Station Stitcher volunteer- Christina Hume
by Lynn Lothman
Throughout the ages quilts have chronicled history. They have been a part of the American story for as long as we have been a country. “Station Stitchers” is a quilting organization that not only preserves and dedicates itself to the art form but also meets the needs of the underserved in Loudoun County with enthusiasm. The organization has existed in the Town of Purcellville, Virginia for over 15 years. Station Stitchers has donated over 5000 quilts since its inception. The organizations that benefit from our quilt making can be found on the Station Stitchers website under the heading “Partners.” The list is vast. Station Stitchers has an army of volunteers; they are dedicated, big-hearted people who fully understand how therapeutic a quilt can be and the important message it sends. Some volunteers piece together the fabric into a traditional design, others sew the layers of a quilt together in beautiful stitches on a long-arm quilting machine; many donate fabric, money, or time to make the organization successful in its mission.
One such volunteer was Christine Hume. Her story is one of friendship, purpose, and redefinition; it is a love story. I visited Chris’ husband of 42 years, Richard Moody, to learn more about her. It was one of those spring days when it was summer in the sun and winter in the shade, and the wind was brisk and blustery. I made my way to Purcellville, notebook in hand, anxious to hear Chris’ quilting journey. I wanted to know who she was besides a woman who donated many quilts and quilting materials to Station Stitchers after her passing. As I entered the home, I immediately noticed the quilts that hung from the second-story banisters in a gracious nod to Chris. A dapple of light danced on the quilts as the sun filtered through the tall windows on either side of the door. I felt her presence.
I learned from Richard, himself confined to a wheelchair and grateful beyond measure that she had devoted her last years to caring for him. Her commitment to the people she loved and the things that she valued was immense. Chris had a colorful career in the Navy, where she met her husband, followed by 30 years in Civil Service. Her last assignment was with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), and she showed competitively her beloved English Cocker Spaniels along with her husband Richard. When the time came to retire, they chose Purcellville. “We loved it here, everything was so close, the people were friendly, the mountain views, and our dream house.” To know Chris was to know that she was a quick study, had a curious mind, and was not one to let moss grow under her feet. She wasn’t a quitter. Months after settling into their new home, Chris said, “I want to learn to quilt… like your mother!” Richard’s mother was an expert seamstress and quilter, and he was raised with an affinity and appreciation for design, color, and precision.
There is something quite satisfying in cutting up fabric and sewing it back together, and Chris put all of herself into learning how to do it. An empty sun-filled room became the Sewing Center. A small machine sat on a wobbly kitchen table, and the process of learning to quilt began. She soon outgrew the sewing machine for beginners and invested in a more complicated machine. If you are a quilter, you know that the hobby requires tools, LOTS of tools: thread, interfacing, fabric, kits, rulers, books, lessons, etc. Amazon became a frequent visitor as Chris’s skills became more and more sophisticated. Shelves were built, closets were repurposed, and soon the room became a cozy sanctuary for the creative mind and soul. Today, the sewing room has two machines and a stack of projects that she was working on at the time of her death. All the beautiful fabrics and supplies were donated to Station Stitchers as Chris would have wanted.
One day, as Richard tells it, she spotted a car in the neighborhood with a license plate that spelled out QLTR. If you know a quilter, you already know that they attract other quilters like a magnet. A beautiful friendship was created. One inspires the other to grow in the craft and to view her craft as art, and the other is eager to learn and become purposeful. "Chris had two precious gifts,” said Richard. “She made friends easily, was interested in their stories, and had a welcoming smile. And at the end of her life, she had made beautiful quilts, most of which she donated or gifted. She was humble and modest about her gifts. She made 152 quilts in 3.5 years! I was extremely proud of her.”
“How do her quilts comfort you?” I asked. His answer didn’t surprise me. “It’s comforting knowing that in her last years, she was engaged in something she loved doing. She deserved happiness. The quilts remind me that she is still here in the legacy she’s left. I can wrap myself in them and feel her sitting right here.”
