Stitching together a story with threads of memories and colorful imagery has evolved since older generations created quilts.

Gone are the days of hand stitching squares of fabric together. Instead, they’ve been replaced with more contemporary designs. “Now, quilts are nothing like our grandmothers’ quilts,” says Beverly Williamson, principal secretary at Hoover High School.

Williamson first became interested in quilting after watching an episode of “Simply Quilts” nearly nine years ago. The quilt featured on the show was nothing like she had seen before. “I saw the most gorgeous design on the quilt and how to make it,” she recalls. “I thought, ‘I can do that.’”

She gathered clothes scraps her mother had saved and sewed those together for her first project. “Anyone can learn how to quilt,” Williamson says. “If you can use a sewing machine and sew a straight line, that’s all you have to know. It’s a lot easier than people think.”

Since crafting her first quilt, Williamson has created about 75 more. She now attends monthly meetings with the Evening Star Quilt Guild (esquilters.com) at the North Shelby Library with other quilters.

To read more about local quilting guilds, check out the March 2014 issue of Hoover’s Magazine. Find your copy here.