When longtime Columbus resident Terry Turnage first started quilting in 1991, it wasn’t for any kind of recognition. She just wanted to make a bedspread for her son, who was in the second grade at the time. But once she’d made one quilt, she couldn’t stop.

“You make one for one child, and the other one wants one too,” Turnage told The Dispatch Wednesday. “And then, the next thing you know, your brother wants one, and maybe you want one for the couch.”

But 33 years and more than 80 quilts later, Turnage was one of 13 quilters recognized this year by the Mississippi Quilt Association as a Legacy Quilter – a title given annually to quilters over 65 years old with excellent quilting skills who have a significant body of work.

Two other Golden Triangle quilters, Carolyn Emerson, of Columbus, and Luanne Blankenship, of Starkville, were also recognized on Nov. 2 at the fall gathering of MQA in Batesville.

While Turnage started making quilts for her son, Blankenship started making quilts in 1979 as a way to pass the time, while her husband was studying for his seminary classes. She found a lifelong hobby that she hasn’t let go of since.

“I needed a quiet activity after work in the evenings to do in our very small apartment while he studied,” Blankenship said. “My mom helped me get started making some blocks and showed me how to put them together.”

Similarly, new Columbus resident Emerson started quilting when her mother picked up the hobby. Though Emerson’s mother had already taught her to sew as a child, the two picked up quilting techniques about 20 years ago when she was living in Philadelphia.

“At first, I didn’t know any quilters in Philadelphia,” Emerson said. “It was just a thing for me and my mom.”

While her mother was not able to keep up quilting for long, due to Alzheimer’s, Emerson said she has kept up the hobby, creating quilts for family and friends over the years.

Quilting guilds and connection

Turnage said quilting has helped her to connect with others – both by giving quilts away over the years and by joining quilting guilds. The year after she started quilting, Turnage moved to Okinawa, Japan, where she was able to meet new people through a quilting group.

“Because we were in Japan, fabric was really expensive,” Turnage said. “So we mostly made little things. Like a little tiny wall hanging or a pillow top. We didn’t really make many quilts, we just used quilting techniques to make smaller items.”

When Turnage moved to Columbus not long after, she started a quilting blog and joined the Possum Town Quilters guild. Turnage spent about 20 years living in the city, and enjoying being a part of the group’s monthly meetings, where they stitch together, discuss quilting ideas and spend time together.

Even since Turnage moved to Winona in 2013, she has maintained her membership in the group, driving back for about half of the meetings every year.

“Those are all my quilting friends, and I like to see what they’re working on and show them what I’m working on,” Turnage said.

Similarly, Emerson is a member of a Scrappers group in Ackerman. Since she moved to Columbus in July to be closer to her grandkids, she has been driving back to Ackerman to visit her “quilt sisters” during their meetings. She also intends to join the Possum Town Quilters guild, once she settles into town.

Emerson said attending group meetings means she may see a color combination or pattern she hasn’t thought of before, giving her new ideas for her own work. But her quilting guild also allows her to talk with others about her frustrations, make friends, and work through difficulties in a project with others as well.

“A lot of us say it’s our therapy,” Emerson said. “And sometimes, you get that ripper out and you have to take things apart and redo things. And it’s ‘oh, why am I doing this?’ And sometimes it’s best to put it away and go do something else or work on a different project.”

Blankenship is a member of the Golden Triangle Quilters Guild in Starkville. The group, she said, has allowed her to compare techniques and discover ideas from each others’ work.

“It’s a joy to have sisters that are quilters and work on projects together and collaborate, but especially to learn new techniques,” Blankenship said. “We have a very active guild.”

But the guild has also helped Blankenship to connect with the community in other ways.

“We do a lot of projects for those in need in our community,” Blankenship said. “For the past five years, we’ve been making quilts throughout the year to support Starkville Strong’s efforts at Christmas.”

Blankenship said the group also makes quilts for Oktibbeha County Sheriff deputies to keep in their patrol cars, in case someone in an emergency needs some “comfort” when they show up.

“I really enjoy making quilts for others,” Blankenship said.

Turnage, who has also been the webmaster at MQA for the last four or five years, said the larger statewide organization has allowed her to get to know even more creative people.

“I think creative people kind of connect on a different level,” Turnage said. “And we’ve gotten to know each other enough that I know the names of their children and their husbands and some of them, I even travel to retreats with. It’s just been a delightful way to meet people.”

Turnage said the statewide organization also encourages quilters to create Quilts of Valor for service members or veterans, expressing their gratitude for their service and giving them comfort as well.

All three women said they were surprised to be nominated as Legacy Quilters, despite their many years of quilting experience. But all three were quick to encourage others to take up the hobby they love.

“If anybody is interested in quilting or quilts, I highly recommend joining a guild if you have one in your area or a quilting group,” Blankenship said. “… It’s a wonderful place to make friends, but also to learn new ideas and to have other quilters support you and to ask questions of.”

For more information on the Mississippi Quilt Association visit mississippiquilt.org/.