Even quilters have their fan girl moments. For some it would be meeting Mary Ellen Fons, Alex Anderson, Ricky Tims, or Tula Pink. One of mine was for Andrew Lee.
If you don’t know Andrew, let me introduce you. He is a three-time US Army combat veteran with 23 years of service who manages his PTSD through quilting. He has created more than 541 quilts for veterans, makes Quilts of Valor, designs fabric for Timeless Treasures, and teaches and lectures around the country. His pixel quilts have been showcased in magazines, quilting books, and at the International Quilt Festival in Houston.
Did you know that quilting helps PTSD? And not just anecdotally — there is real science behind it. If you want to go deeper, I’d point you to Piecing for Cover by Ayelet Waldman for The New Yorker — “At our darkest moments, why do so many of us take up quilting?” It is worth every minute of your time. Read it here.
So why am I sharing this fan girl thing with you now?
After dinner one night at H+H Americas, I noticed a guy wearing a “The Combat Quilter” baseball jersey. He was just finishing a quiet dinner by himself. And me, being the wallflower that I am, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to meet him. I shyly introduced myself as a huge fan of his work and the message he delivers. He was so polite and thanked me for my kind words, and after we chatted for a minute or two about his work, he asked me where I was from.
I told him I was from Dover, Delaware.
His excited response was to share that he has family connections in Dover — and that he had even spoken at Helping Hands Quilt Guild. My guild. Unfortunately I missed his lecture, as I was undergoing treatment for breast cancer, but I told him I would love to see more of his work and asked if he would be returning. He gave me a few sneak peeks at his upcoming work, and it is impressive.
He then asked what I did as a quilter. I told him I was a quilt designer for a few fabric companies — one of which was Timeless Treasures. He asked what my most recent successful pattern was. That was easy. Dover Stars. He quickly started thumbing through his phone, brought up a picture of my quilt, and said “this one?” I affirmed it. He started to laugh. It was his fabric collection — Path to Freedom.
Of course, that prompted another round of quilt talk. We couldn’t wait to share this moment with our mutual friends at Timeless Treasures — and they were delighted as well.
It was one of the first times I actually met the designer of a fabric collection that we had unwittingly collaborated on. It was such an amazing feeling to close that loop and meet the human on the other side of the design. I love meeting the quilters who make the quilts I design — but this was a first taste of being part of something so much bigger.
The quilting world got so much smaller and bigger at the same time.
About Dover Stars
Dover Stars is a log cabin style quilt with a star center in each block, using Andrew’s Path to Freedom collection for Timeless Treasures. For me, it was a riff on the Stars and Stripes.
We would be honored if you used this fabric or this pattern to make a patriotic quilt for Quilts of Valor — or for someone you personally know who has served.
👉 Get the Dover Stars pattern here
👉 Learn more about Andrew and his work at The Combat Quilter
