Strange Family Folklore

My great grandfather, Jessee Strange, was born a slave and freed in his 20s. His 12 children were born free, and referred to as "The First Freeborn Generation." In this podcast series, I interview Jessee Strange's descendents in order to document our stories.

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Strange Family Folklore

Strange Quilting Passion

January 03, 2025 • Teresa Roberson

On the second day of Kwanzaa 2024, Kujichagulia, or Self-Determination, I had the pleasure of interviewing my Cousin Joan Raynor, daughter of Gladys Strange Wilkerson, and granddaughter of Jesse Strange. Her father was Ernest Wilkerson. Cousin Joan shared her quilting passion with me.

My great grandfather, Jesse Strange, was born a slave and freed in his 20s. His 12 children were born free, and referred to as "The First Freeborn Generation." In this podcast series, I interview Jesse Strange's descendants in order to document our stories. This is Strange Family Folklore.

Teresa Roberson

Cousin Joan, thank you so much for agreeing to tell us about your quilting. You are a quilting enthusiast and you're even wearing a sweatshirt. Or is that a hoodie?

Joan

It's a hoodie.

Teresa Roberson

It reads, "I can't. I'm quilting."

Joan

“I can't today. I'm quilting.”

Teresa Roberson

Oh, OK, I couldn't see the rest of it. So, how long have you been a quilter, and how did you get into this?

Joan

I've been quilting about eight years now. I got involved through my job, really. I'm late into the quilting game. Even though I saw my mother quilting, and I have one quilt from her. I didn't get involved in it till after I was working, and I was working with a group of girls, and I wanted a craft for them to do. I had been in the hospital. I met this woman who was a crafter. She said, "When I retire, I'm gonna come out and volunteer with you." She was a quilter. That's really how I got started, was my nurse who gave me my chemo treatments got me hooked. She and I would get together after she retired. We'd get together at my house. We would go in the basement and quilt all day and into the night. Sometimes, I get in my bed at 12, one o'clock. My husband: "Where you been?" So, I said, “I was downstairs quilting."

Joan’s husband is Bruce Raynor.

Teresa Roberson

Wow, you get so into that?

Joan

Yes, yes. Now this week, my husband is in Florida, my grandson and my son went today. Just Nikki and I are here at the house.

Nikki Coleman is Joan’s niece.

Usually somebody's in and out all the time, but this is the best time for me. It's snow on the ground. Everybody knows that I do not come out of my house. I do not drive in New York with snow on the ground.

Teresa Roberson

Well, I'm glad you explained that, because I know that women of your mother's generation often quilted, and I assumed that you learned quilting from your mother.

Joan

When we grow up around our mothers, they're cooking, they're cleaning, they're quilting, doing what they're doing. We're off running, doing what we do. My mother quilted, she sewed. She made robes and things for the church. But by then, I was out of the house, out of her house, and working. So, I didn't pick that up. I picked it up after I was, like I said, fully grown.

Teresa Roberson

You've been quilting for eight years? So, your mother was alive while you were still quilting?

Joan

Oh, yeah.

Teresa Roberson

Did you ever quilt with her?

Joan

She came up when I was sick. I had cancer about been 20 some years ago now. I wanted something to do, and she helped me put together a quilt. The pattern was already on it, and I just had to go in and sew. I think it was stars or something. My daughter has that quilt.

Joan’s daughter, Tara Carter, is the proud keeper of the first quilt.

That was the first quilt I made, 20 years ago, but I didn't consider myself quilting because when you quilt, you got to cut out all the little pieces and do all that stuff.

Teresa Roberson

It was more like a quilting by numbers.

Joan

Yeah, the print was already there. You just sewed around.

Teresa Roberson

There are some significant patterns, like meanings behind the particular pattern. For example, what does the star pattern represent? In the course of things that the slaves used, like when they were escaping, like the crooked path and star that guides them through the night. The cabin, log cabin, is a safe place. We have safe places now. I think that's where it came from. Like safe houses, where women can go when they're being abused, but we've always had safe houses.

Teresa Roberson

What does the crooked path pattern look like? Can you describe that?

Joan

It could be like a 10 by 10 block, and that block is made up of pieces that make it it looks curved.

Teresa Roberson

OK.

