Engaging Your Family in Quilting

by Jessica Plunkett

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Sharing the love of quilting has a long and lasting impact in society. Passing down an understanding and appreciation for quilt making lends itself to deeper connections within the family dynamic. We explore how quilting has played a role in the family dynamics of several Modern Quilt Guild members.

About the Contributor

Jessica Plunkett is a quilt pattern designer and lecturer from Des Moines, Iowa. After a middle school home economics teacher told her that her embroidery project looked weird and that it wasn’t really an activity for her to pursue, Jessica’s creative outlets took the form of writing and running for 20 years. Inspired by her late great-grandmother, Jessica finally took up quilting in her early 30s, as a way to express herself creatively in a visual format.

Jessica is drawn to solid color fabrics and has a particular fondness of black and pink quilts. She enjoys creating designs using simple blocks. She shares her work on Instagram (@maeberrysquare) and on her blog (www.maeberrysquare.com).

Jessica’s greatest quilting joys have come from making quilts for all of her family, including special projects for her husband, daughter and for her grandmother, who was dying from ALS at the time the quilt was gifted. When she’s not in her studio, you can find Jessica running around after her daughter or running in races. She has completed 19 half marathons.