I also grew my quilting skills with Mary Fons and Quilty. I binge-watched their videos. Then a friend recommended Missouri Star. Then Angela Walters. I found you when I googled "wooden yarn spinner" since I wanted to knit a sweater for my granddaughter. So, of course, I started binge-watching your channel and growing with you. You're right up there with Mary Fons, Jenny Doan, Angela Walters & Sugaridoo. You may not be as well known or famous, but you're an inspiration for all of us. And it's been fun watching your channel grow. I love your interviews. Thank you for sharing. ❤️
I learned from and enjoyed this youtube video a great deal! I used to watch the Fons and Porter videos and am glad that Mary is continuing to film. I did notice she had a decent sized following but I am sure it will be even larger after this video. I suscribed!
“The dishes don’t stay done, but a quilt block does.” If I remember nothing else, I will remember this line, and thank you for it! And yes, I subscribed to Mary’s channel.
I enjoyed Mary's mother and Liz's quilt legacies and hope they are enjoying their retirement. I have a soft spot in my heart for them :-) Thanks Karen for doing this AWESOME interview! I thoroughly enjoyed it and now am also following Mary on youtube:-)
What a great interview!!! Thank you Karen!! One take-away: labels on our quilts are not for us, they are for future generations to know about us! 🧵✂️❤️
Thank you, Karen, for all you bring to our lives through quilting. Thank you also, for this interview with Mary Fons. I subscribed to QuiltFolk right after viewing this interview.
CT, 2020 the Pandemic: I came to quilt making when, after sewing face-masks with other volunteers for 5 months in 2020, I wanted to use the fabric scraps that were left-over. I never knew the people who received my masks, but they are a part of my quilts now and so, a part of my life forever. Thank you Karen and Ann for highlighting quilt making as an important part of history.
Loved this interview but have also liked all of them. So diverse! Fascinating hearing about the history of cheap fabric in Northern America and glad that we are not trying to bury history. It happened and we should both celebrate the quilts and learn from the appalling treatment of fellow humans. I have subscribed to Mary's channel. Our world wide quilting community is amazing. Best wishes to you all. X
I totally came into quiltmaking via mask making for the pandemic. I've always been a knitter, but I thought that I shouldn't be going through disposable masks so wastefully and learned how to make masks from UA-cam. Eventually, the algorithms led me to quilting, and I can't look back. I made my first major quilt for my niece born on the very last day of 2020, and sure, it wasn't amazing, but wow, what a material representation of this year culminating in a meaningful gift for my baby niece. Thank you for this interview - it was awesome.
I LOVED this episode with Mary Fons! Thanks so much, Karen, for introducing us to all these interesting quilters. I did subscribe to Mary’s UA-cam channel, and would really cherish the Quiltfolk book. Thanks for the opportunity to be in the drawing! Blessings on you and your generosity to share yourself with other quilters.
I loved this! It reminded me that when the quilt revival hit, and everyone around here bought quilt frames, and all the girls in church quilted banners; all of a sudden, my mother and my older female cousins turned around and noticed a THING that they hadn't before. Since forever, my grandma had been covering her plants in the garden with "old blankets." The "old blankets" were quilts. Much to-do went up about it. She didn't want to give up her old blankets because they were perfect for keeping her plants from freezing, and Oh, no! These are precious antiques! I think she finally had to promise to make everyone a quilt so they would leave her blankets alone. Needless to say, when she died, they were all snatched up. And, yes, there was a LOT of Depression Era green on them -- entire backs of the stuff. This was fun and interesting, and reminded me of a lot of things around quilts and the late 70's and the 80's. Thank you! Stay well!
Yes Karen, I’m a ‘covid quilter’. At the start of the first lockdown I got my old sewing machine out and started making mini clothes for my granddaughter’s dolls. It started just as something to pass the time but it re-ignited my passion for sewing and making. I’ve since made lots of items and am now teaching myself how to quilt - thanks for your help with that.
This was great! I used to watch Mary on PBS and it’s great to see her! I have sewn for too many years and have been struggling to find something to sew that gives me satisfaction. And maybe something that will help me supplement my fixed income. When the pandemic happened I started sewing masks and while I was sewing I watched sewing videos on UA-cam. I found myself watching quilting vids and feeling like “I can do that!” I started making quilted gifts and made some memorial pillows and table runners with completed squares that my friend made before she passed from breast cancer. The satisfaction of completing something so special made me feel so good. Now I have finished my first quilt top along with many other items and am presently learning free motion quilting. I hope to find a good machine and quilt my own quilts as money allows. My husband is in the middle stages of early onset Alzheimer’s and is totally fascinated by my “skills” and hopefully we can start making fidget quilts for dementia patients soon. Right now I am reorganizing my workroom so I can be more efficient. I love your videos and definitely subscribed to Mary’s UA-cam channel. I am always learning and you and your colleagues are truly a wonderful inspiration. We live in a time that is very different with this pandemic but I too believe that it is a great time to go back to our roots and use our hands to create our statements. What’s not to love? We have the freedom to make something warm and soft and an expression of ourselves to be a special way to keep our history alive!
