Susan Strickland

Vintage Quilt Christmas Stockings

Growing up the daughter of a school teacher and city recreation director, I had many creative influences and opportunities. I enjoyed such childhood art activities as kite making, copper tooling, lanyard making, leather work, and the typical Vacation Bible School crafts.

My parents taught ceramics, and when my father became Director of The Frye Institute, I enjoyed many hours in the ceramics and pottery studios while waiting for my father to fire the kilns. A few treasures remain from those days, but my most prized keepsake is my creche, that was hand-built from clay. Mary's arms and legs were like little rolled sausages, and her hair was knife-scored. Mom painted beautiful eyes on Mary and Baby Jesus, but the rest was all the work of my pudgy little hands. Mary's dress was a plain shift, and I created her to sit with arms outstretched to hold her baby. The manger was patted out flat, with sidewalls and a little hunk of clay for a pillow. The baby could either lie in the manger or in Mary's arms, but the whimsical touch was that Baby Jesus was as big as Mary!

In high school I enjoyed doing decoupage; in my early married years I made bread baskets from bread dough covered in shellac, and also enjoyed counted cross stitch; in the 1980's I made woven egg baskets, using natural dyes from walnuts and berries; and after the turn of the century I began to make bookmarks from waxed nylon and beads. When I discovered Ebay and bought my first Christmas stocking from a piece of vintage quilt, a new creative passion was stirred within me. Quilts have always been a part of my life, as my grrandmother quilted and I've always loved them. Now I find quilts that are badly damaged (cutter quilts) and rather than allowing them to be destroyed or misused, I take them and lovingly re-create them into something beautiful and still functional today. Hopefully I can preserve a piece of history, and pass along the work of someone else's grandmother to someone who will treasure the hours put into creating such a work of beauty, and who will enjoy the various vintage fabrics and designs.

Susan Strickland and her huband Ray live "up Toodies Creek," located between Burnsville and the Pensacola community where Ray has been pastor of Laurel Branch Baptist Church for over thirty years. Susan works as a dental assistant at the Toe River Children's Dental Clinic, and crafts in her spare time. You may recognize the name Suziart, which was Susan's first business venture in which she created bookbeads. In 2007, Susan began Mulberry Patchworks, making annie dolls and many vintage quilt re-creations. You will find her as Mulberry Patchworks at various craft shows in the region, or perhaps you'll find her with her clown makeup on as "Jubilee the Clown."