Get to Know Beth Cooper – The Face Behind Nancy’s Notions!

Hey there!  I’m Beth Cooper.  Nice to meet you.  Since we have so many new faces visiting our Nancy’s Notion website, I thought I would re-introduce myself. I’m the one writing the articles that are posted each week, so I thought you may want to know a bit about me.

Not only do I write for Nancy’s Notions, but I also help plan events for Missouri Star Quilt Co. (like our big Missouri Star Academy in June!) and also organize the buses that come to Missouri Star Quilt Co. in Hamilton, Missouri. If you’re interested in planning a group trip to Hamilton, I’m the gal that can help you! (Click here to learn more about that!)

First of all, I love to sew and quilt. That’s probably obvious! But I’m also a mom to three great kids. My oldest is married and out of the house. (I miss her!!) My middle child (and mini-me) is in high school and my youngest is in junior high. I’ve been married for 26 years to a great guy who supports my fabric addiction and sewing projects. I have the best parents ever and am blessed to have them live nearby.

We live in a small town in southern Illinois and love it! There are four stoplights in our entire county. Right now it is summer here; the honeysuckle is bloomed and everything smells so sweet. The leaves on the trees are a gorgeous shade of green and the local public pool is a happening place.

Our family loves pets. We have four cats and eight chickens. Our oldest cat is Eloise and she is 17 years old. She doesn’t see as well as she used to but she is still queen of this household.

I am obsessed with Christmas fabric! How cute are these precuts? You can find them here!

I Love Sewing, History, Christmas, and More!

I love history, especially local history, and co-host a tv show that airs daily. It’s all about local history and things from the past. Our county has a rich history, full of interesting people and events, most of which have been forgotten over time by most people.

I also love the history of sewing, quilts, and quilt-makers. During the Pandemic, I began sewing the famous Jane Stickle quilt (some call it Dear Jane) and I fell in love with not only the quilt, but Jane herself. I set out to learn everything I could about this Civil-War-era woman and her quilt. At the time, I was President of our local quilt guild and was trying to brainstorm guild programs for our monthly meetings that would be fun to do over Zoom. I decided to dress as Jane and present her story to the guild. It was a hit! I was soon asked by other guilds to do the same thing for them. Since this time, I have traveled to many guilds and historical societies to present Jane and her story, along with my Jane quilt. I even performed as Jane in her hometown of Shaftsbury, Vermont at the local historical society. If you ever get a chance to travel to Vermont, stop by the Bennington Museum to see Jane’s quilt. It hangs there 6 weeks out of the year and is absolutely gorgeous.

I am active in our local community theater, as well. I co-direct two performances a year at our local theater and I participate in our annual cemetery tour where I portray past citizens with interesting stories. I love making history come alive!

My absolute favorite time of year is Christmas! I love the music, the movies, the decorations, the reason for the season, the Christmas spirit in the air, the cold, the quilts, everything!! I listen to Christmas music in my car in the summer. I truly think about Christmas all year long. In fact, I’m already counting down until next Christmas!

I am a proud cancer survivor. I had breast cancer in 2013 and am getting ready to celebrate TWELVE years cancer-free. I might have a party. Actually, I should definitely have a party. There will be a party.

I love to sew all kinds of things, but I am a quilter at heart. Read about my favorite quilt I’ve made here. Quilting is my quiet time and I find it so relaxing and fulfilling. If I only had more time in the day, I could maybe get all the quilts done that are on my to-do list! Wouldn’t it wonderful if we didn’t have to sleep?? I would have an extra eight hours to sew!

Continuing Nancy’s Legacy

I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little bit better. I have certainly enjoyed all of the emails I have received from so many of you who have reached out over the past few years and are so happy that Nancy’s Notions is back. It is a true joy to be continuing Nancy’s legacy of educating others about sewing and quilting. You can always drop me a line at beth@nancysnotions.com. I would be happy to hear from you!

‘Til next time,

Beth

P.S. I’ll be at two upcoming Missouri Star events if you want to meet me! I’ll be at MSA from June 10-11 and I’ll be at the Birthday Bash in September! Click here for more information. I would love to see you there!