BY HANNAH BEASLEY FOR THE OBSERVER
EAST ALABAMA — Leigh Ann Parker of Opelika recycles old quilts and gives them new life. Her passion for repurposing old quilts began two years ago during when she stumbled upon a quilt coat pattern and became intrigued.
“I began going to all the thrift stores and estate sales to find just the right quilt pattern that I liked and sewed my first coat last February,” Parker said. “After that first coat, it sparked a giant sewing fire in me that hasn’t slowed down.”
Parker, originally from Atmore, said she likes to collect quilts that she feels have been lovingly used, then she gives them a new purpose as a coat.
“I want to find quilts that have been cared for by a whole family and give them new meaning,” she said. “I make my weekly rounds to thrift stores and estate sales to see what treasures I can find.”
As she gains experience, Parker is venturing from making only coats to creating other items, such as vests, book covers and, most recently, book bags.
“I am trying to use every piece of the quilt because it is so pretty, and I do not want any of it to go to waste,” she explained.
It’s not completely correct to say Parker enjoys her hobby during her spare time, because as a mother of three she has very little. Parker finds time to bring her creations to life while the children are sleeping.
“Almost daily, I get to work on my projects,” she said. “I have various projects in different stages, so depending on my children’s naps and sleep schedule, I can pick up for 10 minutes or over an hour.”
As a play on words for her situation, Parker developed a hashtag for her social media posts about her creations: #whilesulloisenrysleep. It’s sentimental for her because it combines all her children’s names — “While Sully, Eloise and Henry sleep.”
Parker said she finds her hobby not only productive, but also soothing.
“I feel the most like myself when I’m working on my projects, and the sounds of sewing the quilts are so monotonous that my brain has time to think and relax,” she said.
Though her quilting is not a business yet, Parker hopes to do micro drops in the future, at her own pace using the materials she has on hand.
“My children are young, and I want my focus to be on them, but I would love to sew for other people and bring them joy, as my recycled quilted items have brought me,” she said.