Joan

It's not a large piece.

Teresa Roberson

See, I'm not a quilter. The first time I ever quilted was in fourth grade, and we did it as a class project. Then, the very next time, I called it a "quilt," but when I was a Peace Corps volunteer, I just took a thick blanket and I sewed pieces of material onto it. So, there really was no quilting fabric or any filler in between. I just took pieces of fabric and sewed it.

Joan

They call it "appliqué" now. We do some appliqué. In order for be a quilt, it's like three pieces. It's like a sandwich.

Teresa Roberson

What are the three pieces?

Joan

The top, the middle is the piece that keeps you warm, like the cotton. When my parents came along, my mother came along, they would do old coats and different things. They couldn't buy the batting, so they cut up different things and made the inner lining.

Teresa Roberson

So, it's not called a "filling," like a pie. You have to educate us, Joan. This is why I'm interviewing you.

Joan

The batting, the batting. The top layer is the quilt pieces that you've put together, and then the batting, and then the backing, which could be one big piece. Most of the time, the back is one big piece. You put those three together, and then you quilt it together.

Teresa Roberson

Now the stitching itself can be very complex as well. What stitching pattern do you prefer?

Joan

I quilt on the machine. I don't hand quilt. So, if you hand quilt, you can do different patterns. I just quilt on the machine. Then when it's all together, when all of mine is together, then I send it out to a long arm, which is another whole step. Those three pieces are quilted together.

Teresa Roberson

You send it out to a long arm?

Joan

That's the person who can take that whole quilt, put on a machine and it quilts it and send it back to me.

Teresa Roberson

Oh, I didn't know that.

Joan

I put all the pieces together. Some people quilt by hand, like, I think our cousin Geneva quilts by hand. She quilts the whole thing, but I don't do that. I send it out to a long arm quilter.

Teresa Roberson

So, what you're quilting, what you will sew on your machine, is the top part?

Joan

Yes, all those little pieces that go together. I put that together.

Teresa Roberson

When you send it out, they assemble the batting and the...

Joan

…and the back. They sew it all together, the three pieces, the sandwich, then is quilted.

Teresa Roberson

I know you're sending them the top part, but then...

Joan

I'm sending them everything.

Teresa Roberson

Oh, you're sending them all the materials to assemble.

Joan

I'm sending them everything. He or she is going to put it on that long arm and quilt it. I just happen to have a man who quilts, who does the long arm quilting for me.

Teresa Roberson

Now, a "long arm," I'm assuming, is a type of industrial-size sewing machine.

Joan

Yeah.

Teresa Roberson

Oh, my guess was correct for once.

Joan

Yes. He is in a small apartment, and his machine takes up the entire living room.

Teresa Roberson

Wow.

Joan

Yes. Pretty amazing.

Teresa Roberson

Generally speaking, how big are your quilts?

Joan

They can run anywhere from a twin size or a lap quilt. A twin size would be like a 60 by 60. A lap quilt could be just something you put over your legs to keep your legs warm. It could be a full-size quilt, or it could be a king-size quilt. I made this quilt. It's pinwheels. My friends tease me all the time, like, "You really like that pattern, didn't you?" Because I made a king-size quilt. I think it's beautiful. It looks like pinwheels. It reminds me of those little things used to get and hold up in a little spin around? I think it's beautiful.

Teresa Roberson

Just to clarify, you keep saying numbers. Are we talking about centimeters or inches?

Joan

Inches.

Teresa Roberson

We're one of the few countries that still use the customary system, rather than the metric.

Joan

I'd be lost if I had to use metric.

Teresa Roberson

The conversions are easier, but I understand what you're saying. Some years ago, you had your family to put together a quilt. Can you tell us about that project?

Joan

My sisters and brothers and their children, we usually go on a summer vacation together. We rent a house, and we all go there and stay. I had just did this project at school with the girls. What I did was I took 10 by 10 squares. My idea was to give it to each family, and they could color, they could draw on and do whatever, and then they could take it home and frame it. That would be that memory from the vacation. When we got to the house, and they sat down and did it. It was beautiful. We laid it all out. They said, "Oh, no, you take it home and make one big quilt." So, that's what I did. So, I made this quilt. My friend came, she helped me put it together, because then you gotta add sashes, and you gotta do your binding and all of this.

