Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Haston.
Hi Jennifer, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m a quilter. I have a deep love for making. I follow my curiosity for figuring out how to turn one thing into another thing.
My parents stressed the importance of taking care of yourself. This included skills like sewing, cooking, and growing things. My father grew up on a farm in Arkansas. At night the family came together and helped to make quilts. It was survival. If you didn’t help with quilts, you didn’t get one. My mother grew up making her doll clothes and baby doll blankets. She emphasized perfection as she walked me through seam allowance.
In middle school, classes were offered in wood shop and home economics. Middle School was inline with how my parents were raising me. My mother and I bonded over many hours in fabric shops. My first skirt I made in school was a blue and white calico ruffled skirt. Wearing my skirt to school for the first time was a proud moment. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn the complexity of making at such a young age.
My sister-in-law introduced me to quilting. I am grateful for my mom’s perfection, but quilting allows me freedom that sewing clothes did not allow me. Traditional Quilting has patterns to follow as clothes do, but I have found away around the rules. It’s a balance between historical designs, and playing with contemporary approaches.
Making has always been important for me. It’s also important for me to share my love of making with others.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would not say it was smooth, but I am thankful for my path. I went to traditional art schools. I’m thankful for all that school provided me, but I did leave feeling a bit lost. Like I was wearing a shirt that didn’t fit right. It took me a bit of time to get back to my roots. I guess you could say it took me a bit of time to figure out how to combine my roots with the adult me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work for a nonprofit called Friends Life Community. I am the Visual Arts Program Coordinator. I started as a volunteer, and stayed. I’ve been involved for the last 6 years.
Artists at Friends Life Community create original artwork that tells their own story. The process of self-expression and discovery is a way for these artists to communicate who they are and what is important to them. They connect with others through sharing their artwork in exhibitions and working collaboratively. Friends Life artists are professional artists and inspire others who work alongside them.
FLC provides opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities to grow personally, develop socially, and be active members of the community.
It’s important for me to share my skills and knowledge with others, and I am so proud of the artists who work in the FLC art studio. I enjoy watching them experience art shows, and talking about their arts with others in the community.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My mom had lots of how to books like how to knit, how to macrame. She would take me to the hobby stores, yarn shops, fabric stores to get supplies. I would work my way through her books. She always supported my desire to make things. This is why I enjoy collecting vintage craft books.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jenniferhaston.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_haston/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.leach.507
