This is our first “threebie” drive-by! Every drive-by has been unique, but the “road-side drive-bys” are a bit more challenging because there are not mile markers to use to help time the event. I’m not sure how long Caludia and gang were waiting for us, but I know they actually went into Mineola, TX to clock how many miles it was from the Walmart to where they would be standing. It worked out! Whoo-hoo!
After it was over, Claudia met us at Stitchin’ Heaven in Quitman and told us they were worried tthat he highway patrol might drive by and think they were quilting hookers – LOL! We can only imagine what people think when they are driving by looking at quilts being flashed from the side of the road.
Continue reading to see what Claudia does with her quilts! And, should you want to donate a kids quilt to her cause, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. via email.
Claudia says:
At the 2010 Houston International Quilt Festival, I talked to Ricky about his “Drive by Quiltings”. I live in a tiny town off the beaten path in East Texas. I told Ricky how cool I thought, “Drive by Quiltings” were, but knew he would never be near my town. He told me “You never know”. Well he was right. I got to do a “Drive by Quilting”, Woo-hoo!!
Following the 2011 quilt show in Houston, Ricky was scheduled to perform in Quitman, TX, November 7, 2011, 18 miles from my house in Scroggins, TX.
My daughter Pam Buttrick and my friend Dorothy Mumm went with me to help hold up the quilts. We found a place where we could pull off the road and Ricky could find us as he passed by. We stopped at a cemetery historical marker and ate lunch while we waited. We texted back and forth with Ricky and he said to look for the flashing lights on the truck. We stood next to the road with cars and semis whizzing by. We laughed so much as we talked about what people must be thinking to see three women clutching quilts standing by the road leading to a historical cemetery.
We got all excited when we saw them coming over the bridge. We held up our quilts and then it was over. What fun.
Dorothy, Pam and I make blankets and quilts for the Northeast Texas Child Advocacy Center in Winnsboro, TX. The NETCAC offers a safe child friendly environment to children between the ages of 2-17 who have been sexually or severely physically abused or have been a witness to a violent crime. Every child gets to pick out a blanket or quilt to keep. We call our little group The Blanketeers and we meet twice a month.
The quilts we make are throw size or smaller.
About the Quilts:
The red and gold quilt was the second quilt I ever made three years ago. It was a Christmas gift for my daughter. It is a 6 hour quilt, but it took me a week to make. I ended up changing the width of the borders to accommodate the center piece and the lack of fabric. I now always buy more fabric than I need.
The purple quilt (my favorite color) is a 9 square toss. It was so much fun to make. I love experimenting with patterns and colors. My daughter says I quilt like I cook..it’s never the same twice.
The blue and white is tumbling blocks. I didn’t have a pattern. I just started moving blocks around on my design wall and that’s what it ended up to be.
Thanks Ricky we had fun. Claudia Barrett