Sashes are the long, thin strips of material in between the quilting blocks.

I was absolutely hooked. I have it hanging up here in my house.

Teresa Roberson

How many squares?

Joan

You want to see it?

Teresa Roberson

Sure.

This started my podcasting challenge of describing what I saw while taking a tour of Cousin Joan’s house and enjoying a private viewing of her work.

Teresa Roberson

I remember you brought it to a family reunion.

Joan

I usually take it down and I take it with me when we go on vacation, because now I've made two. They've done another one. Kids who are babies now are grown, and they will look back on and say, "Oh, I did that. Remember when I did that?"

Teresa Roberson

Oh, that's beautiful.

Joan

See all of this? This is sashing. So, each one of these are individual pieces.

Teresa Roberson

So, I see that you gave everyone an off-white...is this 10 by 10 square?

Joan

Yes, it's a 10 by 10 square.

Teresa Roberson

Between the squares is red.

Joan

All of these pieces had to be connected. So, it's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 across, and 1, 2, 3, 4 down.

Teresa Roberson

Is that border, the frame, or is that part of the quilt?

Joan

This is part of the quilt. The back was beautiful also.

Teresa Roberson

Oh, that is beautiful. That looks like a bunch of African women. It's almost a shame to hide that. Most of those African women are wearing a shade of red that matches the sash that separates the squares. I see one of the squares has a basketball and the stitching is concentric. Did you do that stitching?

Joan

I sent it out to the long arm. He or she did. You know, did this? Janice Jameson. She's part of Robert Harrison's family that lived up the road from us in Cascade. She did the long arm quilting on this.

Teresa Roberson

I really like that because the stitching itself accentuates the picture. I see one anchor, and the stitching, around the anchor, looks like waves or something.

Joan

This is a little house my mother drew. Let me see if I can show you.

Teresa Roberson

Oh, that's beautiful.

Joan

It's been since 2013. She was just going into her Alzheimer's. We were all sitting and drawing. And she said, "What are y'all doing?" I said, "We're all drawing. You want a crayon and papers to draw a picture? She did all of this herself.

Teresa Roberson

That's beautiful.

Joan

She got "Strange" wrote up here. She got a little chimney with fire.

Teresa Roberson

That's crayon.

Joan

This is crayon. They were all supposed to sign it, so she has her name, “Gladys Wilkerson.”

Teresa Roberson

Two years ago, you invited the participants of the Strange Family Reunion to also...

Joan

I've gotten back two blocks.

Teresa Roberson

Is that just from me and my sister?

Joan

Yes.

My sister, Carla Roberson, is an art teacher.

Do you believe it?

Teresa Roberson

Wow. In a way, I do believe it, which is unfortunate.

Joan

I was so excited. People called me. What should I dadadada? Big comments. They never got it off the ground. They never sent it.

Teresa Roberson

I think the challenge, Joan, is that our relatives were excited about it. However, for someone to sustain their enthusiasm, we have to do it in the moment, and collect it in the moment.

Joan

That's what we did at the house. I have a picture. It's so touching. They're all sitting at the table, grown children, everybody moms, dads. They're all coloring.

Teresa Roberson

What needs to happen is you have your own station in which people can get a square and in that moment, color something. There are so many of us. There's nearly 1000 of us. So, you should have had a huge turnout. When people go back home, they're no longer on vacation. Participation once we're not all together is very challenging. However, when it's something that you want to get done like the pop-up museum that we did last year.

Joan

Yeah, that was beautiful.

Teresa Roberson

You saw how that came together. Family, they all helped out to assemble that. That's why I took lots of pictures and video of that, because that was very well executed. So, when we're all together, that's when you get the most participation. I hope that you don't give up on the family.

Joan

No, I have a box that has everything in it. "Strange Reunion Quilt." I add to it.

Teresa Roberson

If you need help with that, we can definitely get help.

Joan

I think you're right. We have to do it when we're on site.

Teresa Roberson

I agree. Have it at least Friday and Saturday.

Joan

You're right. Someone has to be that and say, "Oh, you have to do this." Sit and talk to them while they do it or something.

