Comforting Quilters

The Art of Quilt Making dates back centuries. I thought it would be fun to study the history of Georgia Quilt Making on the blog. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll try to post some information from the Georgia Encyclopedia for your enjoyment. You can navigate to this website by clicking the link below:


Let's start with the 18th Century....

Quilt making
Courtesy of Georgia Department of Economic Development
Busy Bee Quilting Club
is the process of sewing decorative bed covers from layers of fabric, either for personal use or for sale. Georgia quilts and their designs have changed over time, reflecting the influences of geography, historical events, technological innovations, economic circumstances, ethnic traditions, and personal aesthetics.

The Eighteenth Century

The earliest settlers in Georgia depended on transoceanic trade for their household goods. Bed covers were among the most common household textiles in the American colonies.

As quilts became popular in western Europe during the late eighteenth century, they also appeared in Georgia. Only wealthy families could afford the expensive fabrics used for quilts. Among the earliest styles were whole-cloth quilts, made from two large sheets of silk or cotton fabric with a layer of loose cotton between, typically sewn together with a decorative pattern of stitches.

Center Motif Design 18th Century

Early Georgia quilts were also made from printed cotton fabrics imported from India or Europe. Quilt makers cut out individual floral motifs from printed chintz fabrics and sewed them to a plain foundation in pleasing arrangements. Early chintz quilts in Georgia follow the European style, typically featuring a large central motif surrounded by multiple borders. Another European needlework technique that was popular in Savannah in the early nineteenth century was English-template piecing, or mosaic patchwork. In this technique, small geometric shapes—often hexagons—are cut from paper and covered with fabric; then the covered motifs are sewn together to form a design. Many fine early-nineteenth-century chintz and mosaic patchwork quilts survive from coastal Georgia.

English-Template Piecing

There are many places you can go to study and learn these techniques.  I recently completed a quilt top using the English-Template technique and was surprised at the ease in which the hexagons stitched together.

Enjoy your history lesson, and remember to Comfort someone with a quilt!

Our own Karla Chidester has graciously donated back the Comforting Quilter's quilt to the group!  Yes, it is true, and now you will have a second chance to win this beautiful quilt.  Be sure to contact Comforting Quilter's to buy your tickets! 

The drawing will be held on October 23, 2010 at the Battle of Byron Chili Fest.  Tickets go on sale July 19, 2010!  Contact us now!

Tickets:

One Ticket        $  1.00
Six Tickets        $  5.00
Twelve Tickets  $10.00

Comforting Quilter's Sewing Class is approaching and we need your registration forms.  The class is limited to 20 students ages 6 - 12 years.

Please contact  
Comforting Quilters 
or  
Call  
478-978-0842 
and sign up today!





We will be sewing this darling bandana tote bag with a lining.  The class is free of charge.  Please bring with you:

1. 4 bandanas of any color of your choosing
2. Your Sewing Machine if you have one

No sewing machine?  No problem!  We'll have plenty of machines for you to use.


See You There!

Every wonder how to cut a quilt square?  Have you got the desire to learn the next step?  Watch this beginning quilt video and learn the basics!

Comforting Quilter's made the morning news this morning!  I've attached the newscast for you to see.  Our piece is about 2 minutes into the broadcast.


Happy 4th (or 5th) of July!

The Watermelon Days & Peanut Craze was a complete success!  Many thanks to all those who worked so hard to make our event fun-filled, happy and successful!

It is through our dedicated Comforting Quilter's members and those others  who generously gave of their time and donations we were able to raise over $500 to assist those in need of comfort when facing difficult situations.  Your donations will go a long way in purchasing the much needed supplies for creating a memory of comfort!

Our winner of the First Annual Comforting Quilter's Quilt went to Karla Chidester of Byron, GA.  She was not present to win as she and her family were on vacation, but we phoned her from the park and congratulated her!

WMGT 41 was on hand to film the event, and we look forward to watching our morning unfold on the news Monday evening.  Be sure to tune in and watch the fun!

Again, thank you so much for your donations and efforts.  We could not have given Comforting Quilter's such a great beginning without you.

We will be keeping you updated on our next raffle!

 " I just finished taking an evening class at Stanford. The last lecture was on the mind-body connection--the relationship between stress and disease.  The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends.  At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.

 Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality “girlfriend time" helps us to create more serotonin--a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being.  Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going.  Jobs? Yes.   Sports? Yes.  Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf?  Yes.  But their feelings?--rarely.  Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our sisters, and evidently that is very good for our health.  He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.

