Yesterday, we sat around the kitchen table.  Carefully, we slid our needles into the quilt and through the binding hand-stitching the dark rim onto our latest quilt. Ten man hours went into just the slim binding.  Weeks of work went into the entire ensemble.

For years, my community has bound quilts and bound hearts this way.  For over 35 years, the women (and yes, occasionally men) have worked together to create fabric art. Sometimes we gift the creations in honor of weddings and births.  Sometimes we raffle them off to raise money for families hard hit by troubles but mostly we create them to support our tiny local school. But even without the money we raise, the friendships we build as we stitch shoulder to shoulder sharing stories and worries and love are riches beyond measure.

To the women who helped make this latest creation, I am so honored to share your lives and make beauty with you.

This latest amazing piece( the photo does not do it justice—this may be my favorite ever) will be on display at the Winter Arts Fair where we will be selling raffle tickets to it, craft items, and boxes of homemade cookies (I’m making mini chocolate cakes for each box.)  If you haven’t been able to get in the Christmas mood, go to the Winter Arts Fair.  The music, the handcrafted local items, the friends you haven’t seen for a long time, the food, the decorations…everything will dust your hat with snow and pin an imaginary sprig of holly on your coat.  And you might be able to get some of your Christmas shopping done.

Polar Bear square by Tam Moreland

Walrus square by Christy Rogers

Snow Rabbit square by Ann Michelini

Aurora Borealis square by Julie Ann Groves

Center by Kym Kemp

Frame around center by Molly Sinoway

Sewed together by Dana Keegan

Binding by Dana Keegan, Darcy Bell, Kym Kemp, and Shanna Archibold

The absolutely wonderful quilting was done by April Sproule of  Sproule Studios whose work is world class!  We are so fortunate to have an artist of her caliber working with us.  Thank you!