Author: Lois Levihn

Somehow it was meant to be: I invite a nice woman I meet outside Born Again Quilts to come take a gander inside and not only make a new friend but have a great quilt story to share.

This is how I met Marianne Darr Norman, a quilter, a lover of quilt history, and most importantly the keeper of many

I always love going to the Maumee Valley Antique Steam and Gas Show. The quilt show is always my first stop where it is fun to hang out with fellow quilters and view this year’s entries. There is a constant stream of visitors with ballots in hand finding it a challenge to decide which one is their

Most of us remember the Beanie Babies: Those small stuffed animals of the mid-1990’s stuffed with plastic pellets so you could shape them unlike typical animals stuffed with cotton/poly batting.

How big was the Beanie Baby craze? Back in 1995 it was the first Internet sensation. People couldn’t

This spring my friend, Nancy Watts, and her husband, John, went on a small group trip to Uzbekistan, a Central Asian nation and former Soviet republic. They traveled there because Nancy, a quilter and textile enthusiast, wanted to learn first-hand about the history of the “Silk Road” the ancient

Soon it will be Memorial Day and I will once again be marching in the Waynedale Memorial Day Parade. As much as I love marching the route in my son’s USMC shirt and waving to the friendly people who take the time to watch the parade, it is the service at Prairie Grove Cemetery that is the highlight

What would be a more fitting topic this time of year than the history of four generations of quilting mothers? I first met Priscilla Keidel Miller when she came down to the Born Again Quilts studio to show me how to fold a hankie into a butterfly quilt block. Ever since she has been popping in to

A couple of weeks ago as I drove up to Born Again Quilts I noticed a green bin in front of the door. Walking up to it I noticed the duct-taped lid was marked “fabric”.

Inside was a trove of beautiful fabrics. This is not the first time fabric in need of a new home was left at my door: Some fabrics

Next month will mark the 85th anniversary of the opening of the World’s Fair known as the Century of Progress Exposition (May 27, 1933-November 12, 1933; May 26, 1934-October 31, 1934) in Chicago. Planning for the fair began in January 1928 with a vision of celebrating Chicago’s storied past for

Happy Easter and I’m not fooling! What do these two holidays have in common: They both are linked to calendar dates. The date of Easter in the Western Church is determined differently than in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Some years they are both celebrated on the same Sunday and in other years like

Recently I was in a local thrift store and came across two quilts featuring Sun Bonnet Sue and her companion Sam. Both quilts were hand appliquéd and hand quilted in circles. Nothing unusual about that! What was unusual was the clothes they were wearing: These weren’t your traditional 1930s Sues

Soon we will be celebrating St Patrick’s Day and National Quilting Day on Saturday, March 17. Where St. Paddy’s Day is always celebrated on the 17th, NQD falls on the third Saturday of March: the 17th.

When one thinks of St. Patrick’s Day, people think of the color green, leprechauns, four leaf

Last summer Cheryl and Jim Roush of Fort Wayne visited Born Again Quilts. They brought with them the baby quilt made by Cheryl’s Aunt Effie for her first-born child Josh. Aunt Effie’s hobby was sewing and she was quite gifted at it. The quilt she made was two whole pieces of fabric batted and

Christmas is almost here and with all of the planning and preparation nearly done, it’s nice to take a break from all of it and do something creative with family and/or friends. Making Christmas ornaments is fun because they can be made using so many different types of materials: styrofoam balls,

For the past several years, the first weekend of November has brought a most welcome visitor to Born Again Quilts. Macedonian Marvin Moehle drives from Granite City, Illinois to Fort Wayne to attend the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church Annual Macedonian Ball. For the past few years his visits have been

As Veteran’s Day approaches we will once again pause and reflect on the men and women who served their country. So many veterans today still serve their country, just not in uniform. Kudos to the Warrior Breed Motorcycle Club, whose members are honorably discharged U.S. military veterans who spearheaded

Does it seem possible that October 20th will mark the 5th anniversary of the grand opening of Born Again Quilts on South Wayne Avenue?

Much has transpired over the past five years to both the building and the business. Before the grand opening it took three months to have the basement walls secured

Recently a set of quilt blocks caught my eye on Etsy: “Vintage Quilts Blocks” it was entitled and the description read, “Probably made in the 1950s by someone in my family. Squares were never sewn into a quilt. They have been carefully stored and show no signs of age–no staining, no smoke

Who would have thought a cheater quilt would take second place for viewer’s choice award at the Maumee Valley Antique Steam and Gas Association’s quilt exhibit?

For those of you not familiar with the term “cheater cloth” it’s cloth printed to resemble a traditional quilt pattern. Purchase

The Pieceful Quilters second biennial quilt show held August 4-5 in Monroeville was very nice. Many of the quilts were laid out over church pews and a few were hung up. There were machine and hand quilted, appliqué, pieced and embroidered quilts of various sizes and designs. The numerous vendors