By Gail Scogin
A member of ECQG for about two-and-a-half years, Kim Beasley began quilting in 2022. She didn’t know anything about quilting until after she retired from the DeKalb County School District. During her 32-year career, she had several roles, including high school English teacher―ultimately earning a master’s degree in School Counseling, then serving for 25 years as a high school and middle school counselor.
When Kim retired, she didn’t even own a sewing machine, but had long thought about making a t-shirt quilt using the many shirts acquired during her career. By chance, Kim had previously connected with a quilter on an Alaskan cruise, sharing her plan to make a quilt once she retired. Out of the blue, this new friend sent her a hand-made quilt. Surely this was a sign of encouragement―and a spark for Kim’s quilting journey.
For research, Kim joined a friend who had an extra ticket to the Sewing Expo in Duluth. She marveled at the “new” sewing technologies―including self-threading machines. Nothing like that had existed when she was learning to sew in middle school. Her stepmom had taught her how to make a jacket and an A-line skirt, but she had never thought of sewing as a hobby―and would realize only years later that some of those same sewing skills translate into making quilts.
Kim’s initial goal was to make two or three t-shirt quilts―and stop there. She bought a machine from Katie at Discover Sewing in Duluth (now Sew Sew Studio). At the time, Kim’s husband commented, “We’ll see how long this lasts.”
To learn how to use her new machine, Kim enrolled in Katie’s year-long “Stitcher’s Garden Block of the Month” class. She learned different machine applique techniques, and along the way, learned valuable lessons about using embellishments to deal with the inevitable mistake or two. As Katie observed, “We can fix that with a couple of buttons.” Those blocks became the quilt you see on the left.
Kim soon joined the Gwinnett Quilters’ Guild―and not long afterward, joined ECQG. She notes that so many Guild members are “just wonderful with sharing their knowledge,” and the Guild has such talented quilters that “you can see how quilts become art.”
Kim has a core group of supporters, including ECQG member, Joyce Taylor, who has become a mentor, offering to demonstrate different skills and techniques. For example, when Kim took a class on making a ‘Feathered Star’ quilt, she nearly gave up after seeing the overwhelming number of small fabric pieces required. Joyce stepped in, helping to cut out the pieces and encouraging Kim to finish the project.
Kim is at the right, holding her Feathered Star quilt after Show & Tell.
Kim enjoys the varied programs and workshops offered by the Guild, and especially loved the two 2023 workshops with Emily Taylor on collage quilting. She liked Emily’s style and approach to collage.
More recently, in a different type of collage class, Kim learned about “Simple Landscape Quilting” from Ben Hollingsworth. She selected an image that reminded her of the mailboxes lined up near her cousin Terrell’s property in New Hampshire. (Why, she wondered, are those mailboxes clumped together on one side of the road―and not next to each house? It turns out, that’s what makes mail delivery possible during the snowy winters.) And although she didn’t quite understand the collage process at first, she persevered, found her own rhythm, and this “mailbox quilt” is now her favorite quilt.
Kim and her quilt “Mailboxes” are shown on the left.
Despite her husband’s uncertainty (even doubtfulness?) about the longevity of her quilting hobby, Kim still loves it and has accomplished so much in a relatively short time. The two quilts below are examples of the breadth of her quilt making.
Kim quilts exclusively by machine and sometimes uses her embroidery machine to “quilt the block”, particularly when making children’s quilts for charity. If there’s a way to do something by machine, “I’m going to figure it out no matter how long it takes me.”
“During my career, I was a workaholic. The way I approached work is the way I now approach quilting.” She set two goals for herself in 2025. First, “no more UFOs. If I take a class, I’ll have fun with it, and finish the project within a month. Second, I’ll finish the quilting myself, rather than send it to a longarmer.” Kim is contemplating how she wants to quilt a recently completed paper-pieced pattern called “Waterwheel” and is also currently working with a partner on the Matriotism quilt challenge.
Kim is “never at a loss for ideas.” She’s intrigued by portrait quilts and would love to take a class from Bisa Butler – who makes quilts that are a vibrant kaleidoscope of colors. She also likes “improv” and “art” quilting, but is “still finding my way there,” having so far worked mostly with patterns.
Guild members may be surprised to know that, as a member of the Gwinnett Quilters’ Guild, Kim was recently inducted into the role of President for the upcoming year. She previously served as their Bee Group Coordinator and was Programs Chair this past year.
Regarding the impact quilting has had, Kim says, “It’s added so much depth to my life. Quilting has helped me learn about myself in ways I hadn’t considered before. I never thought of myself as an artist, a maker, or a crafty person.” When asked if there is a quilting rule she no longer follows, Kim responded, “I like rules. They provide a way forward and a standard for measuring progress. But never allow a mistake to stop you.” Remember, “a button can go a long way.”
A Quilter’s Story is an ongoing series of interviews with ECQG members. If you’d like to suggest a member for a future A Quilter’s Story, please email the Communications Committee.