This week’s Spotlight is on Lillie Fowler Singleton. Originally from the small town of Oakville, Georgia, she attended Worth County High School, and college at Fort Valley State College where she majored in Home Economics. She moved to Walterboro when her sister took a job with the Clemson Extension. Walterboro has been her home for over 50 years. She worked in the school district for 30 years and later owned a fabric shop on Washington Street for a few years.
She married William Singleton from Rock Hill who had come to Walterboro after his uncle took a job in Beaufort.
Lillie has been quilting for 45 years and has had her quilts featured in various exhibits, including the John Lewis exhibit. She says, “I was quilting when my mom was at home. Before I left home, I was quilting then, and we used to quilt together.”
When asked what she likes quilting Lillie states, “It’s cheaper than therapy, it’s relaxing, and it allows me to be creative and I love putting my quilts and quilt shows. I like for my quilts to tell a story. At first, I started off with Patchwork, quilting. I then met the ladies in North Charleston and their quilts would tell African American stories. I started making quilts that that told stories, I did some quilts with Harriet Tubman. This year, I’m going to enter the quilt show in Atlanta, and the theme is called banned books. I’m working on a quilt that tells a story about books that have been banned in public school system and in public libraries. I’m doing that now. I like to learn different methods of quilting. I go on, what I call, YouTube University, and I see different methods of quilting. I will try them. Different countries do different techniques. I just love quilting. I have put my quilts and shows in St George, North Charleston, and Atlanta, Georgia.” The John Lewis quilt exhibit also displays her quilts as it travels throughout the United States. She adds, “I have four of my quilts that are in that exhibit. O. V. Brantley, who’s over the John Lewis exhibit, she wrote a book, and all four of my quilts are listed or pictures of them in her book.”
Singleton is involved in the Low Country African American Cultural Arts Festival. She explains, “I founded Low Country African American Cultural Arts Festival, because I like to go to art shows and plays. I go to all of them. They need more of that here in Walterboro as a way of expression African American art. We have a different way as our art is a little bit different. I love Jonathan Green’s work. Oh, I just love his work. We have a lot of talented African Americans, and I’m trying to get their work out there so that other people can see it; creativeness need to be nurtured. They need to bring it out. I thought it was very positive Festival this year, and it’s so nice to see the attendance growing inside the Colleton Center while we were doing the program. I can see where more and more people are attending.”
Singleton is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. Lillie emphasizes the importance of volunteering and has written a genealogy book. She enjoys traveling and advocates for community service among youth. “I go to New Life United Methodist Church. I’m the substitute piano musician, but I used to go to Saint Peter’s AME Church, and I played for about 30 years at Saint Peters AME Church. I like doing things for the kids, and I when I was playing piano for them, I was younger, I worked with the kids and now I leave it up to the younger people. I don’t mind writing a check and supporting them financially, but as, I’m over 70 years old and I just can’t do as much, but I still stay involved. I don’t think I’m ready to stop doing things, but I’ve changed from the things that I used to do to the things that I still can do.”
When asked what she would like to do if time and money were no object Singleton said, “I would like to travel more, I want to see some whales in Alaska. I’ve gone to the Great Wall of China; we’ve gone to Mexico and Canada.” She said she would also like to stay in the Ice Hotel in Sweden.
Here children took her to New Orleans for her birthday, “When I turned 70, my kids asked me, what did I want for my birthday? I told him I wanted to go to a jazz club. I wanted to do something different. They took me to a jazz club. I was up there and singing along with the musicians. I had a great time.”
Singleton offers advice for the children today, “Do something. One thing that I taught all three of my kids to do was do something to help someone, and even when they were in school; volunteer and help someone.”
