June 15, 10 am, Fellowship Hall
DONNA HILLIS CROSBY
Combining Two Passions
Donna Hillis Crosby hails from a long line of hand quilters. Her mother, her grandmother, and her great grandmother all made quilts from necessity – the need to keep the family warm during the cold prairie winters. They all sewed their quilts by hand – from cutting the fabric with scissors (remember those?), to piecing and applique, to quilting, and finally to binding. Donna has made about 25 quilts, all by hand. After making quilts for her immediate family members, she decided to challenge herself and her skills by combining quilting with another of her passions – genealogy!
At her maternal grandfather’s knee, Donna was appointed her generation’s storyteller – the person who was charged with remember-ing who went before. “If you know their names they are not forgotten,” Grandpa Gillham often reminded her. So, Donna searched for and found 23 ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War. A quilt honoring them followed. Then she searched for and found an ancestor who arrived in America on the Mayflower. A quilt honoring her, and the other pilgrims, followed. After that, she searched for and found an ancestor who helped settle Jamestown, Virginia. Again, a quilt honoring him, and the brave souls with him, followed. Each quilt was a little more difficult in its execution, but all are quilted with a feather design in honor of her more recent Amish/Mennonite heritage.
Donna raised three children and then went to college, graduating with a degree in anthropology and urban sciences. Her first paid job was as one of the first female underwriters with Farmers Insurance in Los Angeles. She later guided their recordkeeping from keypunch to mainframe. After resettling in the Seattle area, Boeing hired Donna, under contract, as lead test engineer, along with a fledgling Microsoft, to move the airplane company’s systems design to personal computers.
(Click on the images below to see them larger.)
At her maternal grandfather’s knee, Donna was appointed her generation’s storyteller – the person who was charged with remember-ing who went before. “If you know their names they are not forgotten,” Grandpa Gillham often reminded her. So, Donna searched for and found 23 ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War. A quilt honoring them followed. Then she searched for and found an ancestor who arrived in America on the Mayflower. A quilt honoring her, and the other pilgrims, followed. After that, she searched for and found an ancestor who helped settle Jamestown, Virginia. Again, a quilt honoring him, and the brave souls with him, followed. Each quilt was a little more difficult in its execution, but all are quilted with a feather design in honor of her more recent Amish/Mennonite heritage.
Donna raised three children and then went to college, graduating with a degree in anthropology and urban sciences. Her first paid job was as one of the first female underwriters with Farmers Insurance in Los Angeles. She later guided their recordkeeping from keypunch to mainframe. After resettling in the Seattle area, Boeing hired Donna, under contract, as lead test engineer, along with a fledgling Microsoft, to move the airplane company’s systems design to personal computers.
(Click on the images below to see them larger.)
English Paper Piecing Small Group
First meeting is June 15, noon to 3 pm, in the Fellowship Hall. Bring your supplies and enthusiasm.
Sensational Selfie Challenge
Personalize this pattern to make it YOU. See details under "Activities-Fun Stuff."