Designer Bio - ABL - Aunt Barb's Legacy

Barbara K. Flederjohn (1887-1966)

Aunt Barb was born and raised in Southern Indiana. She lived most of her adult life there, moving to Minnesota to live with her sister (Loretta's maternal grandmother) when they both became widows in 1954. She did all of her quilting while living in Indiana. She had no children, so when she passed away, her great nieces and nephews each received a quilt.

Aunt Barb's Legacy quilt patterns were made to preserve her legacy. All of her quilts are set on point. Subtle changes in arrangement of pieces within a block and also in color make her quilts unique.

Loretta Stacy

Loretta Stacy was born after Aunt Barb moved to Minnesota, so she was part of the first 11 years of her life. Loretta loved to spend the night at Grandma's house where she would have the attention of both Grandma and Aunt Barb. Aunt Barb would sew clothes by hand for her dolls. Loretta does not ever recall Aunt Barb using a tape measure, but the clothes fit perfectly. She still has them packed away. It was from Aunt Barb that she learned to match edges by folding in half and again in quarters, marking by finger pressing. Loretta also made clothes for her dolls, but they could never compare to the clothes Aunt Barb made.

Loretta began sewing her own clothes at age 9. She made her first quilt, a king size Lone Star while still in high school, receiving a grand champion ribbon at the county fair and blue ribbon at the state fair. The most thrilling part of that was being complimented by a quilter from Iowa who had stopped her after the conference judging at the state fair. It is our quilts that provide a common thread between people who would otherwise be strangers.

Loretta Stacy earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Clothing, Textiles and Design with a Business minor from the University of Wisconsin - Stout. She has spent time managing a fabric store, working in the design room of an outerwear manufacturer and working in business.

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