As a fellow Canadian (from Québec) I'm proud of what you accomplished on UA-cam, Karen. Your videos are always so informative and agreeable. And Mary Fons is so funny, and smart, and kind.
Karen, thank you! That was a wonderful chat with Mary Fonds. She is so much fun, warm hearted and a wealth of information. You looked wonderful and your recording area was nice and bright. The quilt behind you was a really good choice. Not to busy and the perfect compliment to you. WELL NONE!!
I enjoyed the Mary Fons interview. She is so knowledgeable and gifted. I’m glad she is happy and feeling better. I have followed her career on and off over the years and have now subscribed to her UTube channel.
Karen, what a great interview with Mary. She is so sweet and enjoyable to watch. She's the type of person that would make it easy to become instant friends. I can see why you're such a fan.
Finding one's tribe... That's what you both represent to me, the way you have brought so many individuals into groups via social media, providing hope, re-enforcing our resilience, confidence, and belief in our ability to forge ahead with our own visions. I am more of a loner who doesn't feel comfortable with large groups of people, and I work at my own slow pace which would drive someone else crazy. But by watching tutorials, commenting, interacting, I can gather into myself a feeling of tribe, of my own legacy of mother and grandmother sewing and inspiring me. What magic! Thank you for sharing your hearts. -Sally from MO
I loved your interview with Mary Fons! I've had so many questions about her and how and why she got started. Sounds like she has gone in a totally different direction than her mother and THAT IS JUST FINE! I am thrilled when someone finds a place in the quilting world because we are definitely the most interesting, giving, thoughtful bunch of folk. (Just my opinion, but I happen to be correct)! :) I subscribed to Mary's channel and look forward to hearing more about her adventures.
Wow! What a great interview! Thanks so much. it was so inspiring and made me think about the "what's next" for me. Loved the moment where Mary made the connection between Covid mask making and a resurgence of quilting. Karen, you are an inspiration to us all!
Hi Karen, thank you for having Mary on your show. I find her very interesting...I loved watching Mary and Mary Ann on the quilt show on TV. Yes I subscribed to her channel.
I subscribed to Mary's UA-cam Channel! When I first got interested in quilting, I was ADDICTED to Quilty episodes. Glad to see she's doing well. It makes my heart happy.
Thank you so much!! I love learning from Mary. I loved Quilty when I was a newbie. My mother is an uber crafter. You name it with a needle; she can do it. I was like Mary, watching my Mom do everything, trying quilting here and there, all thumbs. It wasn't until my 30's that I got serious. At 50, I'm still an intermediate quilter. I make what I like. Not too fancy, but fun for me. More often than not, I give them away to an unsuspecting receiver who loves the surprise and values the work that went into it. I would have geeked out over Ken Burns too!
This is one of my favorite interviews that I have watched. My background is nursing and I have been so blessed by my patients that told me about their passions, quilting, crocheting, knitting, tatting and even canning from their parents. I have learned so much from history and homemade things with love. My patients would tell the story about a picture of something or someone and I would record the story and type it up and slip it in the picture frame for their families. We are never promised tomorrow and make time for these stories. ❤❤❤
Great chat with Mary! I miss Mary and her mother, Marianne, on the 'Love of Quilting' television show. I learned so much watching them. So heartwarming to hear she is happy an still sharing of her vast knowledge. Thanks Mary I will head over to your UA-cam channel. Thanks Karen for this interview.
Karen, you are a wonderful inspiration and so-down-to-earth. I really enjoy going to your channel since I have subscribed to it. The Quilt Circle interviews have been engaging and eye opening with histories, I didn't know much about it. I subscribed to Mary's channel. Quilt designs are all over in unexpected places.
Oh my, Karen I love every one of your chat videos, but this one has me totally inspired and pondering so many things, I found Mary fascinating talking about the history, it would be so nice if she wrote a book about the history of the American quilt. I am so proud that I'm a quilter, I taught my mum and my daughter yo quilt and my daughter (23) is making her own art quilts and she is part of the future, I love the fact we quilt together and hope she teaches her children in the future. Thank you Karen for the great video and I'm popping over to Mary's channel to subscribe right now.
So happy that you interviewed Mary Fons. Love her stories. This video came up just after I finished listening to her talk about the four myths of quilt making. ❤️
Karen, thank you for having Mary Fons on. She is one of my favorite people, I am glad to see that she is back, I am a current subscriber to her channel. Also I do love following you. Thanks so much.
