My background is teaching, not textiles or art, but Science and Maths. Sewing has been part of my life from a very early age, in fact, whilst I was still in the womb! My mother had a dressmaking factory. My maternal grandfather was a tailor by trade and my maternal grandmother a paplomatou. For those of you not from Cyprus a paplomatou was someone who made thick, heavy, cotton filled quilts.
Quilting started back in 1998 on Wednesdays.... so I decided after a couple of years to get a simple sewing machine. Since then, at any possible time, I quilt or think of quilting. What attracts me to this crafty art form are the colours, patterns and textures one can achieve through fabric.You always see something different everytime you look at a quilt.
Nonie Khenkin
Knitting, crocheting, weaving, sewing, embroidery and crafts were part of my life from a young age. In fact in South Africa ,where I spent the first years of my life, I was taught to sew and knit in elementary school .
I remember endless hot summer afternoons in Cyprus before TV, when we were given a crochet hook, knitting needles, or a small embroidery project to keep us busy (and quiet) during the siesta. The older women were there patiently guiding the younger girls, passing on tradition.
Later life brought me to the United States where I was introduced to the world of Quilts . I started making my own patchwork quilts in 2004 and have not stopped since. I can now officially confirm that I suffer from “Quilting Fever” and thankfully the cure for this illness has not yet been discovered!