Desire to Inspire January's Pretty as a Pansy Project by Mary Fuber

Meet Mary Fuber. She had a bit of tripping up in the January challenge. She fell over her cat, and couldn't ever work on her challenge for several days. So when she says she is happy to be here... she really means it. 

Here is our January Challenger, Mary Furber

I’m very happy to be here today. To introduce myself my name is Mary Furber, and I live in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 

Mary Fuber

I live in a very old town, settled 1620, so there is a lot of history around. My home was built in 1900, so not too old in comparison. The oldest house in town is from 1664, the Jackson House. It is one of several historic properties to visit in Portsmouth. There is also an historic village named Strawbery Banke, with multiple buildings, shops and educational programs. Portsmouth is a great place to live and an interesting place to visit.

I grew up in New Milford, Connecticut, in a family that sewed. My mother and grandmother were both quilters. I can remember making doll clothes for my sister and I when I was about 6. Mom showed me how to use the old black Singer she had when I was 8 or so. 

My grandfather had worked for one of the last fabric mills in Connecticut. He would bring home misprints and bolt ends so I had access to a large collection of cotton prints and solids. I made a lot of my clothes through high school and into college. I started to quilt during college when home for a holiday. Bored, I asked my grandmother to show me how to piece. This was in the mid-seventies before rotary cutters. She showed me how to make cardboard templates and trace pieces. 

Hand piecing and quilting didn’t thrill me, so after a couple pillows I went back to clothing.

Fast forward 20 years to 2000. 

I wandered into a quilt shop while waiting to pick up a cat at the vet. I signed up for a simple lap quilt class and never looked back. 

I was still sewing on the White machine I bought when I graduated college in 1980. Before long I upgraded my machine and started to build a stash. 

I opened a quilt shop in 2004 with cotton and wool. I ran Thimbleberries Club from 2004 to 2011. 

In addition to quilts we also made penny rugs. I closed in 2011 due to health issues. 

My quilting dropped off for a few years and then I lost my husband. 

Now I am sewing, designing and blogging full time. I love to piece, and try to every day. I’ve been challenging myself to improve my accuracy! 

I am also running a block of the week based on Ruby Short McKim’s 101 Patchwork Patterns on my blog. Visit me at www.SeacoastQuilter.net.