Jason Futch
reporter2.riverbendnews@gmail.com
Queenie Udell's history in White Springs has contributed not only to the Black community but also to the quilting community. Her contributions to quilting were even honored through a local proclamation in February of 2015, which allowed her famous yo-yo quilts to be displayed on the side of Adams Country Store (now Suwannee Hardware and Feed, which have since been removed). She was also inducted into the Stephen Foster Folk Cultural Center State Park Hall of Fame for her contributions.
Udell was born on Sept. 29, 1919, in Jefferson County, Fla. Around the late 1940s, Udell moved to the Black Bay area of White Springs, where she met her husband, Melvin. She brought with her the talent of sewing quilts, which started when she was in her youth. Her mother and grandmother both taught her how to sew yo-yo patterns on quilts, which became a trademark for her work. The material ranged from flour sacks to old clothing.
Udell would stitch her yo-yo patterns with embroidery thread, then flatten and sew together by hand. She would credit people in the community with contributing to her quilts. "People give me scraps, and I just sews'um," Udell would say in an interview with the State Park.
Although she used no quilting frame, Udell also made patchwork quilts. Some examples included a string quilt she stitched in 1977, which used long, narrow strips as the patchwork motif. She quilted the entire project on her lap, using any extra material she had for a backing.
Over the years, Udell lost track of how many quilts she made. Locals across Hamilton County and elsewhere would purchase her quilts and keep them at home or send them to relatives as gifts.
"I just quilts'um as I go," Udell said in a 1977 interview with Stephen Foster State Park.
To quilt so many pieces also takes patience. Florida Memory Project once noted her husband, Melvin, as remarking, "Queenie Udell has patience just like Job." In some instances, she would work late into the evening gathering small circles of brightly patterned fabrics. Once she would have a collection of yo-yos, she would begin tacking them into small blocks, which were later put together to form the quilt size she desired.
One of her quilts, a piece she stitched together in the early 1970s, is still on display at the Stephen Foster State Park. She also went on to teach quilting classes there, which added to the emphasis on quilting's rich history in Hamilton County.
Udell continued to quilt until health issues hindered her ability to continue her craft. In February of 2015, White Springs was declared part of the Florida Quilt Trail, to which a painting of Udell's yo-yo pattern quilt was put on display at the Adams Country Store, along with a pattern, known as the double wedding ring quilt, by resident Nancy Morgan.
Unfortunately, a couple of weeks before the quilt was set to be dedicated, on Feb. 11, 2015, Udell passed away at a retirement home.
However, before she passed away, Udell was able to learn about the tribute to her work after Merri McKenzie, wife of then-Vice Mayor Walter McKenzie, presented the quilt to her and shared about how it would be displayed on the side of the country store. According to an interview with The Jasper News, Walter shared that he believed she was pleased by the news.
After the dedication, the Adams Country Store became Suwannee Hardware and Feed, which continued to display Udell's yo-yo pattern quilt on the side of the building. The quilt has since been replaced by a mural that honors the legacy of "Old Florida." However, plans are underway to refurbish the quilts and have them on display elsewhere in the town.
Udell’s memory will continue to live on through her work, which has inspired countless Black residents.