 There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged--not true.  In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!  So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health!  We are indeed very, very lucky.   Sooooo let's toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it's very good for our health

Next time you're feeling left out, lonely, bored or just need a buddy, stop by and pay us a visit!  We'll cure those woes in no time!

Comforting Quilter's is up to our stuff again, with another yard sale at Karla's house this Saturday, June 26th.  We'll be selling the leftover items from our last sale and adding a few more things as well.  If you'd like to join us, stop on by and give us a shout!  Your donations of items are also welcome.  Be sure to mark the price before you drop it by the house.  

If any of you will be in town & would like to help that would be great but if you can't, don't worry about it. There will also be an ice chest of bottled water and drinks in addition to our raffle quilt ticket sales.

Our yard sale made was a hit grossing $115 at the old Welcome Center, so we're hopeful that we can bring in more with this next one.

We had a great weekend & were very productive! Friday night, we cleaned out the caboose, and followed up over at Julie's house to sort all of our fabric by color. Saturday, welcomed Barbara Yeates to our group along with delivery of our 2nd quilt, which was delivered to a lady who's suffering from bone cancer. We enjoyed our day as several of us brought salads for lunch. A total of 5 quilt tops have been completed so that we may deliver more to hospice patients. Thanks to everyone who came out. Have a blessed week & please let me know if you can help on Sat.

Tonight is Comforting Quilter's at the Byron Depot beginning at 7 PM until whenever we feel like going home! We'll be cleaning out the caboose and loading it all to my house to sort and organize. We've had a huge donation of fabric and my dining room needs help! I hope to see everyone out this evening for some good old fashioned fun!

If you can't make it tonight, we sure hope to see you on tomorrow. We'll be loading up the machines, ironing board and fabric to cut more quilt tops. Lunch is a special occasion at CQ Saturday, so be sure to bring a salad to share. Table service will be provided. We meet at 9 AM sharp and will be quilting until 3 PM so stop on by for the day or an hour!

Sewing Love with Each (and every) Stitch!

Let's Help our Neighbor!

Ran into this website while reading a few posts at my personal blog and thought you may have an interest in sending a quilt block for this cause. Please visit the Rainbow Around the Block website and help those in Tennessee who have lost their homes.

Blessings!

Busy Day today at my house! I've been blessed with a Fabulous bunch of fabric that is in need of washing, ironing and color sorting! The washing has been a task in itself, but this week will be ironing and sorting week at my house!

If there is anyone who would like to volunteer an hour or two next week, give me a jingle! I'll welcome you help!

Stay cool everyone, the heat index hit 111 degrees at 11:00 AM this morning. A good afternoon for quilting inside where it's nice and cool.

See ya and don't forget to purchase your raffle tickets!

In Honor of Memorial Day, please remember to thank a Veteran.  You'd be surprised how many you know!

Olivia Culpepper was an amazing little girl, but even more remarkable is her mother, Cindy, who has braved this illness right along with her beautiful daughter. She has recently posted a journal entry at caringbridge.org and I thought I would share it with you this morning.

Please keep the Culpepper family in your prayers as they struggle with the loss and rejoice in the knowledge that Olivia is once again "Painting Rainbows!"

Wednesday, May 26, 2010 9:56 PM, CDT

"But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." Luke 18:16 (KJV)


We have certainly felt your prayers and outpouring of love. We have not lost Olivia; we know precisely where she resides. She never once felt sorry for herself, and she lived every day to it's fullest potential. She was loved tenderly and taught me more in 7 years than any elder ever could. We have all been so very blessed.

Not sure what's going on with CB, I've lost this post 4 times. So sorry for the lack of updates; I've simply been swamped with tasks and decisions, and haven't been near a 'puter and had little sleep over the past 14 days. Some of the family is having a very hard time. Please keep my big kids, and Olivia's little friends and fellow warriors, in your prayers today. It is very hard on these kids when one of their own goes to heaven. Momma is OK; Olivia is sorely missed, but we will play together again soon.



We would be honored for all who are able to join us in
A Celebration of Life, Olivia Style



We intend to host a very kid-friendly service. Olivia loved bright colors, especially Aqua! Please, dress for your comfort with these ideas in mind. She would've liked that.


