Rising Stars: Meet Cathy (Catherine) Smith

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cathy (Catherine) Smith.

Hi Cathy (Catherine), so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started sewing when I was in the 7th grade while taking a home economics course. I quickly learned to make my own clothing, even altering patterns, I was what was called a “chubby” girl. So by making my own clothes, I could wear things that were in style instead of the bigger old lady sizes. I made most of my clothes through high school.

After college and before having children, I dabbled in quilt making. My first quilt was a queen-sized pillow quilt, which was made from 5 inch individually stuffed pillows all stitched together in rows. Every year for about seven years, I gave one of these away as a Christmas gift. Then came children and I went back to clothes making but missed quilting very much.

It was after the birth of our third child that I really became serious about quilting. I had to leave my full-time job as Assistant Superintendent of the County Parks to be home with our youngest. I read every book I could find on how to make quilts. I was basically self-taught as I didn’t have any idea of quilt shops or where to find people of like interests. There weren’t many quilts in southern NJ in the 80s and 90s. I started a business, doing all sorts of sewing. In 1999, a friend of mine saw an article in McCall’s magazine about using tee shirts in quilts. She asked me to make one for her daughter as a graduation gift. I was hooked. It was slow at first, but this friend kept me fairly busy making more quilts for her and people she knew.

In 2006, we had to move out of NJ and came to NC to a small town outside of Raleigh called Zebulon. I looked for work but was unable to find any. I think it was my age. And guess what! There are lots of quilters and quilt shops in the greater Raleigh area. With lots of time on my hands, I started taking classes and joined a Guild and a quilt bee. I took advantage of the skills of all the quilters I met, still making tee shirt and memory quilts for people from NJ who knew me and my ability to make these quilts. I showed these quilts to people in NC. I started to do craft shows and in 2013, still unable to find regular work, I started The Qwazy Quilter. I specialize in tee shirt and memory quilts. I have found my niche. A tee shirt quilt is just what you’d think: I take people’s tee shirts and turn them into quilts. A memory quilt is a lot more complex as they are usually done after a person has passed on, although making them from baby/kids’ clothes, athletic uniforms and costumes are also popular. I have put just about every kind of clothing you can think of in a quilt- suits, wedding dresses, dance costumes, jackets, pants, pjs, clothes that are normally dried cleaned… you name it. I even put a hole in a knee of a pair of jeans into a quilt. I also can include photographs. Each quilt is custom-made to the client’s specifications. Each quilt is finished with a label on the back describing the occasion or person the quilt is made for.

Three years ago, I made about 25 of these in a year. This year, I’ve already done 30 and we are just entering July. When I deliver these quilts, there are usually tears…. tears of joy brought on by the memories that these quilts bring back. And it’s then that I know I’ve done a good job.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest challenge that I had when I started was getting people to understand why these quilts cost what they do. So when I meet with a client, I offer a no-cost, no-obligation consult where I explain all that goes into making these quilts, from the process of preparing the clothes and the procedure for construction, even down to the amount of fabric for backing, sashing, borders and binding… all so that they can get an idea of out of pocket costs and the amount of time that goes into each one before it is completed. I have found that most clients are ok with the cost, once they understand the process/ I still get inquiries from some people wanting me to make a queen-sized memory quilt for $75….that may not even cover the cost of the backing!! So I would say that the biggest challenge has been in getting people to see the value of what I do.

The other main challenge that I ran into was where to do this. I was cutting fabrics on our dining room table, sewing them on a card table in our bedroom and quilting them on a mid-arm quilt frame in what was supposed to be the quest room. The Qwazy Quilter had taken over the house! A couple of years into this, my husband agreed to give me the two car garage to set up a sewing studio. I now have room for every step of the process and have upgraded to a hand-guided longarm quilting machine, which has made the quilting part immeasurably easier. But now, our car sits outside even during hurricanes. There are drawbacks.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have a degree in Wildlife Science and spent over 20 years in the NJ State and then Atlantic County Park System, overseeing nature and recreational programming. When our youngest child was born, I had to stay at home with him, giving up a career I loved. I turned to a hobby I love- sewing and quilting. When we had to move from NJ to NC (for warmer climate) due to a job-related accident suffered by my husband, I could not find a job. This gave me a lot of time to pursue my interest in quilting…. and there were lots of quilters here to help me!!! Most quilters love to share their passion. After about seven years here, I decided to start a quilt business specializing in tee shirts and memory quilts, although I can do a variety of quilts. I also offer long-arm services where I will quilt the tops constructed by other quilters. Being The Qwazy Quilter brings me a lot of joy.

Five years ago, I felt led to start a quilt ministry at our church, Faith Baptist Church in Knightdale, NC. Out of the 15 ladies involved with the group, only about three of them had ever quilted before. I teach those that join our group how to make quilts. Most of our quilts are lap-sized to throw-sized. We started out making quilts for people in need of prayer due to severe illness, family, situations, financial issues, etc. Members of our church will pray for these people and then sign the back of the quilts with words of encouragement or scriptures. We believe that there is no power in the quilt, but the power is in the prayers behind the quilts. These quilts offer comfort and let the recipient know that others out there care about them. In the five years since starting this ministry, we now provide quilts to 2 local police departments to give to kids that come through their doors for whatever reasons, the IChoose pregnancy center in Knightdale who give these quilts to the moms that choose life for their babies, to couples from our church getting married, to new babies born to church members, and to families of local fallen police officers. We also make bags and dresses for Operation Christmas Child boxes for Samaritan’s Purse and support an orphanage in Bolivia by sending pillowcases to the children- something they can call their own. As long as we have the volunteers, we will continue with this mission, but our first priority is the prayer quilts. I feel very blessed to be able to head up this ministry of love.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I am a people person. I love being with people and offering service to them. I felt very fortunate that even through COVID, people came to me to make quilts for them to give. We practiced COVID protocol as we met. But the hardest part was not being able to hug the client ( which is initiated by the customer upon seeing their quilt) as a show of appreciation to me. I considered myself fortunate as I did not work a job with others where we had to be apart. Working alone, out of my garage studio meant that I could still work. What a blessing!!! But I did miss the more in-depth interactions with my clients.

As to the Quilt Ministry at church, most of that work in done at home by the participants- once again, primarily by themselves. I met with individuals when they needed fabrics from our fabric collection at church, but it was not the same as having the direct time to teach and socialize. However, most of the women produced many more quilts than they would’ve done in a normal year. Most said that having the quilting to do not only gave them something to keep them busy during this time of isolation, but it gave that time meaning.

So I learned just how much we need to be with people.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheQwazyQuilter

Image Credits
All photos taken by me or my husband, Theodore Smith