Local quilter keeps 'lost art' moving forward
By Staff
Haley Aaron, Hartselle Enquirer
Some might say that quilting is a lost art. Others may proclaim a quilt is simply a creation of fabric and thread, as unremarkable as a simple blanket. Most would say that in the age of mass production and machinery, any craft as tedious and time-consuming as quilting by hand would be obsolete.
Most people have also never met Annette Byrd or viewed her handiwork.
Her car tag proclaims she is a quilting addict. Her living room is full of quilts that she has hand appliqu/d, many of which, if examined closely, are held together by Byrd's tiny, precise stitches.
She has been quilting in earnest since 1975, spending thousands of hours hand appliqu/ing quilts. Byrd estimates that she has spent 200 to 300 hours on some of the larger quilts she has made.
"I guess if you counted the time, you probably wouldn't do it," she said.
Byrd doesn't count the number of hours that it takes to complete a quilt. The amount of time that making a quilt takes is less important than the feeling of accomplishment Byrd receives when a quilt is completed.
"I just like to do it and think 'I did that.' 'I really did that!'" she said.
She had quilted some pieces for her children before 1975, but was inspired to pursue her hobby as her children entered high school and preparations for America's bicentennial celebration encouraged her to begin quilting more extensively.
"I think that's when people really got back to quilting," she said. Designs inspired by folk art are her favorite, and she is currently working on a series of seasonal quilts that incorporate folk art designs. She has completed the summer, autumn and Christmas quilts and is working on the next quilt in the series, entitled 'Spring Joy'.
Quilting also brought memories of Byrd's childhood.
"My mother used to quilt. She never taught me, but she taught me to love hand-quilting and handwork." Quilting was a necessity for her mother's generation, Byrd said, but quilting has now become an art form. "You don't use quilts anymore because you have heated houses and you really don't use quilts that much," she said. "Now you make them just to look at."
She took lessons from quilters in Beltbuckle, Tenn and Decatur. In 1987, she helped found a local quilt guild and served as the club's first president. The club met at the Hartselle Library until Byrd, a long-time librarian, retired. They now meet at a quilt shop in Decatur.
Byrd is a prolific quilter. She estimates that she has made around 150 quilts, 76 of which she currently owns. Among her favorites is a seasonal quilt that Byrd pieced together, incorporating blocks she received from a secret pal each month. A patch on the back of the quilt recounts the story of the quilt. On every quilt she makes, "I put a label telling the history of the quilt," she explains. "That way, whoever inherits them will know who made them and when they were made."
She has kept several of her quilts, but the rest have been given as gifts or sold.
While Byrd has given many of her quilts away, she keeps a record of every quilt she has made. Her quilts tell stories of friendships, graduations, childhoods and the changing seasons. Page after page of her scrapbook is filled with photographs of the quilts she has made for her children, grandchild, neighbors and friends. As she flips through her scrapbook, she pauses frequently to share memories of the quilts.
"This was Adam's [Byrd's son] baby quilt. It has rabbits on it and the ears are three dimensional, you can pick them up."
"This was my granddaughters' graduation quilt. I quilted names of her friends and the organizations that she belonged to on the quilt."
Every page holds pictures of different quilts and memories.
Occasionally people buy her quilts or repay her with gifts of their own handiwork. One quilt recipient presented her with the large quilt rack that dominates a wall in Byrd's living room, while another gave her the cross-stitched picture that hangs above her couch.
No matter how they repay her, one thing is certain: Byrd's quilts are cherished by their owners. They hang in places of honor and one is even illuminated by a special spotlight. Her quilts have brought smiles to their numerous recipients.
Those who have received Byrd's quilts are not the only ones who benefit from her talent. For 10 years, she has also visited kindergartners at Barkley Bridge Elementary School, unfolding a few of her many quilts for students to admire while the letter "Q". "Q" is for "Quilt" as students learn – and "Queen", which is a fitting title for Byrd. She certainly receives a royal reception from students when she enters the classroom. As she holds up one of the quilts she took to class, she recounts the reaction of one of the students. "I showed this quilt, and this little girl stood up and said 'I'll take that one," she said. "Then one time, the kids gave me a standing ovation when I finished."
The enthusiastic reception of her work is well deserved. She devotes her time, effort, and talent to perfect her craft and her attention to detail is evident. In an inch of fabric, she can stitch 16 even stitches. Most quilters average between 9 and 16 stitches per inch. Stitching more than 16 stitches per inch is highly difficult. She carefully rounds the corners on her applique work, keeping them smooth and uniform.
Quilting has taken Annette Byrd many places – from museums where her quilts have been displayed to conferences that she and 70,000 other quilters attended. She has received the top awards at many quilt shows, the admiration of kindergartners, and the appreciation of those who have received her quilts.
Is quilting obsolete? Ask Annette Byrd.
