FAIRVIEW—A former Fairview resident and a master quilter who now lives in a Salt Lake City high-rise condo has donated one of her favorite quilts to be auctioned off at Fairview Museum.
Luella Hall, the creator of this “Farm Girl Quilt” stitched together a wonderful tapestry from all the memories she recalled from growing up on the farm in Fairview. The quilt is comprised of at least 2000 individual pieces, about 80 hours of work and 5000 yards of thread.
The quilt will be auctioned off at the Fairview Museum on July 24 as part of the Pioneer Day’s celebration, said spokesperson Terry Madsen. In the meantime, interested parties can submit a silent bid for the quilt at the museum during business hours, Madsen said. The quilt is currently on display there. The proceeds will go to help run the museum.
Luella and her husband Allen both spend a good deal of their life in Fairview and they were totally devoted to the students at the North Sanpete School District, Madsen said. Luella taught elementary, middle and high school.
Known as the small lady with the huge heart and smile, Luella has written an incredible story about the creation of this quilt, which only took “a few million stitches” to make. Here is that story:
I grew up on a farm in Star Valley, Wyo. and loved everything about living in the country: riding horses; milking cows, working in the fields and hiking in the mountains. I was definitely a tomboy! I made my first quilt (Sunbonnet Sue) when I was 10, under the watchful eye of a very patient primary teacher when primary was on Wednesday afternoons after school. She also taught me to knit, embroider and crochet. That was the beginning of a life-long love of any kind of sewing. My first college degree was in home economics with an emphasis on clothing design and construction. That led to many years of designing and sewing hundreds of prom and wedding dresses. My Sunbonnet Sue quilt was always there reminding me of my sewing beginnings.
In 1976, I moved to Fairview to our little 20 acres and got to go back to my farm girl roots. We had horses, cows, chickens, pigs, goats and big gardens for our six kids to grow up with, surrounded by a strong community of wonderful people.
I had the great opportunity to teach in the elementary, middle and high schools, where all the kids I taught became part of my family. Hopefully, they learned at least half as much from me as I learned from them. Since leaving Fairview, I have taught master quilting classes in both Provo and Salt Lake and I now have a little private quilting business in my home.
I am currently living in downtown Salt Lake in a high rise condo, where there are no longer farm animals going up and down the road, great smells of hay being harvested, tractors in the fields, and big gardens in back yards, so I spend my time making quilts.
Now I do quilting for clients to help earn money for materials to make quilts for young people who may not have the support of family and community, but are working hard to get an education. I remember wrapping up in a quilt my grandmother made, at a time when my future didn’t look so bright, feeling like someone had put their arms around me, telling me things would get better and to keep pushing forward. Now I want to send this same message to young people who may not have the support of family and community, and I’m doing it one quilt at a time.
This Farmgirl Quilt for the Fairview Museum is probably my favorite of all the quilts I have made. There are just over 2000 individual pieces, about 80 hours of work, more than a few million stitches, about 5000 yards of thread and so many good memories stitched into it. Every block and every stitch reminds me of someone or something in Fairview. I loved the years we live there; the gardens we grew; the animals we raised; the friends our kids had; and all the special kids I was able to learn from in the classroom through the years. Thank you Fairview for being our village.
