Today, the first Sunday in August, is National Sister’s Day. In honor of this holiday celebrating the special bond between sisters, today’s Q.S.O.S. Spotlight features a unique quilt inspired by the music of The Beatles created by sisters Sue Nickels and Pat Holly.

In her Q.S.O.S. interview at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, Sue described the quilt and the special experience of quiltmaking with her sister:

“This is a quilt that I made with my sister, Pat Holly. It is a completely machine appliquéd, machine quilted and machine pieced quilt. It is a small version of a bigger quilt that we made together called The Beatles Quilt, which is in the AQS [American Quilter’s Society.] Museum because it won best of show. We wanted to have a smaller version because we don’t own the big quilt anymore. We wanted to have a smaller version of it so I can take it when I teach and travel and lecture, just to show the techniques that are in the original Beatles Quilt…

The meaning of the original Beatles Quilt was a quilt that we made reminiscing about the Beatles’ music and how it brought back memories of us growing up together as teenagers and children. We wanted to put that into a quilt project so we made the original one, the large Beatles quilt as a joint project. It was for us, kind of a memory quilt. Through music, remembering our childhood. This quilt does the same thing. It brought back a lot of memories…

Probably the only thing that I haven’t said enough is that what I find the most rewarding about what I’ve done in the quilt world is working with my sister. Making a quilt with her and winning an award. I always like to give her credit, too. Although you’re just talking to me. She’s not here, but she is just as an important part of what this is all about.”

Want to keep reading? You can find more quilt stories at the Quilters’ S.O.S.- Save Our Stories page on the Alliance’s site.

Posted by Emma Parker
Project Manager,  Quilters’ S.O.S.- Save Our Stories
qsos@quiltalliance.org