This is an amazing interview. You did a great job allowing her to talk freely, but asked her all of the necessary questions. Great job! And it was lovely hearing Mary tell her story. Loved it.
I'm delighted to see Mary Fons again! I feel like we are all catching up with an old friend. I was happy to subscribe to her UA-cam channel, and I thank you for having her on!
Your best interview so far. I have been watching Mary Fons since her time with her mom after Liz Porter resigned on their PBS program in IA. So glad to find her again. Thank you for the opportunity to subscribe to her channel
This is meaty Karen! Holy cow. Thank you for the on-site. This is the stuff we think about ...a long time. How refreshing to know that quilts are such an important part of our history in America and in the world.
I just subscribed to Mary’s channel. Thank you for having her on your podcast. She is extremely inspiring and I love her perspective of art and quilts. I look forward to more podcasts with future guests. Thanks so much!
Just watched the post. Love Mary. Great interview. I'm glad something good is coming out of all the mask making. I was a teenager during the 76 quilt revival. For me it really wasn't. My family had been quilting for generations. It was nice to see all the excitement and resurgence for quilting.
Thank you for the interesting interview, Mary. You're right about covid bringing people to quilting. I hadn't touched my machine in 40 years. Making 600+ masks got me back into sewing. I didn't need another hobby, but I'm hooked! I've learned so much from you. Thank you!
In the mid-80s, when my kids were just being born and the dishes and the laundry just never seemed to end... That's when I started making quilts. "The quilt blocks stayed done." Indeed they did! Thanks for a terrific interview, Karen. And, yes, I subscribed to Mary's new UA-cam Channel. Cheers!
What a beautiful soul 🤗 I'm so happy to see Mary back and enjoying life and new directions. Quilty was my go-to channel when I started quilting, and I still remember her final video, what a tear jerked that was! But I could understand her need for something different. I have just subscribed to Mary's new channel to throw my hat into the ring for the book competition, but it is prize enough just to have her back in my quilt life! Thank you both for this wonderful interview, I enjoyed every minute of it ❤
I'm glad I heard her mention the time before there was domestic fabric available. I had read that during the time when quilters here could only buy imported fabric, that was when all the scrap sewing got so prevalent. Then I was watching a Fons & Porter video and Mary mentioned the abundance of fabric and seemed to be brushing away the idea of scrap quilts coming out of scarcity. It was a side point and I felt maybe I was misinterpreting. Here she mentions the no-import rule, and alludes to a before-and-after difference. I guess that was eating at me because I so love to use old clothes in my patchwork, and if course I grew up reading Laura Ingalls Wilder, and any yardage purchase was a huge event for Sunday best clothes. In my own family an elderly poet has written about great-grandma's log cabin quilt, where she wonders if the blacks were for mourning, the tan for best, the greys and brown for all work in home and field, plus a dash of red to keep things interesting. Going back to Mary's point and to illustrate the linear development, you do see old quilts from when yardage became more plentiful, where they still cut the fabric up into a zillion pieces then made an intricate two -color design. I wonder if they ever had the same thought Mary had in the middle of the night about life's broken pieces being put back together, so why not fabric?
Thank you for having Mary Fons on Karen’s Quilt Circle. I loved watching you both! Great interview! I have followed Mary since she was on Fons and Porter Quilting show on PBS, and editor of Quilty magazine. I just subscribed to her UTube channel. Thank you again for sharing her with all of us.
Thanks for this interview with Mary. She was the first person I saw in the sewing/quilting world younger than me who was funny and engaging. Glad to see her on UA-cam. You guys sounded like girlfriends having coffee! Would love the book also.
When I first started quilting, Mary Fons (Quilty) was the first UA-cam channel I found on quilting. I cried when she announced she was leaving. I had grown so attached to her. She has a lovely personality. I wish your interview lasted for many more hours. I loved listening. Thank you, Karen, for having her on. I found and subscribed to her channel.
Wonderful interview. I don't tell everyone that i quilt because i too don't think everyone understands. Thank goodness my husband doses and he made our office into a sewing room for me. I am a retired nurse and quilting appeals to technical and fastidious side . I am so happy to have this passion. Thank you again Karine.
Thank you for interviewing Mary Fons. I began quilting in 2014 after moving to a different state (in USA) to take date of my ill mother-in-law. After watching Mary on TV make quilting look easy, I attended a local Quilt Convention & was hooked. It is so good to see her doing so well! Thank you! (& thank for the link to subscribe to her channel. I’m subscribed and looking forward to watching her again.)
Mary struck a chord with me when she talked about nobody understanding why you quilt but the museum did. My friends don't understand why I love quilting and sewing. It's nice, heartwarming to be told I'm part of a community. Thanks Mary
This has been an interesting "interview". I always enjoyed watching Mary on PBS and Quilty. Love her sense of humor, knowledge and willing to share it with us. Signed up on her UA-cam... and went to Quilt Folk site, too. All subscribed to both and looking forward to checking it all out. Thank you, Karen for this opportunity to connect with Mary Fons again. By the way Karen, I love your UA-cam channel, too. Blessings to y'all.
