Latest about Mary Ellen Hopkins
 

I received the following email from a close friend and schedule minder of Mary Ellen's just yesterday. She was responding to my concern for news. Now we know the real, up-to-date information. How I miss her!

"Hi Jan,
Mary Ellen is alive and doing fine in CA near [her son].
She lives in a retirement community, plays bingo and wins and loves it.
She has retired from the quilt world about 2 years ago. Just too much for
such a little lady. She does knit and crochet up a storm constantly. I
am sure she would love to hear from you. She is hard of hearing but I
know she would remember you.
Hope you are still in the quilt world. I am and still having a good time.
Nice to hear from you. J--"

Jan in VA

Thank you for the update. He books were the inspiration of my "utility" quilts...use them--don't save 'em!

So many new quilters do not know about Mary Ellen. She was so real and practical in her quilt making and teaching. There is not a well know quilter today that could hold a candle to her other then Eleanor Burns.

I had a chance to attend a Mary Ellen Hopkins lecture and she was a *riot*! Had us all rolling in the aisles with laughter.

I remember watching her on tv. She was quite intertaining. How can I get her address? I would love to send her a card.

My husband's aunt gifted me with her copy of "It's OK to Sit on My Quilt." A great book that taught me so much about how blocks are constructed. So glad she shared her expertise with the quilting world.

Who are you talking about?

3incollege,
Check this out, might help ya
http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Ellen-Hopkins/e/B001JS4GE8

I have been quilting for 45 - 46 years and I never heard of her. Of course, there are lots of quilt book authors I haven't heard of. I started out with quilts in magazines and the traditional nine patch blocks. Only the last 10 or so years did I start buying quilt books.

I also attended 2 of her workshops. She was a riot and I have most of her books. At the time I was just learning to quilt and she was my inspiration and still is.

Her "It's Okay if You Sit On My Quilt Book" - is one of the BEST, in my opinion. It's one I've actually gone through more than once. It has a very practical, functional approach to quilt making.

Newbies probably don't know about Georgia Bonesteel, Sharleen Jorgenson, Billie Lauder, or Kaye Wood. All but Billie had quilt tv shows way before Alex Anderson and Fons and Porter. You tube has many of the shows and Billie's tricks to shortcut quilting.

I'd love to send her a card. Wouldn't it be cool if we all send cards to her? We could flood her with cards to brighten her day. Where should we send it?

I would love to send her a card. Even if we can't get her personal address, perhaps someone would collect the cards and get them to her.

Mary Ellen Hopkins is my favorite quilter. She taught me to enjoy what I am doing and also have some simple projects to do as mindless sewing. I have her books hole punched (local print shop) and together in a large three ring binder.

Our small quilting group just put together three scrappy lap quilts of my 3.5 inch blocks (9 patch, 4 patch, and half square triangles) for donation to our local VA hospital. The fourth quilt went to my DH, retired Navy vet, who appreciates our quilting for charity.

I love Mary Ellen, I made a beautiful HUGE stack and whack per her instructions from an appearance on Alex Anderson's show Simply Quilts. She was always so fiesty and full of spunk, she made quilting fun! I think she would so love to get a nice collection of cards from fans. I'd love to be able to Thank her for such quilting inspiration.

Wasnt she the first one to make connecting corners a popular method of adding triangles to square corners?

Mary Ellen was the one who introduced the idea of "one's personal seam allowance" as well as refer to the rotary cutter as the "quilters pizza cutter". We had an almost tradition that when we saw each other coming down an aisle at a quilt show we would throw our arms wide and run toward each other and embrase, like they did in the 40's movies. She got me into machine quilting by inviting me to her shop to work privately with her machine quilting teacher. I still have the piece. She owned a shop in Santa Monica Ca called "Crazy Ladies and Friends".
If you can get a copy of her "Its Ok To Sit on My Quilt" I recommend it. So much information in the book.

Mary Ellen was such a good teacher and made it all so much fun. I loved her and have wondered about her. Happy to hear she is still enjoying life!!.

I had to read to know who she is too. But, when I read the Title "Its Okay To Sit On My Quilts" I recognized that! So glad she is doing well!! Its hard to give up something you love. But, sometimes age does that to us.

I often wondered what happenned to her. I loved watching her on TV, she was a riot! Glad to get the update.

