Georgia Quilt Museum

Lois Jordan

By Cathy Skrypek

    Lois Jordan has been a member of the Georgia Quilt Council since 1991 when she started quilting. Since then she has exhibited some of her quilts at local quilt shows, a community center in Dawsonville, the Mule Camp in Gainesville and at Franklin, North Carolina where she won “Best of Show”.
    Although native of Detroit, Michigan, Lois was actually born in Corning, Ohio. While pregnant with Lois, her mother’s brother passed away in Corning and she wanted to attend the funeral. Even though her doctor advised her not to travel, her “flapper” mother got into the Model T and traveled down bouncy roads. The rest is history…Lois was born in Corning and returned to Detroit three months later.
    Lois has been around quilting all her life. Both Mother and Aunt Elsie quilted. Mother traced shapes and cut them out by hand and then Aunt Elsie returned to Florida to sew the pieces together.
    Lois met Husband Bob in 1943 when he was in the Army Air Corps and she was attending Cadet Nurse Corps training. She agreed to marry Bob after the war was over and he retuned from the European Theater. Lois never received her commission as they married six month before she was to graduate.
    They moved to the Chicago area while Bob attended college. At 21, Lois went to work at Container Corporation in downtown Chicago in the payroll department. While there, Lois became friends with three other women and they are still friends today. They have attended each other’s 50th anniversary parties. They also have a reunion every few years.
Lois quit work to raise their four children: two girls and two boys. As a very busy mom, Lois sewed clothes for both girls. During one year, they had one child each in college, high school, middle and elementary school.
    This energetic couple has lived in Stone Mountain for 31 years and Cumming for 10. Bob was RCA Branch Manager in Atlanta, head of Rich’s workrooms for home furnishings, appliances, TV repair and draperies. Then he went on to start his own business as an Appliance Manufacturer’s Rep and retired last year.
    In her spare time, when not quilting, Lois was recent Secretary of the Piecemakers and member of the Gwinnett Quilt Guild and currently volunteers at Baptist Medical Center, Cumming. She is lovingly called “Trouble” at the hospital where she serves on the Information Desk. Last year, along with Jane Grayson, Lois was involved in the design and construction of a beautiful quilt for the Center’s now retired Coordinator of Volunteers. A picture with the caption “Master Quilters Jane and Lois” was displayed on the volunteers’ wall at the Center.
    When Lois was learning to quilt and wanted help, no one refused her. Lois has maintained that attitude toward new quilters. She is currently assisting one of her neighbor/friends to make chenille quilts for each of her boys. Lois is so good, in fact, that willingly shares her Bernina. Now that’s a friend!
 

Lois received a Crazy Quilt from Alice Perrot, a friend in Detroit. Presidential race ribbons dated 1892 appear on the top and maker Alice’s name appears on the muslin back. The quilt is in beautiful condition and Lois has lovingly donated it to our future quilt museum. Lois is officially our first quilt donor.

February 2002
 

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