Self-taught quilter’s colorful creations now exhibited at Ozark County Historium

Quilts are once again covering the walls at the Historium in Gainesville as the colorful creations of Ozark County native Leda Howard Blair are now on display. The collection is only a small sampling of a large number of quilts Leda has made since she began her retirement hobby in 2000. Her special love of bright, vivid colors is clearly evident in the examples on display, which is open to the public for the next six weeks.

“I always sewed and made most of my children’s clothes when they were growing up, and I even made Melvin a suit once,” said Leda, who now lives near Elk Creek in Texas County. “I had a really good home economics teacher in high school, a Mrs. Crawford. But that sort of sewing was a necessity. My husband, Melvin, and I both went to work for McDonnell Douglas Aircraft [now Boeing] in St. Louis, when we moved there after getting married in 1958. He retired in 1996, and I followed a short time later. After we moved out here from St. Louis, since I was used to being busy, I needed something to do. My mother had bought a quilting machine, and I guess that sparked my interest.”

Leda’s folks were the late Clarence and Esta Howard of Dora. She grew up there and graduated from Bakersfield High School in 1956. Melvin grew up at Dawt, so both have deep roots in Ozark County and many relatives still living in the area.

Since the self-taught crafter began quilting, she says she can’t even guess the number of quilts she has made but knows the number is in the several hundreds. Leda says for a while she would make a quilt top each week! She sews her quilt tops on her domestic sewing machine, and her cousin Donna Lemons and husband Terry of Dora quilt almost all of them on their commercial quilting machine. 

Leda sells many of her quilts; her works were in demand at a quilt shop in Van Buren for a while, and for years, she and Melvin went to prominent craft shows where she picked up a loyal following of collectors, many from large cities. In addition, Leda has given countless numbers of her works away for charity donations and fundraisers. All of her four children, eight grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren have many quilts made by Leda. 

One of Leda’s favorite quilts on display at the Historium is a large, colorful butterfly in a pattern of her own creation. Leda says she likes to “do her own thing” when it comes to planning a quilt. She finds a pattern she likes and then tweaks it to make it unique. Complicated settings are a challenge she relishes; she says if she can’t sleep at night, she gets up and figures something out.

Challenges aren’t new to Leda Blair; she has faced some very serious health issues in the last years. Right now, the biggest one is her vision. She has had two cornea transplants and is now having to figure out how to quilt with very limited eyesight. Still, it hasn’t stopped this determined and talented quilter. Her husband, Melvin, a skilled woodworker, helps and supports his wife’s hobby. He finds ways to make it possible for her to still do what she loves.

A few years ago, Leda started keeping scrapbooks with photos of her quilts. On one page a slogan sums up Leda Blair’s feeling about her hobby-- “the journey is the reward.” The process of turning colorful, cheerful fabric into artistic creations has been a journey that has brought deep satisfaction to her. And her vision challenges haven’t stopped her yet. In her home, two sewing rooms display stacks of beautiful, colorful fabric, and pinned to design boards are stunning quilt blocks ready to be added to yet another masterpiece. 

“It’s the ‘doing of it’ that I like,” declares Leda.

Everyone is invited to view Leda Blair’s quilts at the Historium while they are on display. The facility is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, and there is no charge for admission. For more information, call 679-2400 during business hours or email ozarkco1@ozarkcountyhistory.org.