Quilting by and for Anna Belle Nutting * Ann Nutting

This is to tell some of the quilting stories of Ann Nutting, known by her family as Anna Belle.  Ann was born in  September 1921, and passed in August 2020, just one month before turning 99.  It was after contracting non-symptoms covid-19, but having to be put into quarantine at her memory care facility, nonetheless.  Prior to living there, Ann enjoyed creating works of art over her entire adult history.  I was fortunate to meet her, a cousin on my husband's side, in January of 2002. During that time, we witnessed many of her art forms, and enjoyed her re-telling and showing us all about her exquisite dolls.  Dolls she poured, fired in her kiln, painted, made the bodies for, and made the outfits for.  So many dolls!  Another story!  But, here are some points of interest for quilts she made or finished.

 

When we met Ann & Bill (her husband), I was involved in a quilting group on the school campus in Danville, CA, where Mike & I lived at the time. The ladies and I met for quilting every Monday night, in the classroom attached to the home of one of the campus teachers.  Several of us lived on campus to support the dorm kids.  We made many beautiful quilts, including several auction quilts that benefited a scholarship fund.  Ann was very interested in the quilting we did, and after Mike & I moved back to Albuquerque, NM, she brought me a king-sized quilt top that needed to be finished.  It was a quilt of triangles and squares, and had been been HAND-cut, and HAND-sewn together by Bill's mother.  She p had passed when he was only 6 years old and never finished the quilt, so it sat in a closet.  One day his older sister, Serletta, gave Ann the quilt top in hopes she would finish it.  Well, now it came to be in my hands!  I made a deal with Ann that I would get a complimentary backing fabric, batting, and baste the backing, batting and top together, then add a binding, and then send it to her to do all of the hand quilting. She did this!  When she first brought it to me on a visit they made to Albuquerque, Bill did not pay any attention to it.  But, as he heard me show my girlfriends the quilt topping (amazing, by the way!) and how it was all hand done, he liked what he heard and then decided that he was keeping the quilt.  That I would get it after he passed, but it was now HIS quilt!  He had a tendency to do possession moves like this, Ann seemed to be used to it.  I cannot find a picture of the quilt at this time, but will keep looking.  

 Fast forward to years after Ann finished the quilt, she did such a great job on it, and it took her a couple of years of hand quilting at night to get it done.  She went into the hospital for a procedure, and when she returned, it was gone!  Bill had given it away to his niece, without asking Ann.  Now, his mom made the topper, but Ann did the other 50% of the work, it was her quilt, not his.  She asked her niece to return it to her.  It took a couple of months, but she finally did so.  Sigh.  In the end, I called that niece and when she came by to visit Ann the year I was living there to care for her, I gave her back the quilt, to keep it in the family.  I did also give her the history of the quilt, and told her why it was not Bill's to give away, she understood.  I am sure she is still enjoying the quilt.

 

Ann and I had an arrangement where I would make a quilt top, put on a backing by basting, and attach one side of the binding, then send to her to finish.  Then she could give it to anyone she wanted to have it.  Mostly in mind were for baby quilts.  Needless to say, Bill claimed this one, as well, as she sat there each night working on it.  When I helped here clean through her house before she left it, this quilt was no where to be found.  Hmmmm. 

 

 

  Called Card Deck.

One of my favorite quilts we did together was the African Dancing Ladies.  You will see why it was so special! It was and still is one of my most favorite fabrics of all time!

Bill *tried* to claim this one...she told him NO!  Yay!  As a matter of fact, several of the ones around her tried to claim it for their own, and she always told them NO!  Then, one day, when Mike was out visiting her, she gave it to him to bring back to me, as she did not want anyone in California to have it, in any way.  I had made two matching quilts, one for her and one for me, so I sent her quilt on to Dale, who I knew would like to have it, and would appreciate the work Ann had put into it.  

Ann helped to make several quilts in this fashion, and I will update when I locate the pictures of them.