Wonderful interview! Yes, quilt blocks do stay--and so do the quilters who make them. The kindest, most generous people that I have ever met have all been quilters. Love them!
I loved this “interview” - really just a friendly chat. I too came back to quilting during the pandemic, and I WILL label my quilts. My son was the first to point out that I was giving him an heirloom that had a story, and that when he handed it down he would be able to share the history as the quilt was passed down. I did subscribe to Mary’s channel, by the way. What a great legacy she is creating, walking next to her mom’s footsteps and making her own trail. Thank you for all you share with this community Karen!
I watched so many of the Fons and Porter videos with Mary when I first started quilting just a few years ago. It's so nice to see her happy and healthy. I've subscribed to her channel. Thank you
I’m one of those women who has returned to sewing because of UK Covid Lockdown. Digging out the sewing machine and finishing UFO dresses, and making a couple of teddies for our grandchildren, and discovering UA-cam videos on garments and although I watched some quilters have, only recently, begun basic quilting, and I’m already getting hooked! Loved this interview Karen.
I enjoy all Quilt Circle talks but Mary is definitely my favorite and I “ran” to her channel to subscribe. What a lovely person. I especially resonated with her comments about people’s reaction to our quilting, like “oh, that’s nice, my grandmother used to quilt”. I’ve had that reaction, and thus tend to shy away from sharing that part of me. I’ll have to work on that 🙂
After watching Mary on Fons and Porter for years, I am beyond thrilled to see her new 'adventures' and to see her well and happy and healthy! She has always been a favorite and knew she had so much more 'to day's! You can be sure that I'm going to jump onto the MARY FONS train! Thank you for the fantastic interview. I'll be watching it again.
Subscribed to Mary’s channel then got out a pen to “label” a quilt I’m putting in the mail today! Thank you Karen for the diversity and quality of your channel. I’m happy to be in your tribe too! Best wishes for 2021 to you and your family.
Well, it’s finally here. Mary is such an interesting person. I could have talked with her for hours I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.
I also grew my quilting skills with Mary Fons and Quilty. I binge-watched their videos. Then a friend recommended Missouri Star. Then Angela Walters. I found you when I googled "wooden yarn spinner" since I wanted to knit a sweater for my granddaughter. So, of course, I started binge-watching your channel and growing with you. You're right up there with Mary Fons, Jenny Doan, Angela Walters & Sugaridoo. You may not be as well known or famous, but you're an inspiration for all of us. And it's been fun watching your channel grow. I love your interviews. Thank you for sharing. ❤️
Subscribed to Mary’s UA-cam. Great interview
I did subscribe to Mary's channel, enjoyed the interview very much, big Fonz and Porter fan, enjoyed the programs Mary did with her mother.
I learned from and enjoyed this youtube video a great deal! I used to watch the Fons and Porter videos and am glad that Mary is continuing to film. I did notice she had a decent sized following but I am sure it will be even larger after this video. I suscribed!
Great interview it is fun to watch the change in one’s quilt making journey and history of quilt making
"When your life is torn up into a million pieces, it makes sense to cut fabric up into a million pieces and sew it back together" - Mary Fons
I think this works for explaining why covid has drawn so many to quilting too!
Great video! Yes, quilting saved my sanity in 2020!
“The dishes don’t stay done, but a quilt block does.” If I remember nothing else, I will remember this line, and thank you for it! And yes, I subscribed to Mary’s channel.
Subscribed to Mary's channel. Thank you Karen for doing the interview with Mary she has so much knowledge to share with us.
I enjoyed Mary's mother and Liz's quilt legacies and hope they are enjoying their retirement. I have a soft spot in my heart for them :-) Thanks Karen for doing this AWESOME interview! I thoroughly enjoyed it and now am also following Mary on youtube:-)
I have loved Mary Fons since my beginning quilting days. Quilty was a godsend!
Because of this interview, I've subscribed to Mary's channel and have watched EVERYTHING she has posted! Many more than once!
🤣😆😂😆🤣
What a great interview!!! Thank you Karen!! One take-away: labels on our quilts are not for us, they are for future generations to know about us! 🧵✂️❤️
Thank you for a great interview with Mary Fons! I was lucky enough to meet her in person at Quilters take Manhattan. What a sweetheart! So talented!
Oh my, perfect! When your life is torn in pieces, quilting makes sense! Wow, exactly!
Mary’s awesome. She’s a great conversationalist and seems like a fun person. I could listen to her all day. So knowledgeable!
Thank you, Karen, for all you bring to our lives through quilting.
Thank you also, for this interview with Mary Fons.
