Audio Transcript:

I loved making this quilt! It was my first, and I hadn't used a sewing machine since middle school Home Ec in the 90’s. (Shout out to Mrs. Blake!) My initial goal was to learn how to use a sewing machine again, but Travis’ quilting class at Factory 3 ended up being the queer/trans maker’s space of my dreams. We’d come in each week and put our machines and little cutting mats at our stations, and Travis would pop on a playlist.

At the beginning we were strangers, but we soon were sharing stories about the babies in our families who were on the way and would be getting quilts, or how a deceased loved one’s old clothes were being delicately woven in to be gifted to a sibling. It really was a beautiful space to be in.

Travis’ quilt pattern called for maybe 4 squares by 5 squares in size, but my personality kicked in, and I ended up with this monster-sized quilt. I found the process soothing, the weather was cold and dark, (seasonal depression, y’all) and the squares kept coming. I wanted a quilt that could be used in my guest bedroom, so a Queen it became! I wanted that cozy, home-feeling that I felt while making this quilt to extend to my future guests.

I had to call on friends to help pull it together, and my pal’s Toben and Pilar are pictured in the photo with me during a pinning session last March. I’m the one in all black, probably mumbling under my breath that I was an idiot for making this thing so big.

Thank you so much Toben and Pilar, and a special thanks to Travis for opening Factory 3 on a Sunday to help me finish! The queer community is the best, and it was a gift to make something beautiful and useful alongside you.