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Quilting comfort
Group offers friendship, as well as assistance with traditional craft
Friday, Aug. 21, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by REID SILVERMAN.
Carol Evans, center, of Piney Point laughs while presenting quilts made for the Hospice House in Callaway with fellow members Doris Barbour of Mechanicsville, left, Shirley Wilder of Hollywood and Kathie Lamoureux of California during the Aug. 10 meeting of the Pax River Quilters' Guild.
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Choose the fabrics, cut them in pieces, add batting, backing and borders and sew it all together. Don't forget to add in plenty of love and time. The result? A quilt.
Quilting is as at least as old as ancient Egypt and has helped document history, from the gunboat quilts that raised money during the Civil War to the quilts given as presents for weddings and newborns. Pax River Quilters' Guild members continue this tradition, creating friendships, memories and, of course, quilts.
Founded in 1992, PRQG currently has more than 75 members of all ages and skill levels. Quilting is "something for any age and interest. It's an opportunity to just explore your creativity," said PRQG president Cathy Robinson of Lexington Park.
Founding member Elsie Lishness of Hollywood was the 15th person to join PRQG. The group originally held meetings at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum before moving to its current location in the Loffler Center at Chancellor's Run Regional Park in Great Mills.
Lishness joined because she always wanted to learn to quilt and insists that she is still learning. When asked how many quilts she has made, she was genuinely surprised at her estimate, saying, "Oh my gosh … hundreds. I've got four kids and six grandkids and all kinds of other friends. You just make them."
Robinson still has her first quilt, and also her second, which is still unfinished. "It wasn't what I envisioned. I just can't get myself to finish it because it's not what I really wanted," she said.
Having unfinished quilts is quite common, Robinson assures. "Sometimes you might get bored with the project. Sometimes it takes awhile to finish. I've completed 10 quilts and have twice as many that are unfinished," she said. They are known as UFOs, or unfinished objects, she added, laughing.
Ask quilters what the best part about quilting is and there is one answer that keeps coming up: the fabric. The fabrics can "surprise you," said Laurie Galvin of Great Mills. Even though there wasn't "a single curve" in the stitching, it looked like the waves were moving, she said about a quilt with a nautical theme.
"Oh, man, the fabric. I love fabric," Robinson said, her face lighting up. She admits that her love of fabric draws a few laughs from her son, who makes fun of her for patting, touching and folding the fabric lovingly.
Robinson concedes that while fabric selection is her favorite part about quilting, it can also be the hardest. Choosing the right fabric can make a quilt go from ordinary to exceptional, she explained.
Robinson and Galvin both find inspiration for their quilts at quilt shows, in magazines and from PRQG members.
"We learn a lot from each other," Lishness said. With demonstration nights, guest speakers and "sew-ins," there are plenty of opportunities to become more familiar with or learn a technique.
"Quilters are so generous with their time and talent," Robinson said. Not only do the members help each other, but they also do a lot of charitable work. PRQG members have made and donated quilts to wounded soldiers, the CareNet Pregnancy Center of Southern Maryland, Project Linus and more.
At the Aug. 10 PRQG meeting, more than 25 quilts were presented to a representative of the new Hospice House opening this fall in Callaway. Each bed will have a quilt, which will then go with the families as a keepsake of their loved one.
Meetings are often entirely devoted to working on these donated quilts, Lishness said. "Some sew, some cut and some sew it all together."
For many members, generosity is their favorite part about PRQG. "The quilters themselves are such a giving, extended family. I've become so close with these ladies," said Robinson.
After living in St. Mary's for two years, Nicki Ward will be moving back to London. After joking at the August meeting about how she will use all her fabric as packing material so that she can bring it all with her to England, Robinson told her, on behalf of the PRQG, to be sure to keep in touch. "You develop friendships that have longevity," said Robinson later.
Also at the August meeting, Madison Insley of Hollywood celebrated her 8th birthday; all the members enthusiastically sang "Happy Birthday." Although she is not a member yet, she regularly attends meetings with her grandmother, Joan Sebring. Insley received a pink camera for her birthday and had to get a memory card for it that day so she could take pictures of "all the pretty quilts."
Insley made a baby quilt last summer. As Robinson said, "You don't need to be a certain age" to quilt.
PRQG is always looking for people of all ages, genders and skill levels to join. Robinson said, "You can just come [to a meeting]. The interest and enthusiasm will come. It's just infectious being around the other members."
At the end of the day, it's more than just quilting. "Quilts aren't made for show, but to be used. They are made with love and made to love," Lishness said with a smile.
If you want to go
Membership in the Pax River Quilters' Guild is $20 a year. Meetings are held the second Monday of every month in the Loffler center at the Chancellor's Run Regional Park in Great Mills. To learn more about PRQG, visit www.geocities.com/paxriverquiltersguild.
