Today we’re settling in for a lovely chat with the woman who launched the Quiltgate scandal into the stratosphere with a single reddit post. She’s a redditor, quilter, crafter, all around baddass, and blogger! She makes some amazing things with her insane skill set, and she does it with style and flair! She runs Katie’s Quilting Corner, and posts some of her amazing work there, as well as some general sass! So settle in, and let’s find out what Katie is up to…
EricTheQuilter: Good morning my dear, how are you this fine day?
Katie: I am so glad it’s not raining at the moment. Enjoying some sun!
ETQ: Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
Katie: I’m 33 (for six more weeks!), a native Floridian located in Tampa for the last 12 years. I started quilting in 2010 after dabbling in other crafts and nothing really sticking. No sewing experience prior to starting quilting but I caught on fast. I love photography, dogs, tortoises, figuring out DIY projects and vegging in front of a good movie or TV show on a rainy night. I share my home with my new husband whom I recently married this past December, our three corgis and a tortoise.
ETQ: Congratulations on being a Newly Wed! For those of you who do not know, Katie is also a moderator on on the Quilting Subreddit. She was the one who posted the link to the screenshots at the center of Quiltgate. Can I ask, what possessed you to do that?
Katie: I didn’t know what was happening until one of my friends shared Karen McTavish’s response video (the first one). I dove in to find some rather abhorrent screenshots from what I came to find out where National Quilting Teachers. I felt it was quilting news and other quilters should be aware of what was going on even if they didn’t want to pick a side. Sharing information is important especially when it happens inside a community you are active in.
ETQ: What would you say was the general response when you posted it on reddit?
Katie: Most people didn’t know it was going on. There were a few people that didn’t feel it was appropriate for the forum and I politely disagreed with them as moderator of the subreddit. It’s quilting news plain and simple. Maybe it’s not the bright and shiny news you’d want to see but it’s still news. Seeing people bullied and attacked for their sexual orientation or their looks SHOULD make people uncomfortable to read about because it needs to stop.
ETQ: I stand with you 100% on that. It is news, and it is about quilting. Do you think that groups behavior was an isolated incident?
Katie: Of course not. As long as one belief system exists in the world with the sole purpose to divide and separate humans into groups of “sinners” and “the chosen ones” it will always exist. There are various forms of this in religious and political systems but it will infiltrate everywhere as long as it is happening and humans are unable to let other humans live their lives in peace the way they want to do so. I do think the internet has given people a “safe space” to voice their opinions however hurtful because they don’t have to actually be held accountable for their actions. This group was outed by a whistleblower and they are being held accountable for things that they said. Either stand by your beliefs and be ready to stand trial in the court of public opinion or keep your mouth shut if you are unable to do that.
ETQ: Do you see a shift in the quilting world after these screenshots? Or is it back to silence?
Katie: We live in a 24 hour news cycle world. I think there are ripples that will be felt from this fallout for a long time but I don’t know that this will be the one thing to change our community. I do think this is the first step in a long journey towards quilters being more inclusive of those that are different. Change is slow but it doesn’t happen at all if we stay warm and cozy in our little boxes. The important thing is more people are aware that this is inside our quilting community and they can keep an eye out for it. I wrote a blog post about speaking up when you see it happening and that’s still how I feel.
ETQ: If you could ask the people in the hate group one question, what would it be?
Katie: I would ask them how they feel people should be held accountable for their words, actions and promises.
ETQ: Damn girl, you’re vicious! I love it! I would like to know the answer to that question as well. How would you identify yourself as a quilter?
Katie: I’m a modern traditionalist I guess? I love experimenting with new techniques and finding ways to quilt more efficiently to make the best use of my time. I love bright colors against white or neutral backgrounds. I’m still addicted to collecting text prints. I don’t like classifying myself since it seems every year I’m evolving into something else or trying something new. I’m a member of the Tampa Modern QuiltERs Guild (we had to change our name after leaving the National Modern Quilt Guild because they don’t allow anyone else to use the phrase Modern Quilt Guild). Our guild is inclusive and allows members to show quilts of all types from modern to traditional and everything in between. It’s a safe place to be weird! I love it there.
ETQ: A guild that encourages weirdness!!! That sounds fun! I’m sure people are tired of reading this, so last question… Where do you see yourself quilt-wise in 1,3, and 5 years?
Katie: Well I’m shifting away from podcasting and I plan to make episode 100 of Katie’s Quilting Corner my last. I’d like to produce more content for YouTube and do more videos. I have some quilts I’d like to design and create patterns for that are floating around in my head currently. Maybe throw a show quilt in there for kicks. My biggest goal is to complete Or rehome all of my UFOs within the next few years. Tired of storing all of them and wasting space.
ETQ: Thank you so much for your time and input! (Below are some of Katie’s gorgeous projects!)
Katie: Thanks Eric!
Eric The Quilter 
So much for” letting humans live in peace as they want to do so”. All this seems like some serious silly high school drama. Both sides seems bigots to me, have been equally bullied in both politically and social arena.
Trying to get people fired from sponsorships and jobs due to their being different is not silly highschool drama.
Trying to get people fired from their jobs or sponsorships due to their being different is not silly high school drama.