ABOUT ME

A woman with curly blonde hair sitting outdoors against a brick wall with a window, wearing a gray sweater and blue jeans, resting her chin on her hand and smiling softly.

IT’S IN MY DNA!

I’ve always been drawn to art that feels personal and joyful. Before discovering portrait quilting, I spent years running a business creating custom bobble head dolls. They were tiny sculptures designed to capture someone’s personality in a playful, handcrafted way.

That experience taught me how meaningful personalized art can be. Today, I bring that same attention to detail, storytelling, and individuality into every quilt I make.

The name Arlington Pressing Parlor as a tribute to the sewing legacy woven through both sides of my family.

My father’s mother, Daisy was an extraordinary sewist. One of her quilts is even preserved in a museum! Her craftsmanship shaped my earliest understanding of what handmade art can be.

A quilt featuring two sunbonnet lady designs, one in blue and one in red, each holding a parasol.

Parasol Lady/Sunbonnet Sue Quilt Made by Daisy Harrell – North Holston, Virginia This block features the classic Sunbonnet Sue design, created using appliqué. Popular in the early 20th century, this figure was often used in quilts made for children or as gifts, adding a playful and decorative element to traditional quilting.

On my maternal side, I recently discovered the identity of my biological grandfather, a tailor who ran a shop in the early 1900s called Arlington Pressing Parlor. He passed away in 1945 and never knew my mother, yet finding his advertisements in old newspapers felt like uncovering a missing thread in my own story. Naming my studio after his shop honors that connection and celebrates the idea that sewing is truly in my blood. A craft carried forward through generations and now expressed in the portrait quilts I create today!

A vintage black-and-white newspaper advertisement for Arlington Pressing Parlor from August 18th, 1920, promoting a special sale including an extra pair of pants with suits or overcoats, with an illustration of a man in a suit holding a hat and a bag.

Historical newspaper advertisement for the Arlington Pressing Parlor offering laundry and dyeing services for suits, dresses, and other clothing, and tailoring services. The ad features a drawing of a man in a suit holding a hat, and includes prices and contact information.

Old newspaper advertisement for Arlington Pressing Parlor, offering cleaning, pressing, dyeing, and repairing services for clothing, with a drawing of a man in a suit. Price for suit pressing is 50 cents.

Vintage advertisement for Qualim Clothes promoting tailored clothing for women, with an illustration of a woman in a suit and hat, and contact details for Earl C. Campbell at 119 W. Main St.

A fabric art piece of a dog's face, with a dandelion on its forehead, set against a wooden background and green foliage.

“That dog looks like Gracie. Hey! That is Gracie!!”

Terry Hess

Let's create together

EMAIL ME!

ABOUT ME

I’ve always been drawn to art that feels personal and joyful. Before discovering portrait quilting, I spent years running a business creating custom bobble head dolls. They were tiny sculptures designed to capture someone’s personality in a playful, handcrafted way.

That experience taught me how meaningful personalized art can be. Today, I bring that same attention to detail, storytelling, and individuality into every quilt I make.

The name Arlington Pressing Parlor as a tribute to the sewing legacy woven through both sides of my family.

My father’s mother, Daisy was an extraordinary sewist. One of her quilts is even preserved in a museum! Her craftsmanship shaped my earliest understanding of what handmade art can be.

“That dog looks like Gracie. Hey! That is Gracie!!”

Let's create together

Let's create together Let's create together

Let's create together