Stories from the Fandom in Stitches Community: Jennifer R (@playfulpiecing)

My Fandom in Stitches story actually started before FIS. I had done a little quilting in the years prior, but nothing ever really held my attention consistently.

In late 2008, I knew my middle child would be facing three intense surgeries in 2009 and 2010. They had been a prolific Harry Potter reader since age six. In fact, we had already replaced the original books due to wear and tear after three years of being obsessed with all things HP.

I began hunting for Harry Potter–related fabric or patterns so I could sew this child a quilt. I knew we would be spending months in hospitals, beds, and wheelchairs. I wanted them to have something that would bring joy—and feel like a little hug from Mom when I couldn’t be with them.

That search led me to Sewhooked, where I found the original 5-inch Harry Potter patterns from our Headmistress, Miss J. I bought some inexpensive fat quarters and started practicing. My mother-in-law (a lifelong quilter) thought I had lost my mind taking on foundation paper piecing. I worked feverishly to finish the quilt before the first surgery in August 2009. My mother-in-law helped me with the sashing and binding, and it became one of the most satisfying projects I’ve ever completed.

After that, I was completely obsessed with FPP and quilting.

Sometime after finishing the quilt, I tracked down Miss J’s email and sent her a thank-you for creating the patterns. She told me about LiveJournal—which later became Talk To Me Tuesday.

I joined the first Pod in 2011, though it took me forever to finish… because I was saving up for that embroidery machine 

From there, I went on to the Doctor Who QAL, a LEGO Star Wars quilt, and eventually started designing my own. The Smartphone QAL was the brainy idea of that same middle child—who used their HP quilt until they grew so tall their legs stuck out from underneath it.

Broadway patterns

Not a Fandom in Stitches pattern - available for free from Quiet Play

Talk to Me Tuesday/Fandom in Stitches Friends at the International Quilt Festival in Houston Texas, 2022. 

L-R Jennifer Ofenstein (@sewhookedjen), Jennifer R (@playfulpiecing), Julia M (@nmjewells), Amber L (@hp5freak), & Dominae P.

All I can say is that through moves, family loss, children growing up, illness, and more, my FIS/TTMT family has become a deeply important fixture in my life. I met my people in a way I never had before. Some of us even had weirdly parallel lives. 

I hope you all have similar experiences with the joy and enrichment that Fandom in Stitches can bring.

Thank you to the FIS Community & Our Headmistress  

Jennifer R. @playfulpiecing

Did you learn to sew to make a Star Wars quilt? Did you win a county fair? Did you make new friends? We want to know!
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