I subscribed to QuiltFolk right after viewing this interview.
This lady is hilarious and so nice to see her passion of the history.
Thankyou Karen for introducing this beautiful young woman to the likes of me.
I miss Mary on PBS. I think the resurgence of quilting during the pandemic is partly because it is therapeutic to keep hands and mind busy!
And online ability to stay connected🙂
Sewing saved my sanity!
I like that so many men are finding joy in quilting!
I was so fortunate to take a quilt workshop with Mary and I felt like I had know her for years and we were good friends! It was good to see her again.
Karen thank you for a special evening with Mary! I enjoyed the chat very much.💙
Yes! Mary Fons is so cool. I love the way she talks about quilts.
CT, 2020 the Pandemic: I came to quilt making when, after sewing face-masks with other volunteers for 5 months in 2020, I wanted to use the fabric scraps that were left-over. I never knew the people who received my masks, but they are a part of my quilts now and so, a part of my life forever. Thank you Karen and Ann for highlighting quilt making as an important part of history.
just love Mary Fons...... so glad she is back
subscribed to her channel
Great interview!!!! Thanks Karen for bringing these great guests to us. Mary was awesome. I was sad the conversation ended.
Loved this interview but have also liked all of them. So diverse! Fascinating hearing about the history of cheap fabric in Northern America and glad that we are not trying to bury history. It happened and we should both celebrate the quilts and learn from the appalling treatment of fellow humans. I have subscribed to Mary's channel. Our world wide quilting community is amazing. Best wishes to you all. X
I totally came into quiltmaking via mask making for the pandemic. I've always been a knitter, but I thought that I shouldn't be going through disposable masks so wastefully and learned how to make masks from UA-cam. Eventually, the algorithms led me to quilting, and I can't look back. I made my first major quilt for my niece born on the very last day of 2020, and sure, it wasn't amazing, but wow, what a material representation of this year culminating in a meaningful gift for my baby niece. Thank you for this interview - it was awesome.
I LOVED this episode with Mary Fons! Thanks so much, Karen, for introducing us to all these interesting quilters. I did subscribe to Mary’s UA-cam channel, and would really cherish the Quiltfolk book. Thanks for the opportunity to be in the drawing! Blessings on you and your generosity to share yourself with other quilters.
Always have loved Mary and her Mom.. So glad I found this interview..I feel so much better about my weird quilts !!!!
I loved this! It reminded me that when the quilt revival hit, and everyone around here bought quilt frames, and all the girls in church quilted banners; all of a sudden, my mother and my older female cousins turned around and noticed a THING that they hadn't before. Since forever, my grandma had been covering her plants in the garden with "old blankets." The "old blankets" were quilts. Much to-do went up about it. She didn't want to give up her old blankets because they were perfect for keeping her plants from freezing, and Oh, no! These are precious antiques! I think she finally had to promise to make everyone a quilt so they would leave her blankets alone. Needless to say, when she died, they were all snatched up. And, yes, there was a LOT of Depression Era green on them -- entire backs of the stuff. This was fun and interesting, and reminded me of a lot of things around quilts and the late 70's and the 80's. Thank you! Stay well!
Yes Karen, I’m a ‘covid quilter’. At the start of the first lockdown I got my old sewing machine out and started making mini clothes for my granddaughter’s dolls. It started just as something to pass the time but it re-ignited my passion for sewing and making. I’ve since made lots of items and am now teaching myself how to quilt - thanks for your help with that.
Loved the show. It was wonderful to see Mary.
So happy to be able to see Mary Fons again! I watched so many Quilty videos when I first started! Subscribed with joy!
This was great! I used to watch Mary on PBS and it’s great to see her! I have sewn for too many years and have been struggling to find something to sew that gives me satisfaction. And maybe something that will help me supplement my fixed income. When the pandemic happened I started sewing masks and while I was sewing I watched sewing videos on UA-cam. I found myself watching quilting vids and feeling like “I can do that!” I started making quilted gifts and made some memorial pillows and table runners with completed squares that my friend made before she passed from breast cancer. The satisfaction of completing something so special made me feel so good. Now I have finished my first quilt top along with many other items and am presently learning free motion quilting. I hope to find a good machine and quilt my own quilts as money allows. My husband is in the middle stages of early onset Alzheimer’s and is totally fascinated by my “skills” and hopefully we can start making fidget quilts for dementia patients soon. Right now I am reorganizing my workroom so I can be more efficient. I love your videos and definitely subscribed to Mary’s UA-cam channel. I am always learning and you and your colleagues are truly a wonderful inspiration. We live in a time that is very different with this pandemic but I too believe that it is a great time to go back to our roots and use our hands to create our statements. What’s not to love? We have the freedom to make something warm and soft and an expression of ourselves to be a special way to keep our history alive!
