Piece by piece

Juanita Owens has been quilting since she was nine years old, and for nearly 79 years she has contiued with this passion and is being honored at the Weldon Quilt Show March 23.

As a girl, Owens learned to quilt from her grandmother.

“She taught me how to quilt. She gave me a little piece of cloth and needle and a thimble, and I had an awful time with that thimble,” said Owens. “But, I finally learned how to do it.”

She recalled her grandmother marking out an inch on the piece of clothe and Owens was to have nine stitches per inch. Nine stitches was the magic number “for stength,” Owens explained.

As one of 10 children Owens quilted, embroidered and sewed with her mother and siblings for entertainment during long winter months. With her mother and grandmother, Owens learned to quilt with skill.

Many of Owens’ quilts fabric comes from scraps of clothes that she used to make.

“I did dress-making for 40 years,” said Owens.

With all the scraps from her dress-making, Owens had a lot of fabric left to be used for quilts. There are many different patterns to design a quilt in, some patterns have muliple names. Owen’s has lost track of the number of quilts she has made over the years. At one time a few years ago she had kept track and counted over 300, but has done many in the time since.

Many of Owens’ family members own and cherish quilts that she has made. She’s made and donated quilts to the Weldon Chistian Church, 4-H, and the Weldon Volunteer Fire Department.

“It’s just a great pastime. It’s a good way to relax and it brings back a lot of memories,” said Owens.

She looks forward to the quilt show. Owens has many quilts to bring and anyone who owns a Juanita Owens quilt is welcome to bring it to be displayed as well.

“I just hope everyone has a great time and enjoys it,” said Owens.

The Weldon Quilt Show is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday March 23 at the Weldon Community Center.