THANK YOU to all of the quilt guilds who took part in our first
Guild Challenge! Not only were we impressed with the designs and
"workwomanship", but with your commitment to helping
children in need. |
Now that all of the beautiful quilts have been distributed to our
chosen charitable organizations, we wanted to take a moment to
introduce you to the Tall Pine Quilters Guild of White Could, MI,
winners of the Grand Prize shopping spree! We first asked guild
representative Nancy Myers about the creative process that led to
the winning entry: |
"Four guild members worked on the Marcus Fabrics guild
challenge, and the design was developed by guild member Phyllis
Jacobs. Capitalizing on the bunny and the bear theme seemed most
appropriate. An embroidery pattern, obtained online, was enlarged
and adapted for appliqué as the center. The rest of the quilt was
an original design. The blocks surrounding the center block were
set with soft pastels and turned on point to enhance the design in
the focus fabric. The centers of the stars included the focus
fabric with bright coordinating colors used for the points. Dark
purple was used to divide the sections of the quilt and for the
binding to bring the eye to the center of the quilt." |
 |
The group was established 26 years ago, with some of the founders
still among its 60 members. The membership spans four counties.
Guild members are no strangers to charity quilting projects.
"Not only do our members make quilts for themselves, they are
very generous in donating quilts to local charities to benefit
cancer therapy patients, children in need, Habitat for Humanity
and veterans. They have also made Quilts of Valor and hurricane
relief quilts. In 2005, our guild donated almost 200 quilts to
charities with one member making one or two quilts a week for
charity," says Nancy. Their goal is to utilize the shopping
spree fabrics to continue making charity quilts during their
evening and Saturday quilting bees.
The Tall Pine Quilters will redeem their $500 prize at Quilt
Something! It is the only quilt shop in the county and a very
friendly place to shop or go for inspiration and suggestions. The
owner, Debra Becker, has a sweet and pleasant personality and is
helpful and very generous. She is committed to helping to promote
the art of quilting in the community by co-sponsoring (along with
the guild and the Arts Council) workshops, classes, and quilting
events. She goes beyond the ordinary. |
| Update!
Guild Quilt Challenge News...
Our happy recipient organizations have already
begun to distribute the challenge quilts, as Linda Arye of Quilts
for Kids, Inc. reports delivery of the quilts to St.
Christopher’s Hospital for Children and the Children’s
Hospital, both located in Philadelphia, PA, and to the Pediatric
HIV & AIDS Clinic in New York, serving young patients in
Harlem, the South Bronx and New York City, NY. She says, “Thank
you sooo much! Marcus Fabrics and its generous quilting guilds
are pretty terrific, and we know many children will be made very
happy! Bless you all...
And from Janeen Holmes of My
Stuff Bags: “The quilts just arrived and they are beyond all
expectations... we have been going through the box and ooohhhing
and ahhhhhing!!!! What a wonderful donation, and we can
only imagine how delighted each child receiving one will be. We
are amazed at this fabulous donation to our program. Sending much
gratitude...” |
 |
| Showing off the
winning Guild Challenge quilts are (l. to r.) Linda Arye, Founder,
Quilts for Kids; Lisa Shepard Stewart, Marketing Manager, Marcus Fabrics; and Michelle Silver, Director of Programs &
Communications, K.I.D.S. |
All of the entries will be donated to our three
chosen organizations for distribution. The following guilds
participated in the Challenge:
Brushy Mountain Quilters Guild, Hiddenite, NC
Corry Cut-Ups, Union City, PA
Cumberland County Quilt Guild, Burkesville, KY
Garden State Quilt Guild, Pine Brook, NJ
Heritage Quilt Guild, Tiffin, Oh
Island Quilters Guild, Galveston, TX
Jackson Hole Quilt Guild, Jackson, WY
Little Balkans Quilt Guild, Pittsburg, KS
Loose Threads Quilt Club, Kingston, MI
MTY 4 Quilters, Friendship, WI
North Star Quilt Guild, Estherville, IA
Patience Quilters, Alexandria, LA
Peace by Piece, Calgary, Alberta Canada
Piecemakers of the Eastern Panhandle, Martinsburg, WV
Perinton Quilt Guild, Penfield, NY
Piecin’ Pals Quilt Guild, Cedar Rapids, NE
Prairie Piecers Quilt Guild, Las Animas, CO
Prairie Points Quilt Guild, Yelm, WA
Quilters’ Corner Club (Yahoo Cyber Guild)
River Lea Quilters, Grand Island, NY
Schoolhouse Quilters, Shrewsbury, MA
Scrapbaggers, Unity, ME
Sugar Springs Stitchers & Quilters, Gladwin, MI
Tall Pine Quilters’ Guild, White Cloud, MI
WE Energies Quilt Guild, South Milwaukee, WI
Quilts were judged on creativity, overall
design, and usage of the challenge fabric. And now, we
present the guilds and their winning entries.
- GRAND PRIZE: The TALL
PINE QUILTERS GUILD of White Cloud, MI wins a fabulous $500
Marcus Fabrics shopping spree at a local retailer! Look for a
profile of the guild and its chosen retailer in an upcoming
edition of MarcusFabrics.com.
- Second Prize: ISLAND
QUILTER’S GUILD of Galveston, TX ($150 Shopping Spree)
- Third Prize: PIECIN’
PALS QUILT GUILD of Cedar Rapids, NE ($100 Shopping Spree)
In addition, the following guilds earned Honorable
mentions:
Marcus Fabrics created the Guild Connection as an
online resource for quilt guilds everywhere to share information and
ideas. It recognizes the important role the guilds play in the
industry, providing community and shared enthusiasm for the craft of
quilting. Thank You and Congratulations to all of the compassionate
and talented guild members who participated in the Challenge! |
|
