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P.O. Box 6231
Columbia, MD
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Pat Heitmann: A Gentle Spirit and Generous Heart
Interview with Pam Wilson
APRIL 2005
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She began quilting in 1965 and has sewn almost 500 quilts since that time. Over half of these (253) have been donated to the Children's Hospital at Sinai. Another 25 percent have gone to other charities, mostly to the Homeless Shelter at Hannah More (54) and to veterans at the Maryland Rehabilitation Center (19). Except for about 30 personal favorites, the rest of her quilts have been given to family and friends.
A mother of two (her son lives in California and a daughter died in 1989), she is a retired federal employee whose entire basement is devoted to sewing. She converts our scraps into crazy quilts for charity, buys fabric by the bolt and is on a first-name basis with the clerks at the JoAnn store in Owings Mills. She uses a wide range of skills in making her quilts, has taught classes for the guild, was block-of-the-month chairman for two years, and above all, shares her time and talents freely with anyone who asks.
Please meet Faithful Circle Quilter ... Pat Heitmann.
(Pam) Why do you quilt?
When did you first start quilting and how did you learn?
Of all the quilts you have made, which are your favorites?
Which were the most challenging to make? Why?
You have a great sense of color and balance. What advice do you have for new quilters when choosing fabrics and colors?
Where do you find ideas and inspiration?
Describe your sewing "space." What sewing machine do you use? Do you own a serger or an embroidery machine? Other special equipment or tools?
Do you have other hobbies aside from quilting? Do you like to garden? Do you have pets?
You were recently diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome. How has this changed your life?
The governor just nominated you to serve on the board of Rosewood Hospital. Congratulations. What other charitable groups are you involved with?
Anything else you want to tell us about about yourself?
PAM to PAT:
(Pat) I enjoy creating something that will last longer than I will.
When I was a teenager I started buying preprinted blocks for embroidery at the local 5 and 10 cent store. They came in sets of two for 10 cents. After I married and was pregnant with my first child, I pieced them together into my first so-called quilt. It had no batting. Both children used it. I didn't have any instructions or books, just a sewing machine. I've learned a LOT since then.
How many quilts do you make each year?
One of Pat's earliest quilts,
called "Our Pets," dated 1965.
1965 - 2, 1975-1999 - 77 (the highest number was 14 in 1999), 2000 - 52, 2001 - 47, 2002 - 120, 2003 - 52, 2004 - 112, 2005 - 26 so far, for a total of 488. I'd say I now average about two a week.
No contest! Appliqued ones such as The Bug Collection.
The Bicentennial Quilt, my fourth quilt (but my first real quilt), was the most challenging. It was one of three Bicentennial projects I worked on. I knew how to sew clothes and embroider but had never appliqued before. It took me a year to complete. There are 30 different blocks. I had to redo the Maryland State Flag three times before I got it right. I hand quilted it on a frame using an original design--a five pointed star inside a double circle at the cornerstones and a diagonal grid in the sashing. It took a lot of research at the public library looking for drawings and ideas for blocks to applique depicting some of our nation's best or well-known characters in fact and fiction as well as things that depict Maryland and other states where I had lived. I consider it my first real quilt since it was full size and had batting. I entered it in the Howard County Fair and won First Premium, then the State Fair where it won Second Prize. When I asked why it hadn't won first, the judges told me the corners weren't mitered. I had to figure out what that meant.
1976 Bicentennial Quilt which won
1st place at the Howard County Fair and
2nd Place at the Maryland State Fair
Choose fabrics that please you. Take an art class or study a book that teaches you how to use a color wheel. Learn to mix light with dark. Learn about contrasting colors as well as complementary colors. Use the color dots in the selvages to select fabrics. Look, observe, and study nature. Be creative. I remember when it was scandalous to wear red with pink or blue with green. It would also have been unheard of to wear a red hat with a purple dress. Experiment.
Most of my ideas and inspiration, I believe, are of a divine nature. They just pop into my head. I always say "thank you" to the powers that be that help me.
I currently exclusively use a Pfaff creative 7530. Before that I used a Tailor and before that a Sears Kenmore. The Tailor, which I still have, has a serger, but I don't use it. I have never owned an embroidery machine, although the Pfaff does have many decorative stitches. I don't have any other special equipment or tools. I do have a quilting library of about 200 books.
Yes, I make crafts, garden, decorate, walk, bird and wildlife watch, read. I also do carpentry now and then. I clubbed my basement by myself--studs, paneling, dropped ceilings, vents, floor tile. I learned how by reading a library book. A couple cats born and raised in the wild adopted me. They spend their nights with me.
Three feral cats, Mittens, Midnight and
Muffin, have "adopted" Pat. A red fox
also visits and barks at the cats.
It hasn't so far.
Besides serving as a Baltimore County Election Book Judge, I am treasurer and landscape chairman as well as temporary cleanup chairman for our community association. I'm the family historian and put together 2 books on our family history, one copy of which is in the DAR Library. I also drive elderly and other needy residents in our community to doctors' offices and to places where they can get assistance, and I serve as liaison between our guild and my community with both Rosewood Center and the Homeless Shelter.
I have a BAD (Bachelor of Administration) degree from Western Michigan University. I majored in accounting. I served with the Boy Scouts of America for over 15 years in many capacities. I was employed by the Social Security Administration for over 30 years and have been retired for over 10 years. While at SSA I organized the Security Toastmistress Club and was the Charter and First Elected President and later Club Representative. Before coming to Maryland we didn't live anywhere for more than a couple years. I've been in the same house now for over 35 years.
The members of FCQ are honored and inspired that you quilt with us!
What other FCQ members say about Pat
Photos of some of Pat's favorite quilts