

Sistah’s Bee Quilting, Left to right: Joyce Williams, Lois Smith, Margaret Love, Gwen Taylor, Sammie Hitche, Billie Patterson and Tereena Johnson with African designs inspired quilt, Photo by Don Thompson Images The art of quilting has been around for centuries. First seen in the textile works of the Chinese, Turks, and North Africans. Men of war wore quilted vests and jackets layered to add warmth and protection during activities of conflict. As time went by, bedding was designed with multiple layers to ensure warmth during frigid weather for the rich and elite and then peoples around the world used patches and scraps to make quilts a common bedding among the public.

The quilts’ journey to the North American continent was by the indigenous travelers, movement of Europeans during the 16th century, enslaved Africans, and other immigrants. The process, though originally handmade, was changed significantly during the industrial revolution and with the invention of the sewing machine in 1840. This revolutionized the textile industry domestically and internationally.

There are over thirty quilt museums around the country and over fifty-five around the world. The various styles, techniques and models have kept the quilting art form alive and well. The Gee’s Bend Quilters, African American quilters who kept the art alive and are from the small town of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, is the most famous quilting circle in America and have toured around the world. There are many quilting circles in Oklahoma and Sistah’s Bee Quilting (SBQ) in Tulsa, after almost twenty-four years, is moving into the light of the art world.

The Sistah’s Bee Quilting group was founded in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1997 by a group of women from various backgrounds but with the common thread of having grandmothers and mothers who quilted. When asked for the top three reasons for joining the quilting group, Joyce Williams, president, stated, “Our mothers and grandmothers were quilters, so we grew up exposed to the art and necessity of quilts; [second], the ability to make something functional out of nothing and furthering the principle of ‘waste not/want not’ and finally, expanding on and sharing creative ideas and coalescing with other ‘Sistahs’. During these times we solve world problems, listen to rhythm and blues, and enjoy each other’s company.”

In 2007, the SBQ decided to open a shop, The Quilters Hangout, and transform their pastime into a center of artistic creation, education, and exposing the art of quilts to the community. The shop is located at 3314 N Harvard Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma and was built by O. C. Taylor, one of the founding members. The members have not only made quilts but collected family and antique heirlooms and repaired quilts for clients and family members who want to preserve them. Member and founder Shirley Smith has been given the name, Quilt Whisperer, due to her extensive skills and expertise in repairing antique quilts. As a group, Sistah’s Bee Quilting, has crafted close to one thousand quilts. They have not entered any contests, sold any quilts, or asked for payment on any of their projects since inception in 1997.

The Founding members are Gwen Taylor (Treasurer/ Instructor), Shirley Smith (Instructor), Lois Smith (Instructor), Billie Patterson (Vice President), O. C. Taylor, and the late Reverend J. B. Patterson. Current members are Alona Alexander, Margaret Love (Secretary), Tareena Johnson (Instructor), Teri Evans, Deborah Brown, Pauline Banks, Ella Hunt, Shannon Rentie, Sammye Hitchye, Cheryl Rainey, Theressa Hingin, Mary Beth Morgan, Emily Marshall, and Joyce G. Smith Williams (President).

Right: Joyce G. Williams, President of SBQ with her African creation of Batik patches, hand sewn shells and patches of African influence designs. Left: Shirley Smith “Quilt Whisperer” and Founder of Sistah’s Bee Quilting with one of the many antique quilts she has repaired for clients

Most of SBQ quilts are machine quilted and hand sewn with batting of 100% cotton.

Here are a few questions posed to Joyce G. Williams:

Eikner: Who inspired you to Quilt?

Williams: Most of our grandmothers quilted. For me personally, Gwen Taylor, Shirley Smith, and Lois Smith have been my teachers because I didn’t have the interest when I was surrounded by the masters of the art in my family.

Eikner: Have you quilted for non-profits or celebrities?

Williams: Yes, we have made quilts for The Laura Dester Center, Children’s Medical Center, The Women’s’ Shelter, Overseas Media Services, The African Ancestral Society, A Pocket Full of Hope, Friends of the Rudisill Library, Lacy Park, The Terence Crutcher Foundation, The Juice (Bobby Eaton Media Services), and Theater North.

Eikner: Do you teach or plan to host quilting classes for youth or adults?

Williams: COVID-19 has disrupted our flow but we usually, under normal circumstances, have classes twice a month, depending on the number of students/new members for adults and teenagers. We generally have workshops for children during the summer.

Eikner: Have you visited or seen any historical quilting groups such as Gees Bend in Alabama?

Williams: A couple of our quilters are on the waiting list for the 2022 Gees Bend Workshop. I have seen several quilt exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

Eikner: Where do you get your designs from…nature, soul, spirit, community?

Williams: Really, all the above in addition to magazines and quilting books and programs. We can never underestimate the power of the imagination, especially when we consider combining colors and textures of fabric.

Eikner: Do you think quilting is a dying art or on the rise among the public?

Williams: Quilting, as an art form has certainly been under-valued among the general population. The educational system has not provided or facilitated a mechanism for developing skills in the textile area, however I do believe that there is an increased interest in the quilting arts.

Eikner: Where are your quilts currently on exhibit as art pieces?

Williams: The Church of the Restoration, the Greenwood Cultural Center, the Office of the Terrence Crutcher Foundation, and Living Arts of Tulsa.

Eikner: Do you have any major projects planned for 2021?

Williams: Due to the resurgence of the Delta variant of COVID-19 we have delayed any projects until the start of 2022.

Sistah’s Bee Quilting can be contacted at Gwen Taylor-SBQ, 3314 N Harvard Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74106 n

B. L. Eikner is an author, journalist, poet, and art consultant. She is owner of Trabar & Associates and a regular contributor to Art Focus Oklahoma. Her works are included in Release Me, The Spirits of Greenwood Speak, Anthology 2021. She can be reached at Trabar@ windstream.net and on Twitter @trabar1.