Teresa Roberson

That's always a discussion. What shall we do when family comes together. We all love the food and we all love talking and catching up. In addition to that, quilting.

Joan

Let me show you this quilt while I have it down.

Teresa Roberson

Oh, that's beautiful. Those look like presents.

Joan

Christmas presents, right.

Teresa Roberson

Each present is made up of five rectangles. The one in the center is skinnier, looks about a third the width. Then there are two right triangles. That makes up the bow. When did you make that?

Joan

I made this last year. So, when I sent it out to the long arm quilter, he did all of this.

Teresa Roberson

Oh, so he chose the pattern?

Joan

Yes. Then the back is just red.

Teresa Roberson

He definitely did it justice. I thought you had to be very exacting. That's a really complicated pattern. That's not just a grid. right? Did he say what type of stitching pattern?

Joan

I'll take it to him, and then when he gets ready to quilt it, he'll send me two or three patterns that he thinks would look good on it. I usually just say, "You're a better judge at the pattern than I am."

Teresa Roberson

Do you know the name of that stitching pattern?

Joan

I sure don't. It looks like snowflakes really to me.

Teresa Roberson

Right, it is reminiscent of snowflakes in some parts, but then you have a lot of curves.

Joan

I'm gonna show you this one, and I didn't do a whole lot of pieces to this one.

Teresa Roberson

Oh, I like that one. So, that one is mostly black pieces, accentuated by white and some red highlights.

Joan

This is in memory of all the young men who died while we were in that tumultuous time that summer.

Teresa Roberson

What you're showing me are the raised fists, and then in red, you have their name on the forearm.

Joan

This is just material that I found, and had these sayings on it. It said, "You are beautiful. Hope

Teresa Roberson

You found material that had positive, aspirational sayings, and then you cut them. It looks very stylishly into squares. Now that's the pinwheel pattern right there.

Joan

This is the pinwheel. It seemed like the world was spinning out of control. That's why I put the pinwheel here.

Teresa Roberson

So, you put the aspirational cloth in, a pinwheel...

Joan

Cut it out.

Teresa Roberson

...to show movement. Then, I see the Black Lives Matter, square, and you have another pattern. It looks like chain links.

Joan

This is just material I cut out to symbolize that we're in chains. The red symbolizes the blood that was shed.

Teresa Roberson

So, that's the border along the chain patterned material. Quilters have so much material, it's sad.

Teresa Roberson

You use it in a creative way. Hold that up again. You have a block of faces.

Joan

They're looking like wonderment like, what's going on here?

Teresa Roberson

Right. Black and white faces. I really like how stylized this is.

Joan

It's called "The Bleeding-Heart Quilt." Then, I put it down at the bottom, and I'm just getting into embroidery, that's mothers' hearts. All of these children that are dead on this quilt, their names on this quilt.

Teresa Roberson

Oh, I like that section. You have the big square, and the corners are triangles with the aspirational sayings, and then in the middle, it's a black square, and in the middle of that, it looks like the red heart is stitching. Then, at the bottom of the heart, you have the blood drops. That's a very powerful image. All in one quilt. When you did this quilt, did you just write out or outline?

Joan

I had all of this material, and I just began to work on it, and this came to me.

Teresa Roberson

I see in another corner "I can't breathe." I see another corner in "Black Lives Matter."

Joan

It's what I had on hand. When I sit down to make this quilt, I found this raised fist, I found it at a shop in Maryland, when I was coming back from Virginia. I found this material. It was a big yard of it, so I gave it to friends. They've embellished it. They've put it on their quilts. We've done different things with it.

Teresa Roberson

Did you show me the back of that quilt?

Joan

The back of this quilt is just black and white.

Teresa Roberson

OK, so it's a white piece. Is that black stitching?

Joan

He used clear stitching on this.

Teresa Roberson

That's the material itself that's black and white.

Joan

Yes. This reminds me of the prisoners on TV.

Teresa Roberson

Oh, right, the black and white stripes.

Joan

We're still prisoners in some way. We're somewhere. We're trapped. We have the chains, the blood.

Teresa Roberson

When did you have an exhibit of your quilts?

Joan

Last year? No, two years ago. Last year at the community college in my area.

Teresa Roberson

How many quilts were on display?

