This is a personal post about a woman who has meant so very much to so many, especially the Quilting community.
I grew up in a very small community in upstate NY, it was a community were everyone knew everyone. Parents were called Mr. & Mrs. and you knew if you misbehaved your parents would know before you all gathered around the dinning room table for dinner. Mrs. Alderman was part of our community and my sisters and I grew up with her daughter Betsy.
After school we often ended up at a friends house and once in a while I was lucky enough to tag along with my sister Jane who was in the same grade as Betsy. I can still remember going into Mrs. Alderman's home with her daughter Betsy and my sister Jane and knowing immediately that Mrs. Alderman was a very special and talented person. The walls of the Alderman home were often decorated with Mrs. Alderman's talent and I loved to look at her work! Last summer Mrs. Alderman lost her fight to Breast Cancer and when she did her family lost a truly wonderful mother and the quilting world lost an extremely talented person! Quilt Festival this year is honoring Mrs. Betty Alderman and I was lucky enough to get a chance to once again see some Mrs. Alderman's work.
This is a sampling from one of Mrs. Alderman's sketch book, a photo of her, a snap shots of her working on one of her many quilts and a picture of her in her booth at Quilt Market.
Each quilt has been documented by her daughter Betsy Alderman Lewis.
This Santa quilt was always one of my favorites!
I always wanted to make this quilt, this is a definite on my bucket list!
I love the simplicity of her red work! Her needle work was incredible!
Mrs. Alderman was known for her Sun Bonnet Sue designs.
Betty made this quilt in beautiful blues. I had attended a retreat held by O'Susannah's Quilts & Gifts in Watkins Glen NY and Mrs. Alderman was teaching Blue Mood at the retreat!! I made mine in Black & White and it hangs in the stair/entryway of our home, every time I go down the stairs I see it and think of Mrs. Alderman.
This is another of my favorites!
I wish I had written down the names of all the quilts. Having the opportunity to see Mrs. Alderman's work pulled so at my heart strings that I had a hard enough time keeping the camera in focus so I'm thankful for the pictures and thrilled to be able to share them with you!
A few months back Betsy gave me one of her mother's bags that she had embroidered a mother sitting on a tree branch holding a baby in her arms. I have been playing around with an embroidery design and Betsy and I have talked about incorporating it into my piece.
Happy Quilting!
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