Mary Ellen Hopkins - RIP
 

i mourn her loss. i learned to quilt from her first book. several of those quilts are still being treasured. always so hard when we lose a beloved, admired & respected member of the quilting community, like mary ellen hopkins.

thank you so mich for letting us know of her passing.

She was so funny, as well as talented. I remember watching her on Simply Quilts.

I remember watching her on TV. She was very entertaining. I was just thinking about her today when someone else mentioned Eleanor Burns. Mary Ellen Hopkins was the first one I watched on TV. Was it Peakey and Spike that she used to talk about?

Prayers from the Gulf. I vaguely remember her and her show! my condolences to loss all who knew and loved her in the quilting world.

I also remember Mary Ellen Hopkins from her appearances on Alex Anderson's Simply Quilts. I was a newbie quilter and didn't fully understand what she was explaining about the Kansas Dugout blocks but it sounded interesting and something I wanted to try. I always think of her when I make half square triangles because I use the method I learned by watching her on the show. May in Jersey

Doreen Speckman did Peaky and Spike. We also lost her several years ago.

I love her book "It's OK to Sit on my Quilt." Her down-to-earth sense of humor signs through in it, and I learned so much about deciphering quilt blocks from that book. She made a real contribution to the quilting world.

Do you remember the movies from the 1940 when the lovers discovered each on the beach or railway station and ran toward each other with arms outstretched ? That is what I remember about Mary Ellen. When we saw each other at a quilt show we each stopped in our tracks and ran and hugged. She got me started in machine quniting by inviting me to her shop and work with her machine quilting teacher. He made me realize that machine quilting was ok

Mary Ellen Hopkins
 

I read on Bonnie Hunters blog where Mary Ellen Hopkins passed away. She was a lady that changed the thinking of how to look at how you quilted.. One of her books It's Alright if you Sit on My Quilt was a wonderful... No Quilt police for her.. I had the pleasure of attending a lecture of hers in Paducah several years ago. She was a hoot and will be missed my all in the quilting world...

So sad, and such a loss!!!

I had wanted her book It's OK to Sit on My Quilt when it first came out but couldn't justify the cost at the time as money was more than tight. When I finally got to getting a copy it wasn't in prit and only a net search helped me. Luckily the book has since been re-released.

The "It's OK...." book is my go-to resource for any block swap or pieced border design. I LOVE THAT BOOK and appreciate the creative author. MEH has helped me through some tough design challenges. I'm sure she's having a laugh in her new surroundings.

I tried to post this yesterday, don't know what happened to my post.. Bonnie Hunter had it on her blog a couple of days ago.. Mary Ellen was a legend in her time.. I sat in on a lecture with her she was a hoot.. A whole different outlook on quilting.. She will be missed by all

I loved her. Used to watch her on Simply Quilts. I own 2 of her books. She had so much energy. She will be missed.

Love her book, It's Okay to Sit on My Quilt".

I think one of her trademarks was her "PPM"--private personal measurements"--for quarter inch seams.

May she RIP and be quilting in heaven....She will be missed...

If anyone loved life and had more fun than Mary Ellen Hopkins, I don't know who it might be! She was an absolute hoot! We'll miss her.

I too mourn her loss - she was an integral part of the quilting world and will be missed. I have two of her books and was fortunate enough to see her in person giving a talk and showing some of her beautiful quilts. She was very funny but she also showed us how to make beautiful quilts from simple patterns just by picking gorgeous fabrics. She was a treasure.

I have "It's Ok to sit on my Quilts" on my table at the moment..I love the way she made life fun!! and her instruction released some of us to not worry, just do what we wanted to do. I'm thankful for her inspiration and wisdom she added to my life! and that it still goes on..
I am getting on toward that age and hope some little thing I might say or do will have a positive, encouraging impact such as hers has for me!!

Condolences.

I agree, since she was on Simply Quilts we all felt we knew her personally!!!! Go with God!!!

Didn't Jan just post the other day that she had had an update on her? What a sad coincidence.

This is such sad news. I met Mary Ellen when she came to Australia in 2004. She was one of the funniest most interesting people I have ever met. She was a tiny woman but with a huge personality and boundless energy.
R.I.P Mary Ellen

Have her book and learned so much - God Bless her and welcome her Home

She was so easy to admire. R.I.P. Love, Mimi

her book it okay to sit on my quilt was the very first quilt book i got..loved it.she will be missed by many.

A big loss -- thank goodness we have her books. I got "It's Okay to Sit on My Quilt" after I saw her on Simply Quilts and I could hear her voice talking about what she wrote. Her PPM and her advice on how to safely wobble when making flying geese pop into my mind everytime I am sewing. I remember watching her on Simply Quilts doing a log cabin and talking about the size of the strips. Yes, she will be missed but she will still be alive in our memories.

Hi, This treasured lady taught the world to enjoy patchwork and quilting by removing all the painful rules and replacing them with fun, fun, fun allowing more free expression and talent to come forward. She more than left her mark.

I remember Mary Ellen Hopkins as one of my inspirations as a young quilter. She "spoke" to me and it all made sense. I will treasure what I learned from her. RIP