Meet the Quilters, Knitters and Crocheters Crafting Comfort in the Lowcountry
These groups of needleworkers share their craft and how they weave love into every stitch.
Story by Audrey Geib
There’s a friendly rivalry stitched through the Lowcountry this season. Quilters, knitters and crocheters all claim their craft is the coziest. One side hums to the rhythm of a sewing machine, another clicks along to the sound of needles, and the third loops away with a single trusty hook. But no matter the method, the result is the same: warmth, beauty and a whole lot of love.
The quilter’s touch
Across the Lowcountry quilters gather with bright fabrics, stories and smiles. Many say quilting found them at the perfect time. It often came after children were grown, during life transitions or at moments when a new rhythm was needed.
“When life is in pieces, make a quilt,” said Claudia Buckingham, a member of the Palmetto Quilt Guild, whose stitches helped her heal after loss.
Doo Weidman joined the guild in 1996 and stays for the friendship she’s found there.
“It’s the camaraderie,” Weidman said. “We’re here together, working and just chatting.”
At guild meetings quilters show off recent creations and trade stories about their latest projects. It might be a baby blanket for a new grandchild, a patriotic design for the country’s anniversary or a bright throw stitched from heirloom fabric to hold loved ones close.
Stitched to impress Island Quilters owner Beth Ridder smiles in front of a display of colorful fabric inside her store. Her quilt titled Ring Toss hangs on display at the front of her store. This quilt won second place in an issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited magazine.
©Audrey Geib
©Audrey Geib
Pat Thompson, president of the Palmetto Quilt Guild, said quilting’s appeal lies not just in creativity, but in comfort.
“You can make quilts that are heavyweight or lightweight,” Thompson said. “In the winter they’re nice to wrap up in and snuggle with, but even in the summer, when the air conditioning is on and you suddenly realize you’re kind of cold, you can have a lighter-weight quilt on the sofa.”
For Donna Simmons quilting began as a family project that became a lifelong passion. She now quilts with her husband, who runs the long-arm quilting machine in their home studio. Together they’ve turned it into a small side business.
Simmons’ latest piece, a quilt titled Test Pattern, is both a tribute to her late father, who once sold and repaired televisions, and a cherished memory.
At Island Quilters, Hilton Head’s only quilt shop, owner Beth Ridder and her colleague Patsy Mason welcome both beginners and seasoned makers.
“Even if you’re not a quilter, you can come in here and make an apron, a pillow or a tote bag,” Mason said.
She remembers being hesitant to try quilting herself until a friend gave her advice she still shares nearly a decade later.
“If you can sew a straight line, you can quilt,” Mason laughed. “So I made the first one, and that was it. I took off from there, and now I’ve made hundreds of quilts.”
A handmade quilt is more than fabric and thread. It’s art you can cozy up with.
“Quilts are like hugs,” Ridder said with a smile. “There’s a coziness to them that you can’t replicate.”
That coziness comes from the love and care put into every stitch.
“Every stitch is conscious, and if you’re making it for someone, you’re thinking of them with every stitch,” said Lisa Jacobson, a Palmetto Quilt Guild member and Lowcountry local.
The knitter’s and crocheter’s rhythm
While quilters fill studios with fabric, knitters and crocheters make their magic almost anywhere. They can be found curled up on the couch, sitting on front porches or working during family movie nights. Their crafts fit easily into everyday life, quiet enough for conversation but focused enough to calm the mind.
Following patterns, counting stitches and learning new techniques offer both mindfulness and mental exercise. Studies show knitting and crocheting can boost brain health, sharpen memory and help prevent dementia by keeping the mind active and engaged.
Yet for most, the greatest benefit isn’t scientific; it’s emotional.
“It’s cheaper than therapy,” said Janet Briggs, laughing. “It is truly therapeutic. When you are sad and depressed, it is so helpful. Your brain is solving one problem while working on another.”
Caitlin Piette said she loves the coziness of knitting and the ability to multitask.
“I have other things I like to do, whether that’s reading or sewing, but with knitting I can still be with my family and engaging,” Piette said.
And just like quilters, knitters and crocheters gather in small circles across the Lowcountry, swapping stories as they work diligently on their next creations. Some make hats for grandkids; others, a cute new sweater for apple picking or, in Piette’s case, a collection of tiny sweaters for a friend’s chickens.
As Tracy Winslow, owner of Lowcountry Shrimp and Knit, explained, everyone picks up the craft for different reasons. Over time that simple habit becomes something deeper.
“You learn that you have to knit for yourself, because most people don’t appreciate what you make anyway,” Winslow said. “When you make it, you have to do it for yourself. Do it for the satisfaction, because if you tried to sell it for the hours you spent making it, you’d actually be paying people. You have to forgive family members because they just don’t get it, and they think handmade means cheap, that you’ve cheaped out, when sometimes it’s far more expensive just for the yarn than you would normally spend on somebody. But you know, you put your love in every stitch.
The tie that binds
As for which craft wins the “coziest” crown, no one group prevails. A handmade quilt draped over a couch, a knit sweater wrapped tight against the chill or a crocheted baby blanket tucked around a newborn all carry the same message. Love lives in these stitches.
This season, whether you reach for a needle, a hook or a stack of fabric squares, you are joining a long Lowcountry tradition of crafting comfort. In the end cozy isn’t just something you feel. It’s something you make, one thoughtful stitch at a time.
