Judy Twitty
Quilting
Judy Twitty has spent a lifetime immersed in the art of patchwork quilting. Hers is truly a lifelong commitment to creating, teaching, and sharing her love of quilting and embroidery.
Twitty developed an interest in quilting at a young age, spending time with her grandmother in New Brunswick, Canada. She enjoyed the comradery of the quilting ladies while they chatted, laughed, and gossiped, creating quilts they would later donate to others in the local community. After getting married and moving to South Carolina, Twitty took a patchwork quilting class in 1972 at the Columbia YWCA. Not long after, Twitty began teaching classes and eventually started teaching around the midlands area, all while working and raising four children.
During this time, Twitty made quilts for friends, family, and as donations to members of her community. She wrote articles for quilt-related newsletters, was a founding member of the Quilters of South Carolina (QSC) and submitted quilts for publication in industry magazines. Many of her original quilts won first prize awards at local quilt shows, including the South Carolina State Fair.
Twitty continuously shares her teaching talents with all ages and her imagination knows no bounds. She is particularly fond of crazy quilts and enjoys incorporating a variety of fabrics, beads, and thread in her work. She has been instrumental is encouraging quilters throughout the region to learn crazy quilt embroidery stitches and motifs. Twitty led groups in classes and provided instruction for quilters across the state. She was a frequent presenter at meetings and guilds and held workshops at statewide retreats and annual conferences.
Crazy quilting led to other artistic pursuits that incorporated her embroidery skills. Twitty followed the nesting of a cardinal outside her window, making notes and taking photographs. She scanned in pictures and printed them onto fabric, wrote the story, and embroidered a book about the life of the baby cardinals. Twitty was selected to be the featured artist by the Quilters of South Carolina during the annual 2018 Quilters Expo. Over thirty pieces of her work, from the very first quilt she made to the most recent crazy quilt and embroidered story book, were exhibited.
Twitty continues to instill in others the desire to learn new techniques and she strives to share with others in the traditions of patchwork, quilting, and embroidery with people throughout South Carolina. She continues to mentor others, participate in individual instruction, and host monthly gatherings to keep the quilting tradition strong, vibrant, and relevant.