I learned to quilt the Mary Ellen way the ppm measurement which was personal private measurement and consistently always worked I have most of her books and she called the rotary cutter the whizzy whacker now they talk about the scant quarter inch what in the world is that I use my quarter inch foot and it still works

Mary Ellen Hopkins
 

Jan,

Was just thinking about her yesterday as I was going through one of her many books. Just loved her on television for her personality and quilting expertise. So glad she is alive and well. Quite a wonderful lady.
Thank you so much for the good news!

Joan from Shenandoah Valley in Virginia

Just ordered her book, "Its Ok To Sit on My Quilt"!

I met Mary Ellen when she came to Australia in 2004. As others have said she was a riot. Only tiny but certainly fiesty. We all stayed extra time as she had us enthralled with her stories. If some one is going to collect card for her I'd like to include one.

I must say that I have never heard of her, and I have been quilting for years, but the book sounds great. I just ordered one online for $3. Looks like money well spent.

Back in the good ole days I saw her on Alex Anderson, Simple Quilts, with her flying Geese pattern. I did record all of the programs that I could back then. So very entertaining. We'll all have to quit quilting one of these days. Enjoy while we can.

Wow I have several of her books and duplicates of at least 1 ... maybe I should consider selling! LOL

Mary Ellen is the reason I fell in love with quilting ... actually it was through one of her certified instructors that I first learned her method of quilting. A couple of years later she came to our guild and gave a presentation that was absolutely wonderful but even better she came to our little 'quilt sitters circle' group for a trunk show and lecture. I will never forget her 4'10"? frame standing on a chair holding up quilts so we could see. Her glasses were as big as she was.

I am sorry to hear she is no longer teaching but glad she is living the dream of retirement. I'd love to be a fly on the wall when she plays bingo!

Quilters ... for those of you not familiar with Mary Ellen's books, she doesn't give you yardages. The It's OK book is filled with hundreds of blocks and lots of great instruction just don't think you're getting a book that does all the thinking for you.

I own all of her books and she autographed them for me, too!

She is a HOOT! She ordered about twenty of my button bracelets at the Quilt Show in Pigeon Forge, Tn many years ago and was going to take them with her when she went to, I think, Australia. She was very nice and funny!
I saw that where katesnana has posted (about four up from this post) about Mary Ellen being in Australia, she might have seen my bracelets!!!
Another person who is SUPER is a lady named Tommie Lane who makes the silver thimbles and the BEAUTIFUL silver jewelry! If you ever see her work, take a good look at how BEAUTIFUL it is.
They are both very talented, nice, super ladies!!!
Tippy

I also used to see her on Alex Anderson's Simply Quilts and she was so funny and sweet. I appreciate the update on her. I have a few of her books. Thanks so much again.:)

The couple from whom I purchased my Bernina many years ago gave classes on quilting using "It's OK to Sit on My Quilt." That is what got me started in quilting. God Bless, Mary Ellen.

Jan, if you write to her, be sure to tell her that some of us "oldies" remember her fondly and miss her and her wonderful methods.

BellaBoo
I agree withyou whole heartedly they are both great. I go into
Eleanor Burns website daily. Thanks for the info

I love her! I'm happy to hear she is doing well and would like to send a card, too.

Okay, I'll follow up with my MEH contact and see if it would be appropriate to send her a box of cards from some of her admirers. I did not get an address just a phone number in our original communications, so I hope to receive that as well. I'll let you know when/if.

Jan in VA

She gave a lecture at our quilt guild a couple of years ago and I bought a bunch of stuff from her and had her sign all of it. She was wonderful. Didn't know she had retired. Wonderful speaker. I love my guild we get wonderful speakers.

It's ok to sit on my quilt, was the first quilt book I bought. She was the first one I ever heard say if you have a loud print fabric keep cutting it up until it works. LOL

For the budget-minded, It's O.K. and other of her books are available used at abebooks. and amazon.

I went to 2 of her lectures quite a few yrs ago and never laughed so hard in my life. My gosh, she really is a riot. I wonder if she still roller skates? She used to chain stitch a bunch of HSTs...maybe 15 or 20....and pin them to the back of her shirt and take off on those roller skates. The HSTs looked like a kite tail in flight. She is such a hoot.

TY, I love her work. I taped two of her visits to Alex Anderson's, Simply Quilts, and enjoy them time and again.

I am so glad to hear about Mary Ellen Hopkins, I had wondered many times what had happened to her. Saw her many times on tv. She was the best teacher ever. Her humor and teaching abilitities were outstanding.