As a fellow Canadian (from Québec) I'm proud of what you accomplished on UA-cam, Karen. Your videos are always so informative and agreeable. And Mary Fons is so funny, and smart, and kind.
Thank you Elise
Love Mary Fons!!! She was the first I watched on UA-cam when I began my quilting journey! So exciting today!!!
Such a precious story about Mary helping you. I can imagine the whole situation. Loving.
Karen, thank you! That was a wonderful chat with Mary Fonds. She is so much fun, warm hearted and a wealth of information. You looked wonderful and your recording area was nice and bright. The quilt behind you was a really good choice. Not to busy and the perfect compliment to you. WELL NONE!!
I enjoyed the Mary Fons interview. She is so knowledgeable and gifted. I’m glad she is happy and feeling better. I have followed her career on and off over the years and have now subscribed to her UTube channel.
Karen, what a great interview with Mary. She is so sweet and enjoyable to watch. She's the type of person that would make it easy to become instant friends. I can see why you're such a fan.
Finding one's tribe... That's what you both represent to me, the way you have brought so many individuals into groups via social media, providing hope, re-enforcing our resilience, confidence, and belief in our ability to forge ahead with our own visions. I am more of a loner who doesn't feel comfortable with large groups of people, and I work at my own slow pace which would drive someone else crazy. But by watching tutorials, commenting, interacting, I can gather into myself a feeling of tribe, of my own legacy of mother and grandmother sewing and inspiring me. What magic! Thank you for sharing your hearts. -Sally from MO
Absolutely terrific, life changing interview. Found it just when I needed inspiration, laughter and joy. Thank you, Karen!
I loved your interview with Mary Fons! I've had so many questions about her and how and why she got started. Sounds like she has gone in a totally different direction than her mother and THAT IS JUST FINE! I am thrilled when someone finds a place in the quilting world because we are definitely the most interesting, giving, thoughtful bunch of folk. (Just my opinion, but I happen to be correct)! :)
I subscribed to Mary's channel and look forward to hearing more about her adventures.
Wow! What a great interview! Thanks so much. it was so inspiring and made me think about the "what's next" for me. Loved the moment where Mary made the connection between Covid mask making and a resurgence of quilting. Karen, you are an inspiration to us all!
Hi Karen, thank you for having Mary on your show. I find her very interesting...I loved watching Mary and Mary Ann on the quilt show on TV.
Yes I subscribed to her channel.
I subscribed to Mary's UA-cam Channel! When I first got interested in quilting, I was ADDICTED to Quilty episodes. Glad to see she's doing well. It makes my heart happy.
I miss seeing Mary on UA-cam so glad she’s coming back!🙂 great interview and so interesting. Thank you so much 😊
Mary is wonderful.
Thank you so much!! I love learning from Mary. I loved Quilty when I was a newbie. My mother is an uber crafter. You name it with a needle; she can do it. I was like Mary, watching my Mom do everything, trying quilting here and there, all thumbs. It wasn't until my 30's that I got serious. At 50, I'm still an intermediate quilter. I make what I like. Not too fancy, but fun for me. More often than not, I give them away to an unsuspecting receiver who loves the surprise and values the work that went into it. I would have geeked out over Ken Burns too!
This is one of my favorite interviews that I have watched. My background is nursing and I have been so blessed by my patients that told me about their passions, quilting, crocheting, knitting, tatting and even canning from their parents. I have learned so much from history and homemade things with love. My patients would tell the story about a picture of something or someone and I would record the story and type it up and slip it in the picture frame for their families. We are never promised tomorrow and make time for these stories. ❤❤❤
Great chat with Mary! I miss Mary and her mother, Marianne, on the 'Love of Quilting' television show. I learned so much watching them. So heartwarming to hear she is happy an still sharing of her vast knowledge. Thanks Mary I will head over to your UA-cam channel. Thanks Karen for this interview.
Mary is so insightful and articulate!
I miss Mary Fons. She was entertaining, funny and very creative. I am so so happy that she is back.
I pushed the send button too fast. I have subscribed to her channel and look forward to all her videos. Bring them on!!
I'm such a fan of Mary Fons! I watched as many Quilty shows as I could find! Thanks for a lovely interview - I've subscribed to her channel.
Karen, you are a wonderful inspiration and so-down-to-earth. I really enjoy going to your channel since I have subscribed to it. The Quilt Circle interviews have been engaging and eye opening with histories, I didn't know much about it. I subscribed to Mary's channel. Quilt designs are all over in unexpected places.
Oh my, Karen I love every one of your chat videos, but this one has me totally inspired and pondering so many things, I found Mary fascinating talking about the history, it would be so nice if she wrote a book about the history of the American quilt.
I am so proud that I'm a quilter, I taught my mum and my daughter yo quilt and my daughter (23) is making her own art quilts and she is part of the future, I love the fact we quilt together and hope she teaches her children in the future.
