Family History

I feel the spirits of my family calling me. My paternal side of my family made most of what they had, out of necessity and creativity. My great grandparents were neighbors and grew up in a region, of the Appalachian Mountains, of Kentucky, called Mackey Bend. I have heard stories of my Great Grandmother, Minnie Warfield (pictured) carrying her hand made basket filled with her lunch going across the river to her school, which I now own and cherish. My Grandmother, Lucille Warfield (pictured) made sure that I received and pass on the quilt that her grandmother made for her to keep her warm at night. Tina Victoria “Tiny” Warfield lovingly hand stitched and hand dyed a Texas Star Twin quilt for her granddaughter. This region of the United States is filled with folklore, musicians and artisans. These men and women created their own dialect crafting words from their past lives in Scotland and Ireland, and intertwining it with the American language. Colorful words such as mooncalf a child that daydreams, dibbies were a name for baby chicks, Whistle Pig another name for ground hog, and cathead, a biscuit were creatively used in my family.

I feel their strengths, and creativity, call forth and help me to create my own crafts. Whether it is through quilting, hand dyeing, spinning, or knitting I feel their spirits within me and make me who I am today.

Pictured above: (Great Grandfather) William Craig Sharp a railroad engineer holding Lucille Sharp (Grandmother) a teacher and graduate from Berea College . Proudly standing next to my (Great Grandfather) is my (Great Grandmother) Minnie Warfield a quilter.