June 7, 2024

Hi, I’m Beth Cooper and I work for Missouri Star Quilt Co. You’ll usually find me over at Nancy’s Notions (Missouri Star’s sister-site!). Nancy’s Notions is now an online library for sewists and quilters and is full of all kinds of fun sewing content. If you haven’t visited lately, trust me, you’ll love it! I like to think of it as a really good quilting magazine, but online instead of on the coffee table.  

When I’m not working for Missouri Star, I love spending time with my family. My husband Jason and I have three kids. Our oldest daughter, Maleah, just got married last week to her high school sweetheart, Alex. It was a gorgeous wedding! (I know I’m biased, but it was the prettiest wedding I’ve ever been to!)  

Maleah had decided that she didn’t want a traditional guest book at her wedding, instead she wanted a quilt guest-book. Weeks prior to the wedding, I pieced together a very simple quilt using a variety of neutral scraps that I had in my stash. I used all shades of white, off-white, light pink, light tan, and peach. I cut the scraps into 5” squares and sewed them all into rows. I had a friend use her embroidery machine to embroider the couple’s name into a large center square. After it was pieced together, I quilted it very simply and quite frankly, with much less quilting than I really prefer. I needed space for signatures!  

The quilt turned out beautifully! We set it out near the entrance to the wedding venue, along with a handful of colorful permanent fabric markers. Each guest was encouraged to sign their names and wish the couple well on the quilt. The bride had requested that I make the quilt small, as she wished it to be a wall-hanging. This quilt is definitely going to be a wedding memento that they will always cherish! It means more to the bride than a bunch of signatures inside of a leather book.  

Other fun facts about me: I host a local tv show that airs daily on my local cable provider. I am active in community theater and direct two plays per year. I am a Jane Stickle (Civil War Quilter) portrayal actress and a Betsy Ross portrayal actress. I have four cats, named Eloise, Luella, Roxanne, and Teddy Roosevelt. They were not impressed when I told them I was including them in this.

Published by Danae M.