Thank you Karen for the great video and I'm popping over to Mary's channel to subscribe right now.
Karen, you were NEVER crappy!!!!!! I have loved your videos from the very first!!!!!! Great Interview
Thank you for hanging in while I figure out the sound
So happy that you interviewed Mary Fons. Love her stories. This video came up just after I finished listening to her talk about the four myths of quilt making. ❤️
Karen, thank you for having Mary Fons on. She is one of my favorite people, I am glad to see that she is back, I am a current subscriber to her channel. Also I do love following you. Thanks so much.
Thank you Karen and Mary for enriching my love for all things quilting related!
Found her! I love the history and craftsmanship of quilts.
This is an amazing interview. You did a great job allowing her to talk freely, but asked her all of the necessary questions. Great job! And it was lovely hearing Mary tell her story. Loved it.
I'm delighted to see Mary Fons again! I feel like we are all catching up with an old friend. I was happy to subscribe to her UA-cam channel, and I thank you for having her on!
Your best interview so far. I have been watching Mary Fons since her time with her mom after Liz Porter resigned on their PBS program in IA. So glad to find her again. Thank you for the opportunity to subscribe to her channel
Enjoyed ur interview and happy to catch up on Mary Fons who seemed to have disappeared. I love this quilting world.
This is meaty Karen! Holy cow. Thank you for the on-site. This is the stuff we think about ...a long time. How refreshing to know that quilts are such an important part of our history in America and in the world.
I just subscribed to Mary’s channel. Thank you for having her on your podcast. She is extremely inspiring and I love her perspective of art and quilts. I look forward to more podcasts with future guests. Thanks so much!
I think it's great Mary is back on UA-cam and she is happy.
Just watched the post. Love Mary. Great interview. I'm glad something good is coming out of all the mask making. I was a teenager during the 76 quilt revival. For me it really wasn't. My family had been quilting for generations. It was nice to see all the excitement and resurgence for quilting.
Great interview Karen! This was such a relaxed conversation between you and Mary Fons. I enjoyed it so much!
Thank you for the interesting interview, Mary. You're right about covid bringing people to quilting. I hadn't touched my machine in 40 years. Making 600+ masks got me back into sewing. I didn't need another hobby, but I'm hooked! I've learned so much from you. Thank you!
In the mid-80s, when my kids were just being born and the dishes and the laundry just never seemed to end... That's when I started making quilts. "The quilt blocks stayed done." Indeed they did! Thanks for a terrific interview, Karen. And, yes, I subscribed to Mary's new UA-cam Channel. Cheers!
What a beautiful soul 🤗 I'm so happy to see Mary back and enjoying life and new directions. Quilty was my go-to channel when I started quilting, and I still remember her final video, what a tear jerked that was! But I could understand her need for something different. I have just subscribed to Mary's new channel to throw my hat into the ring for the book competition, but it is prize enough just to have her back in my quilt life! Thank you both for this wonderful interview, I enjoyed every minute of it ❤
I'm glad I heard her mention the time before there was domestic fabric available. I had read that during the time when quilters here could only buy imported fabric, that was when all the scrap sewing got so prevalent. Then I was watching a Fons & Porter video and Mary mentioned the abundance of fabric and seemed to be brushing away the idea of scrap quilts coming out of scarcity. It was a side point and I felt maybe I was misinterpreting. Here she mentions the no-import rule, and alludes to a before-and-after difference. I guess that was eating at me because I so love to use old clothes in my patchwork, and if course I grew up reading Laura Ingalls Wilder, and any yardage purchase was a huge event for Sunday best clothes. In my own family an elderly poet has written about great-grandma's log cabin quilt, where she wonders if the blacks were for mourning, the tan for best, the greys and brown for all work in home and field, plus a dash of red to keep things interesting. Going back to Mary's point and to illustrate the linear development, you do see old quilts from when yardage became more plentiful, where they still cut the fabric up into a zillion pieces then made an intricate two -color design. I wonder if they ever had the same thought Mary had in the middle of the night about life's broken pieces being put back together, so why not fabric?
Thank you for having Mary Fons on Karen’s Quilt Circle. I loved watching you both! Great interview! I have followed Mary since she was on Fons and Porter Quilting show on PBS, and editor of Quilty magazine. I just subscribed to her UTube channel. Thank you again for sharing her with all of us.
Thanks for this interview with Mary. She was the first person I saw in the sewing/quilting world younger than me who was funny and engaging. Glad to see her on UA-cam. You guys sounded like girlfriends having coffee! Would love the book also.
Have really enjoyed Mary over the years. Glad to see she is back. Enjoyed what she has on her UA-cam channel.
This was FABULOUS! Thank you, Karen!! ❤️ I especially liked the fresh perspective on feminism/value for women who quilt.