Joan

I think we had 30 some, but I think I had five.

Teresa Roberson

Typically, how long does it take you to make a quilt?

Joan

It depends on what it is and who's around. I'm making now a T-shirt quilt, where I went on a cruise and stopped at five different ports and bought a T-shirt at every port. I just started that yesterday. It's almost finished. I'm not cutting out these little pieces. I'm gonna show you this one. This is a tulip. That takes a while.

Teresa Roberson

It looks like the pieces are a combination of squares...

Joan

All squares. It's the way you sew it.

Teresa Roberson

It does look like there are four triangles. Oh, but that was one square that you cut in forths. So, the smaller the pieces, the longer it takes. When you do your T-shirt quilt, are you going to retain the shape of the T-shirt?

Joan

I would cut this out: name of the place I visited, and maybe something else on it, but it would just be this part.

Teresa Roberson

So, for the T-shirt quilt, you're cutting out the rectangle front part of the T-shirt.

Joan

Yeah, if it has something on the back that I think I'll use, I cut that out too.

Teresa Roberson

You put that somewhere near, like it's a smaller rectangle.

Joan

Yes.

Teresa Roberson

What a fabulous idea. I have a T-shirt with my grandparents on it. Unfortunately, whatever it was made out of, it's flaking. You're giving me a great idea. I did wear it at last year's reunion. I thought the quilting part was doing all the stuffing. That's what I called it. I hand sew. I love watching television and doing something with my hands.

Joan

Oh, yeah, that's good. You could quilt it like that.

Teresa Roberson

I'm not going to. If I were to hand quilt, it would be the smallest...it would mostly be a tea cozy or something. A coaster. I like your idea of sending...

Joan

To send it out.

Teresa Roberson

Yes. I am patient with some things.

Joan

When you do the T-shirt quilt, you have to put fusible backing on the T-shirt, so it doesn't stretch. I'm gonna take you downstairs, hope we don't get cut off to my sewing room.

Teresa Roberson

Oh, you got a whole sewing room.

Joan

It's a small one.

Teresa Roberson

I love that you have a special space for your passion.

Joan

Sometimes, I'm down here like 12, one o'clock at night. I hear them up there calling me, like, "Joan!"

This is my T-shirt.

Joan

I put the fusible backing on it. This has to go on it so it doesn't stretch anymore. I had this T-shirt with my name on it, so I want to add that to it. I went to Saint Martin's for my birthday, so I'm going to add that. Then, all of these places are where I was on the cruise.

Teresa Roberson

Turks and Caicos. I love that your entire table is this green grid. I taught math and science for over 20 years. I found that kids are mostly interested in science, but when you get to math, they act like they dislike it, unless it has to do with money. But really, any art or passion that you have, you have to use math. You have to use math..

Joan

Right exactly.

Teresa

…anyway with life, but this creative way, I see how you have it really laid out. It's your planning table, not just to cut out the T-shirts, but you can move those pieces around to see how you want to sew them together. I can see that coming together.

Joan

It's a pool table that my kids convinced me when they were all home, when they needed a pool table. Now that no one's home, I just covered it with all the mats, so I could have a cutting table and it's the right height and everything.

Teresa Roberson

What a great way to repurpose something that no one else was using.

Joan

You can fold all of this up and put it away, and they can still use it, but while they're not here, I'm using it.

Teresa Roberson

I wouldn't even mention it to them. This is now your sewing table. You're so generous. Once I have my stuff laid out the way I want, it is mine.

Joan

I'm taking a class, probably six months.

Teresa Roberson

That's beautiful.

Joan

This is mine. This is the applique I was telling you about that you did on your quilt. You just cut out pieces. This is the person, and we cut out pieces.

Teresa Roberson

I see that you have an outline, and when you cut out the pieces, how do you trace that?

Joan

On this?

Teresa Roberson

Right. Because I see that you have the pattern it looks like on a piece of white paper...

Joan

I have this fusiblestuff that I put on the T-shirt. I'll iron my little pieces and I fuse it on that. Then, I can cut it out. Whatever shape I want. I take classes all the time.

Teresa Roberson

That's beautiful. I like the applique because it's three dimensional. It's fabric. You put that fusible material, you can see through it, and you trace it with a sharpie or something.

