Iris Odell Lee

November 29, 1940 - December 10, 2019

JULIETTE, GA – Iris Odell Lee, 79, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 10, 2019, after an extended illness. Services will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2019, at Watson-Hunt Funeral Home in Perry, with the Visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m. followed by the Memorial Service at 2:00 p.m. Iris was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, on November 29, 1940, to the late Vernon Buel and Dorothy Haley Odell. The family moved to Macon when Iris was 4 years old and then to Perry when she was 14 years old. She was baptized when she was 15 and graduated from Perry High School as an Honor Student, a member of the Beta Club, One Act Play, and Vice-President of the Senior Class. Iris was first introduced to sewing by a grandmother who knew how to cope with a very energetic child of five. She taught Iris every kind of handwork and introduced her to the art of the treadle sewing machine that helped point the way for her to begin a life-long career in artistic endeavors, including the fine arts. She became President of the Middle Georgia Art Association and was instrumental in obtaining a gallery for the association in The Hay House. She was instrumental in creating the annual Mulberry Street Arts Festival. Iris became a fine arts student of Ouida Canaday, renowned Atlanta artist and teacher, and soon joined with other artists in Atlanta to become a member of a unique gallery opened by Canaday. “The Atelier” gave each artist a space in which to work and enable them to showcase their work to the public. She participated in the gallery’s working trips to China (twice), Italy, and India. After teaching fine arts for over 20 years, Iris discovered the fantastic things happening in home sewing industry utilizing sophisticated sewing machines, phenomenal new threads, and unique techniques. After developing her skill on the new machines, she began teaching at Macon Sewing Center and later joined the Atlanta Sewing Center teaching staff. Iris soon became a resource person for Bernina Sewing Machine Company and began teaching her techniques in 1990 with classes in all of the southeastern states as well as New York, Maryland, New Jersey, and West Virginia. She appeared on The Carol Duvall Show, a nationally televised arts and crafts show, and produced articles in numerous books and magazines, including Sew News and Threads. In addition, Iris published a book on “Fabric Etching,” describing techniques for creating surface texture and design using a unique fabric remover, Fiber Etch. Several educational videos featuring Iris explaining her artistic techniques “Fabric Etching,” “Cutwork and Needlelacing,” and “Sewing Innovations” were filmed and used to teach students her various unique methods. She was most active using her creative talents and loved teaching new developments and techniques to a wide array of students. She taught her advanced digital sewing techniques at the Atlanta Sewing Center Stores and taught basic sewing techniques at Jo Ann’s in Macon. Left to cherish the memories they created with Iris are her loving and devoted husband of 61 years, Jimmy Lee of Monroe County near Juliette; her son and daughter-in-law, Jamie and Cheryl Lee of Macon; her granddaughter, Breana Lee; her grandson, Colby Lee; her brother and sister-in-law, Reverend David and Mrs. Sylvia Odell of Cordele; and several nieces and nephews. Condolences for the family may be left in the online guestbook at www.watsonhunt.com. Watson-Hunt Funeral Home in Perry has been entrusted with the arrangements.