SCHMETZ Needles Thinks I’m Sharp!

You’re not out to pasture but the green hues of the field start coming into focus when a fast-moving horse like me becomes the subject of tributes and end-of-career awards. In 2018, for example, The Quilt Show chose me as their Legend. Don’t get me wrong—the whole experience was a blast. My longtime pals Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims (plus their crew) came to Winterset from other time zones and spent several days in town, one of them at my house, interviewing me and making me cry on camera.

Last summer, my former business partner Liz Porter and I were the  2019 inductees into the Quilters Hall of Fame. We hadn’t seen each other in a while, and it was fun to talk about our quilts. Our respective kids sent flowers to Marion, IN, to enjoy during the ceremony, and my daughter Mary Fons interviewed us after the banquet. Reflecting on our contributions to the quilting industry was a fun way to spend an evening.

When featured earlier last year by the American Quilt Alliance, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the wonderful Frances Dowell, a fellow fiction writer and all around good egg.

My most recent opportunity to talk about myself and hopefully offer a few words of wisdom is a feature in the SCHMETZ Needles online publication, “Inspired to Sew.” Writer Rita Farro asked me lots of fun questions and even wrested mom-praising quotes from my three adult children. Aw, thanks, kids! Editor Rhonda Pierce put it all together, illustrating the pages with photos from my archives. (If “Pierce” is not the perfect last name for the editor of a needle magazine, I don’t know what is.)

Now that my curly, once-dark mop of hair is gray (my youngest, Rebecca, always insists it’s silver), and I’m not out there making things happen in the quilting world, I do sometimes feel I’m ready for the proverbial pasture. The whole point of Rita’s piece, however is that kicking back is not my style.

If you’d like to take a look at the article, click here.

 

 

3 Responses

  1. Rita Farro
    | Reply

    Dear Marianne,

    Great title! I’m sure anybody who ever met you believes you are sharp! It was a complete pleasure to tell your story, Marianne. Your daughters could have written a whole book!! Best, Rita Farro

  2. Rhonda Pierce
    | Reply

    Marianne, it was a pleasure getting to know you. Thank you for all you have done in our quilt world and beyond. BTW, when I walked down the aisle, little did I know how apropro my married name would become to my career. Lol…

  3. Ester Mae Cox
    | Reply

    What a treat – Marianne’s story all in one place – 3 fabulous daughters – really a gift of awesomeness to the world – Thank you for all your generosity and sharing of gifts to the world.

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