Antique Fair, Blackbird Designs, Cotton Fabric, Half Yard, 2677 15

Description

Barb Adams and Alma Allen learned to sew
when they were young: Barb’s mom was an
accomplished seamstress who taught Barb
garment sewing. Her grandmother spent her days
with them, sewing by hand while Barb’s mom
sewed for clients on her machine.
Alma also sewed clothing when she was young,
learning primarily in her home economics classes.
When she was 22, she took a quilting class and
was hooked. Her four children provided the
inspiration to continue. “When your kids are little,
everything you do lasts 15 minutes,” she says,
citing laundry and meals as examples. “Quilting
was something permanent.”
Alma eventually taught quilting classes and
that’s where she met Barb. “She took a few classes
and I told her ‘Don’t come back. You’re ready to
start designing on your own!’” says Alma.
In 1999 they joined forces as Blackbird Designs,
and in 2001 they started designing fabrics for
Moda. To date, they’ve created numerous lines,
some of which are based on the antique samplers
that also inspire their cross stitch patterns.
Alma says their designs reflect a commitment
to women’s traditional art forms. Yet rather than
passing quilting down, as is typical in most
families, they’ve both passed it back up, to an
older generation. Alma’s grandmother completed
three quilts after Alma taught her to quilt at age
75. And though Barb’s mom claimed she wasn’t
interested in “sewing all those little pieces,” today
she stitches blocks for Barb to appliqué.
“Appreciating a needle and thread is in my
genes,” says Barb.