She never really liked cut flowers, only the ones which needed planting and care. In lieu of flowers, we'd ask all those who are interested bring a DVD, Lego set, craft kit or similar activity for donation to The Children's Hospital in Macon. And donations to your favorite charity are always gratefully appreciated. 

I would like to say a special thanks to the organizations who've helped us so much over the past 4 years. You have made what could have been a hard road so much more bearable:

The Ronald McDonald House of Macon, Atlanta, and Houston
Jay's Hope
The JoAnna McAfee Childhood Cancer Foundation
The National Childrens Cancer Society
Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Family Alliance
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation
Henderson Baptist Church
And all of Olivia's friends, family, and followers, I hope I've not left anyone out.

We will never know exactly what started this past episode; the Doc's best guess is a lingering viral infection that was stripping her bone marrow, allowing her WBC's to fall dangerously. Which allowed a bacteria to enter her lungs and/or eye and then into her blood stream. Her battered immune system was unable to fight a battle on two fronts. This caused septic shock, which means her blood pressure bottomed out, which further shocked her bone marrow and organs, including her brain; she lost the ability to clot blood properly and blood vessels in her head became more fragile. she had a slowly-growing brain bleed or 'had a stroke'. She had very confusing symptoms, but it was unmistakable on the CT. Our Olivia would not have wanted to live like that. Surprisingly, she was not relapsing, her bone marrow was recovering but not quite fast enough. I've prayed for hope or peace. I have both. I never said goodbye; only "I'll see you in a little while". I would not be surprised if she is sassing the Lord upstairs right now. Maybe she will paint a rainbow.


See ya later, alligator. Momma C.

You can now follow our blog! Simply click the Network Blogger on the right hand side and you will receive posts and news on the latest happenings of Comforting Quilter's.

Email Julie if you need assistance or would like to make a donation

Comforting Quilter's continues our Quilt Raffle through the months of May and June, so don't feel like you've missed out if you haven't purchased your ticket yet. We will be out and about selling tickets around the area, particularly at the Byron Market on Saturday's at the City Park.

Look for our booth as we will be there with the quilt and other fun things to help you enjoy your morning at the market!

June 5th is a Special Day in Byron, and we'll be in the park selling food, penney candy and raffle tickets.

Tickets prices are

$ 1.00 Each
$ 5.00 for Six (6) Tickets
$10.00 for Twelve (12) Tickets

Feel free to contact any CQ Volunteer to purchase your tickets, but you can always give the President, Julie Love, a jingle. Call her at 478-978-0842.

Many thanks for all the Support the Byron Residents have provided to our new organization. These funds will help purchase needed items such as batting, thread, needles, cutting blades and other essential items to help provide a bit of comfort to those in need.

Remember our slogan:

Comforting Quilter's teamed up with the ICU Survival Kit crowd and had a great time with our Battle of Byron General Store fundraiser.  Root Beer Floats, Penny Candy, Raffle tickets for our Quilt, boiled peanuts and a fabulous Quilt Show of quilts kindly donated by local residents filled the Byron Depot with fun and excitement


Thanks to everyone who assisted in making our store one of the highlights of the Battle!  We couldn't have done this without you!  All total we raised over $600 for Comforting Quilters and ICU Survival Kits.  These funds will go along way towards purchasing items needed to provide a little comfort to those needing a snuggle from a quilt or anxious in the waiting rooms of local ICU Units.

Be sure to view the slide show of our event.  We had a GREAT Time!  See you next year

The Comforting Quilter's have been working like dogs the past few weeks in preparation for our Mercantile store to be open and ready for business on May 1st during the Battle of Byron.

Stop by the Mercantile and enjoy a glass of home made root beer, a root beer float, a game of checkers or a jigsaw puzzle or a cup of boiled peanuts among many other items we will be selling.

You will also be given the opportunity to enter the Quilt Raffle for a beautiful quilt created by our team of quilters to help provide quilts of comfort to those in need.

In addition, the Bryon Depot Museum well be transformed into a historical walk down quilters lane, with a wide array of quilts provided by some of our local residents. These quilts all tell a story and the show promises to be a highlight to our Mercantile store.

UPCOMING EVENTS!

May is a time to weed the flower beds, mow the lawns, enjoy a good steak on the grill and get those vegetables in the garden. CQ will be meeting as usual in May, and we hope to see some of you out!

June is seminar month! Let's have a class on quilting! Anyone have something in particular they would like to learn? Let me know and I'll get the class put together.

All for now. It's a beautiful Spring Day here in Middle Georgia!