Join us as we welcome two members to share in our Annual Hometown Trunkshow!
Marilyn Butler:
Marilyn remembers always having a desire to “make something” and the enjoyment it brings. Her grandmothers were makers of clothing and quilts for themselves and others, and their hands were often busy with embroidery, knitting or crocheting. Marilyn’s love of fabric, color and texture, undoubtedly, must have come to her naturally.
This love would lead to learning different skills whenever there was an opportunity, and so it was with quilting. In 1981, she took quilting classes with a group of co-workers and made a handpieced, hand quilted sampler quilt. However, her next quilt wouldn’t come for another twenty years or so. That was when Marilyn started noticing new quilting tools, faster and easier piecing using the sewing machine, and, above all, colorful new fabrics. She became excited about quilting again.
When The Modern Quilt Guild was beginning in Los Angeles, Marilyn really wished for something like it in Kansas City. Within a few months, the KC Modern Quilt Guild was forming and she couldn’t wait to attend its very first meeting. New friends, new experiences, and opportunities for learning new skills–she had found her community.
Marilyn also loves spending time with her family, especially her adult children and grandchildren. She loves to travel and finds inspiration in discovering new and different places.
Judy Chaffee:
Judy learned to sew from her mother and began making garments at a young age. While pursuing her Bachelor’s degree at Southern Illinois University, she taught men’s tailoring, the construction of leather goods, draping, and flat pattern making. But it was her Master’s degree in Textiles that really sparked her interest in fabric itself. In 1971, she completed a groundbreaking thesis on the effects of environmental pollutants on fiber degradation. So it is not surprising that Judy’s quilting so often explores the qualities and possibilities of fabric as a medium. She is known for the manipulation of fabrics, screen-printing, fabric painting, and thread painting. Additionally, Judy’s quilts are invariably marked by her interest in the way fabric can be a carrier for emotional meaning and familial memory.