Hello! I’m Shaina Naillieux. Wife to my high school sweetheart, Carl. Mom to four wonderful daughters. I was born and raised in the hills of eastern Kentucky. I was blessed to grow up beside my grandparents, including my grandmothers and mothers quilt shop.
I can’t remember exactly when I started quilting, but I know that I made my first large quilt, a log cabin, for my boyfriend for Christmas when I was 15. I worked in the quilt shop, Quilts Plus, quilting other peoples quilt tops for my mother to make a little money from 16 or so on. I never really enjoyed quilting the pantographs we had available on our ancient Juki short arm.
Over the years, after graduating Kentucky Christian University and beginning to have my girls, I tried various different ways to bring in a little extra money to make ends meet. I sold some bags, I made Waldorf dolls, I dabbled in some other areas… but nothing really stuck.
In 2014, lamenting my low Christmas budget, my sweet Momma suggested that I ask on Facebook if anyone would like a T-Shirt quilt made. I did, and had 2 orders immediately. That spring I opened an Etsy shop and named my business Sew Knot Fancy (at the time I was hoping to add in some hand crocheted items, or even woodworking of my husbands). And the rest is history! I have sold over 200 orders on Etsy, many more locally and on Facebook. I’ve shipped quilts to over 30 states.
In 2019 I had the honor of being accepted into the Kentucky Crafted program with the Kentucky Arts Council. I hope to set up at the 2020 Kentucky Craft Market in Lexington, KY.
My Artist Statement:
My life has always revolved around music and creativity. I feel a strong pull towards the history and heritage of eastern Kentucky and Appalachia, and I strive to help preserve that heritage. Right after I was born, my grandmother and mother started a quilt shop in my grandmothers garage. I grew up to the whir of the machines, doing my school work as my grandmother quilted and my mother did the binding on a quilt. If I wasn’t in the quilt shop with my Mamaw and Mom, I was in my grandparents living room sitting beside my Papaw as he sang and played guitar. Just like those Appalachian folk songs, the heritage of quilting sings to my soul. This is one of the main reasons I am inspired daily to pass this craft on to my daughters, and to preserve it for future generations.
My art is centered around bringing traditional quilt patterns (Lone Stars, Log Cabins, Irish Chains, etc) into the modern era. I try to pick fabrics in colors and patterns that have a modern vibe, but instead of always pairing them in the more modern geometric patterns, I try to pair them with traditional patterns that aren’t always in the spotlight anymore.
I often start with a quilt pattern in mind, then gravitate towards choosing my fabric.I pride myself on having an eye for color, and I love pulling together abstract patterns that end up going together so well in a quilt. I love mixing florals and geometrics with abstracts. I love throwing a print in the mix that you’re just not sure will work until you start piecing the blocks together.
I hand cut every piece on my dining room table, then piece it in my living room. I usually work late at night, and I love the quiet that that time of night brings. All of my quilts are quilted on a mid-arm quilting machine, all hand guided by me. I do a combination of hand-guided pantographs and free-hand quilting. I love the creativity of picking the perfect pattern to match the quilt top I just created. Picking the thread colors, seeing how the quilt pattern offsets the piecing is another of my favorite parts. After the quilt is quilted, I either hand bind it or apply the binding on a sewing machine.
Quilts don't just bring physical warmth (although they're great at that!), they also bring a great artistic warmth to the space, and a wonderful sentimentality as well. I am a third generation quilter, raising four future fourth generation quilters, just hoping to ensure our Appalachian heritage continues to grow.
