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Allen County Edition Ed E Reaching Fort Wayne And Surrounding Counties
Vol. 35, No. 9
www.seniorlifenewspapers.com
Octogenarians are into
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Octogenarians Carl and Kathy Sheehan are into quilting in a big way. Kathy has been doing it full time for the past eight years. Her quilts are uniquely patterned, colorful and range in size from baby quilts to full-size bed quilts. Carl utilizes an entirely different medium. They’re made of wood, crafted and painted to look like a quilt. Most of them are 4 foot square and are referred to as barn quilts. The barn on their rural Monroeville property has a number of examples of his handiwork. Carl admits to stealing some of Kathy’s designs. He added that whenever he sees something that looks interesting on television or Facebook he makes a mental note for future use. He also admits she has some really good designs. Kathy, a military brat who lived all over the country wherever her father was stationed with the Army, was taught to sew in early elementary school by her mom. “I started out embroidering and by the time I was in junior high school, I was making my own clothes. As a stay-athome mother raising five children, I took my sewing skills to the next level, operating several businesses from our home to make and install window treatments,” she said. Back then their living room was for finished product, their dining room was the shipping and receiving department and a bedroom was for sewing machines and production. At that point, they decided it was time to reclaim their house. Carl and four of their sons built a large “she-shed” attachment to their garage, which is where she spends about six hours a day working on designing new patterns and turning out quilts for relatives, friends and occasionally for fundraisers. “One of my favorite designs is called stained glass,” she said. Working in Lincoln Life’s quilt preservation section gave her a greater appreciation of quilts and quilting. “An aunt, my mother-in-law and great-grandmother were quilters. I have one of hers made in 1897 with 1-inch squares of fabric and, of course, hand-stitched. Imagine if I had to hand-stitch my quilts,” she exclaimed. “I’d still be on my
48,/7 -8'*( ³ 4XLOWHU .DWK\ 6KHHKDQ WXUQHG WR PDNLQJ TXLOWV IXOO WLPH HLJKW \HDUV DJR 6KH KDV VHUYHG DV D TXLOW MXGJH DW *UDELOO &RXQWU\ )DLU DQG $OOHQ &RXQW\ + )DLU first one.” Not one to say no to fabric and scrap donations, Kathy has come up with a way to put them to use as stuffing for doggie beds. Carl, who was born in the house on Grotrian Road, raised grain and 600 head of hogs on the property until retiring in 1998. He spent another 14 years working in local grain elevators before retiring a second time in 2012. Continued on page 3
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