Issue link: https://robertkaufmanfabrics.uberflip.com/i/1302622
Imagine it's Christmas 1996, and you receive something you did not ask for, nor do you want. A sewing machine. Dear Santa, I think there's been a mistake. So keeping this in mind, is it any wonder I never laid a hand on that machine until three years later when the lovely ladies from my local church encouraged me to sew and piece a quilt? Little did they know they would need to share not only their sewing and piecing talents but, more importantly, how to actually "use" this gift. I spent the next few years getting comfortable and making friends with my sewing machine while earning a BA degree in Business Management with a minor in Psychology. After 17 years in the workforce, this left little room for my creative interests, so in 2009, as a hobby, I began designing and selling quilt jewelry. Whether consciously or not, an idea was starting to take shape. Two years later, with avid support and encouragement from my husband, Greg, I realized it was time to strike out on my own to create an online business called Me & My Stitches. That career decision has been a game-changer for me because designing quilt jewelry, patterns, ruler boxes, and all the other specialty items we offer is truly what I love to do. In 2019, after eight years of continued success with Me & My Stitches, I was presented with the incredible opportunity to design a Civil War-era reproduction fabric line for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. Before I had the chance to share this news with my family, my dad unexpectedly passed away. Having been born and raised in southeast Iowa on the Latty homestead, as was my dad, it was an easy choice to honor him, my mom, and the family farm, with my first line of fabrics and coordinating patterns. I designed the Homestead Harvest collection to honor my family's farm, my mom, Patricia Bischoff Latty, and the memory of my dad, John Coe Latty (1938-2020). The farm was established by my great-great-grandparents, Matthew & Sarah Latty. The area later became known as "Latty", and eventually there was a church, one-room schoolhouse, and a train station, all bearing the Latty name. The farm was eventually passed to my dad, who lived there his entire life. The LaTTy Farm