I loved this interview. Such a fan of Mary and you brought this to me. Thank you. I subscribed to Mary's channel and to Quiltfolk!
Wonderful talk with Mary Fons. Thank you 🙏
Thank You! I loved Quilty and used to watch her Mom on our PBS channel. I am glad to hear she has found her groove and is happy.
I'm so happy that Mary has her own channel! I subscribed! Quilty was my first quilting knowledge source.
When I first started quilting, Mary Fons (Quilty) was the first UA-cam channel I found on quilting. I cried when she announced she was leaving. I had grown so attached to her. She has a lovely personality. I wish your interview lasted for many more hours. I loved listening. Thank you, Karen, for having her on. I found and subscribed to her channel.
Wonderful interview. I don't tell everyone that i quilt because i too don't think everyone understands. Thank goodness my husband doses and he made our office into a sewing room for me. I am a retired nurse and quilting appeals to technical and fastidious side . I am so happy to have this passion. Thank you again Karine.
I enjoyed the interview and subscribed to Mary Fons channel. Thanks for the interview and for holding the contest!
What a great interview - not hard to imagine this beautiful soul helping you after a tough day.
I love Mary! My sewing machine is named Quilty after her show. Thank you Karen for sharing this. I’m subscribing to Mary’s channel ❤️
Thank you for interviewing Mary Fons. I began quilting in 2014 after moving to a different state (in USA) to take date of my ill mother-in-law. After watching Mary on TV make quilting look easy, I attended a local Quilt Convention & was hooked. It is so good to see her doing so well! Thank you!
(& thank for the link to subscribe to her channel. I’m subscribed and looking forward to watching her again.)
Mary struck a chord with me when she talked about nobody understanding why you quilt but the museum did. My friends don't understand why I love quilting and sewing. It's nice, heartwarming to be told I'm part of a community. Thanks Mary
Thank you for bringing Mary on. I will subscribe to her channel. Thank you again for a most inspiring guest
This has been an interesting "interview". I always enjoyed watching Mary on PBS and Quilty. Love her sense of humor, knowledge and willing to share it with us. Signed up on her UA-cam... and went to Quilt Folk site, too. All subscribed to both and looking forward to checking it all out. Thank you, Karen for this opportunity to connect with Mary Fons again. By the way Karen, I love your UA-cam channel, too. Blessings to y'all.
Wonderful interview! Yes, quilt blocks do stay--and so do the quilters who make them. The kindest, most generous people that I have ever met have all been quilters. Love them!
Terrific interview! Thank you! Quilters are the BEST!
I loved this “interview” - really just a friendly chat. I too came back to quilting during the pandemic, and I WILL label my quilts. My son was the first to point out that I was giving him an heirloom that had a story, and that when he handed it down he would be able to share the history as the quilt was passed down. I did subscribe to Mary’s channel, by the way. What a great legacy she is creating, walking next to her mom’s footsteps and making her own trail. Thank you for all you share with this community Karen!
I watched so many of the Fons and Porter videos with Mary when I first started quilting just a few years ago. It's so nice to see her happy and healthy. I've subscribed to her channel. Thank you
I’m one of those women who has returned to sewing because of UK Covid Lockdown. Digging out the sewing machine and finishing UFO dresses, and making a couple of teddies for our grandchildren, and discovering UA-cam videos on garments and although I watched some quilters have, only recently, begun basic quilting, and I’m already getting hooked! Loved this interview Karen.
I too have subscribed to Mary’s channel and wonder at times what the new quilt stories will be. A quilt is a long distance hug.
Mary and her mother appeared at our quilt guild a few years ago. Fascinating discussion of hidtory of quilts.
I enjoy all Quilt Circle talks but Mary is definitely my favorite and I “ran” to her channel to subscribe. What a lovely person. I especially resonated with her comments about people’s reaction to our quilting, like “oh, that’s nice, my grandmother used to quilt”. I’ve had that reaction, and thus tend to shy away from sharing that part of me. I’ll have to work on that 🙂
After watching Mary on Fons and Porter for years, I am beyond thrilled to see her new 'adventures' and to see her well and happy and healthy!
She has always been a favorite and knew she had so much more 'to day's! You can be sure that I'm going to jump onto the MARY FONS train! Thank you for the fantastic interview. I'll be watching it again.
I really enjoyed this cross-over event! Thank you!
Loved the show. Wasn't aware of Mary's interest and knowledge of the history of quilting. Can't wait to check out Quilt Folks and her blog.
Subscribed to Mary’s channel then got out a pen to “label” a quilt I’m putting in the mail today! Thank you Karen for the diversity and quality of your channel. I’m happy to be in your tribe too! Best wishes for 2021 to you and your family.
What a fun interview! I'm now subscribed to Mary Fons. Thank you, Karen! ❤️
so fun to watch Mary Fons, what a character!!