Grace Stone and daughter Susie Onishi display Grace’s latest quilt, a “Sunbonnet Sue”.

About ten years ago, Grace Stone went to the Shrine Circus. She was fascinated by the clowns and thought a quilt depicting the various clowns would be a great way to honor them.  A coloring book of the Shrine Circus clowns provided the template for the quilt blocks – the faces of twelve of the Shriner clowns. While working on the quilt, Grace discovered that one of her neighbors is a Shrine Clown.
Marcus “Grumpy” Smith has been giving his time and talent to cheer up hospitalized children for almost 50 years, and Grace thought that was well worth a tribute of his own. So she designed and created a fabric portrait   featuring Grumpy’s clown face  rendered in embroidery.  This was presented to Marcus at a recent Senior Citizen Luncheon.
Grace has been designing and creating hand made fabric items all her life. When she was young, sewing for the family was a necessity. Grace’s mother taught her how, and Grace became the principal seamstress in the family. “I would much rather sew than work in the kitchen,” she said.
Through the years, Grace has made at least 50 quilts which have been given to friends and relatives across the country. Her quilts are unique, being entirely hand sewn, and often featuring three dimensional designs, with buttons and ruffles added. She is also proficient in embroidery, crocheting, and knitting, and often donates her handiwork to non-profit projects.
Born in Upstate New York, Grace lived in Florida and Houston before moving to Port O’Connor in 2000. She was craft and fabric department manager for Montgomery Ward for over 20 years, and then managed a small craft and fabric store in Houston. Being retired hasn’t slowed Grace down. She often accompanies her daughter Susie to community functions, and when she’s at home, you’ll find her busy with needle and thread, creating another beautiful hand made item. “I love it,” says Grace. “It keeps me going.”