Joan

Yes. This is a pencil.

Teresa Roberson

When you're tracing over it, you can take that and put it on the back of the material, so when you cut it out, it's in the front.

Joan

Right, right. Then, you put it on the cloth.

Teresa Roberson

I'm getting the details, just in case I may ever want to do or I'll say, hey, cousin Joan, make this appliqué for me. You could just Google outline of whatever you want.

Joan

Right. Exactly.

Teresa Roberson

Cut that out and then use that material, that pencil to get the pattern from and cut out pieces.

Joan

This is another class I'm taking. This will be a quilt when I finish.

Teresa Roberson

Now, I like those dresses.

Joan

My friend said, "Oh, she'll make 1000 of those," because I like big pieces. This is a long arm, but it's a little one.

Teresa Roberson

It looks like a sewing machine…

Joan

With a frame on it.

Teresa

…a frame. You move the frame, correct?

Joan

Yes.

Teresa Roberson

Not the machine. Looks pretty stationary.

Joan

Yeah, I bought it to learn, but life gets in the way. I haven't had time to learn, so I'm still taking mine out. It costs so much to send it out for a long arm quilter. We're going into my sewing room.

Teresa Roberson

I thought we were in the sewing room.

Joan

No. This is my basement. A Sewing room spill out.

Teresa Roberson

Oh, now this looks legit. So, you've got your spools hanging on the wall. I see your pinwheels in one corner, and lots of beautiful, colorful fabric. I can understand how when you just walk into the room, you get inspiration.

Joan

You just like, “Oh my god, it feels good in here.”

Teresa Roberson

You have your cubby holes of fabric. First, I thought those were books.

Joan

That's fabric.

Teresa Roberson

If I had cubby holes like that, it would be full of books.

Joan

I have them with books too, like that.

Teresa Roberson

With your patterns.

Joan

It's a little messy, but that's only way I can sew is when it's messy.

Teresa Roberson

It's a productive mess. It's creativity all over the room.

Joan

I have my family down here with me.

Teresa Roberson

Yes, the family calendars.

The Strange Family Association has put together two different calendars, showing Jesse Strange’s descendants birthdays, contact information, pictures, inspirations sayings, home remedies and more.

Joan

Yes.

Teresa Roberson

I love that.

Joan

These are patterns, like, when I'm working on something, I want to have it up so I can see. This is the Christmas gifts.

Teresa Roberson

That was your rough draft.

Joan

Right.

Joan

When you see material, you're like, "Oh, I could use that one day somewhere.”

Joan

I love your use of space. You have cubbies, you have shelves, and then on the bottom of that floating shelf, you have your hooks. You have your shoe rack with no shoes in it, because you're not making shoes, you're making quilts. You called it a "mess," but it's very organized. It's a very creative use of space to create quilts.

Joan

I have my iron and iron board in here. No one touches this. Don't go in my sewing room!

Teresa Roberson

Wait. Now, tell me this. This is just the iron and ironing board for your quilting. Upstairs in your house, you have another iron board and iron.

Joan

Yes. I have an iron, a little iron out there, because, you know, I'm ironing and I'm pressing on that fusing, and that fusing sometimes has glue on it, gets on your iron. So, I don't want to mess with that.

Teresa Roberson

You spend long hours downstairs in your creative space. Do you also have a bathroom, a mini fridge?

Joan

Oh yeah, it's a bathroom down here. One of my sons lives down here.

Teresa Roberson

So, you don't really have to go up for anything.

Joan

I wanted to show you this other quilt while I'm down here. The other one I showed you upstairs, that we did in '13, and this one we did 2018. My family went on vacation. We did this one, and that's my mother. We took a picture of her.

Teresa Roberson

You had it printed out on fabric.

Joan

On fabric and added it to the quilt.

Joan

The kids that were on the first picture are now graduating from college.

Teresa Roberson

Very nice.

Joan

Then, the backing on this one is different. It says, "Family, farmhouse..."

Teresa Roberson

"...friends, welcome, love."

Joan

This is the backing for this one. That's my little room.

Teresa Roberson

Thank you so much for showing me your creative space and sharing about quilting.

Joan

It's my little happy place.

Teresa Roberson

Amen to that.