Pat Augustus
Quilt Artist, Long Arm Quilter, Retreat Host
So, here is a little about me. I know, I know, it is boring, but Rhonda said I had to do it.
I have 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren. That kinda tells you how old I am. Mom is a quilter and Dad makes model ships by hand. My sister and one of her daughters' quilts, my sister-in-law quilts and my two grandsons are also learning to quilt. It runs in the family. My Granddaughter is only 2 and she just loves her quilts, so when she's older, I will teach her too.
I have been doing needlework since I was 5 yrs old. My Mom use to do embroidery. She would draw a circle on a piece of fabric, gave me a needle with thread in it and said "Go for it." Since then I have made garments for my daughters and 3 grandkids. I've done all types of needlework, however my love is quilting. I remember my grandma quilting on a quilt that she was making for my baby sister when I was 10 yrs old and she let me hand quilt around the appliqué kittens. I enjoy all types of quilting however my passion is hand appliqué and hand painting of the fabric.
I teach beginning quilting, hand appliqué and machine appliqué. I belong to two local quilt guilds and I make comfort quilts for injured firefighters. My oldest daughter and my brother are firefighters/medics and when one of their comrades is seriously injured I make them a quilt. It gets passed around the fire stations so that all the firefighters can sign it before it is given to the injured fireman.
I have a longarm quilting business, "Just Quilting Away", which I really enjoy. I like piecing, but I love to see the quilts take on a whole new look after they are quilted. I enjoy entering competitions and challenges, and some of my quilts have won ribbons, which I'm so totally proud of. You can see a few of my quilts and some of the quilts I've finished for clients here in my webshots albums.
Like almost every quilter I know, I collect fabric. I also have a collection of old sewing machines. My favorites are the 4 different models of Singer Featherweights that I still use regularly and wish every quilter could own one.
Rhonda and I have been retreating since 2004. We host quilt retreats twice a year for a great group of ladies and we have become family.