Joseph will share his story with us, talk a bit about his blocks, the technique he uses to capture the pictures he uses on the quilts, and his amazing quilts; he will also be giving us a truck show.

Joseph, aka @the_gay_church_lady , began quilting during the pandemic. After George Floyd was murdered he decided to create social justice themed quilts which eventually led to the format I first encountered on Instagram, his strong women quilt tops #strongwomenquilt.

His quilts are scrappy and consist of a picture in the middle of the a block - actors, singers, police officers, judges, fictional characters, professionals (mathematicians), movies, astronauts, royalty, Barbie, and so much more.  I’ve seen blocks made in log cabin, courthouse steps, sawtooth, kings crown and other block types that bring a focus to the center of the block.   

If you follow the_gay_church_lady instagram account you’ll see each entry is accompanied by a biography of the person pictured in the quilt.  For some charity quilts he has compiled a companion hardcover book with those biographies included.