Author: Lois Levihn

Recently as I was moving larger items to my new home, I came across a treasure deep inside my cedar chest: My first quilt project, a pillow I made from the first quilt square I ever pieced, sandwiched and quilted. It was back in 1981 that I took a beginner’s …

What are the odds? When I listed a WWII era souvenir “Mother and Dad” pillow from Gunter Field, Montgomery, Alabama on Etsy, of the 35 million products on Etsy, the pillow was the only item to pop up when I searched for other Gunter Field items. …

Kewpies short for Cupid the Roman God of Love are the iconic cherubic chubby wide-eyed nude dolls with the curly Q hair designed by Rose O’ Neill that first appeared in her comic strips in 1909. The figures were so popular they were first sold as …

Last summer I got to know Priscilla Miller who lives in the vicinity of Southwood Park. She was one of the women who answered the call when I was looking for quilters to fulfill the wish of a dying (now deceased) Waynedale News reader who wanted …

National Quilting Day is observed annually on the third Saturday in March. It was first observed in 1992 when the National Quilt Association (NQA) spearheaded the drive to create this special day and soon the 26th celebration will take place …

It was with deep sadness I read by a majority vote via an online poll taken by more than 4 million people, that the thimble captured the fewest votes and will be replaced as a Monopoly game token by heaven-knows-what. This venerated board game …

If our grandmothers and great-grandmothers were alive today, what would they think of today’s modern sewing machines? Although they may recognize the basic shape, they would be amazed at all of the buttons and dials not to mention their whopping …

The Pieceful Quilters group of Monroeville are having a Community Sew-In on February 18th at the Monroeville Public Library located at 115 Main St.  Anyone wanting to help sew, press, pin or cut fabric is invited to join in. I meet with the founder …

Thanks to a persistent great-granddaughter, her determined granddaughter-in-law and the restoration skills used at Born Again Quilts, a century-plus old scrappy string comforter found its way under a Christmas tree. Back in April of 2015 …

The spirit of St. Nicholas was alive and well at Born Again Quilts as we celebrated the patron saint of children, merchants, repentant thieves and many other groups. It would be pretty fair to say he is the patron saint of everyone! If visitors …

Finally the Cubs win the World’s Series and Harry Caray must be smiling down from heaven on all of those people who waited for generations for them to be crowned the World Series Champs. Denny Durnell and his wife Teena the second generation owners …

Happy Thanksgiving! As the big day nears, now is the time to plan a craft project everyone enjoys while the turkey cooks, the parade participants march or the football games progress. Who hasn’t created a turkey simply by drawing around their …

Next week on the eve of the election I will be turning 60! 60 years in the making of who I am today. When I was young, 60 seemed old. My paternal grandparents the Rev. Herbert Levihn and his wife Concordia both died of heart attacks in June 1962 at 61 …

All quilts have a history: the history of their maker, the creative and technical processes that went into making them and how they were used throughout their life. A couple of months ago Linda Kuhn visits me and shows me a quilt she’s thinking …

The Fort Wayne Weavers’ Guild exhibit at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Fort Wayne is well attended on the opening night reception. The walls are awash in the colors of the woven masterpieces. A dozen Guild members are on hand to discuss …

It hardly seems possible 15 years have passed since the 9/11 attacks. The children born that day are now high school freshmen. Just like Pearl Harbor and the JFK assassination most people can recall what they were doing when they heard the news …

For the 39th time the Maumee Valley Antique Gas and Steam Association held their summer festival East of New Haven. As I drive out to New Haven with thoughts of quilts, steamed corn and flea market delights on my mind, I arrive as a mid-afternoon …

They say you can’t go home again, and for all intent in purposes that’s true. You may go home but it is never the same because you are no longer the same person you were when you departed. Ever since I moved Born Again Quilts Studio from downtown West …

Cheers to the Quilter’s Hall of Fame for selecting Carolyn Mazloomi as the 2016 inductee. When I went down to Marion for a walk-thru of her art quilts what I saw and felt looking at her quilts was nothing short of amazing: Amazing because of the …

The weather is hot and what could be more refreshing than an ice cream cone? The beauty of an ice cream cone quilt block is they are very easy to imagine and make. If you Google “ice cream cone quilt pattern” and then click “image” up top, you will …

This year’s QHF Celebration will be held July 14-16 at the Quilters Hall of Fame the former home of quilt designer/maker Marie Webster, located at 926 S. Washington, Marion, Indiana. This year’s inductee is Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi: a master fiber …