Vicky was one of the last children raised by the Shakers. She lived at their Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community in rural Central Maine. She was one of thousands of abandoned or orphaned children who over the course of 150 years found themselves in the care of members of a strict Christian religious community. The Shakers educated these children and taught them the necessities of life such as how to cook, clean, farm, and in Vicky’s case, how to sew. The children also learned about Shaker spirituality which began by developing a relationship with the Bible. Some children stayed with the Shakers when they became adults, joining their faith, but most, like Vicky, left to rediscover the world and start their own families. In doing so, they planted the seeds of the spirit of Shakerism in us all.
Vicky has been quilting, sewing and cross stitching for more than 50 years. She is the mother of 2 children and has 2 grandchildren. She lives with her husband Bill in Strong, ME, about 2 hours north of her childhood at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village. Vicky stays in touch with the four Shakers who currently live there. She especially enjoys volunteering at the Shaker’s annual Christmas Fair which helps to support the living Shakers.
