Quilters Guild Keeps Florence in Stitches
Published Apr 17, 2008
The Swamp Fox Quilters Guild produces themed exhibits and donates quilts to hospitals, nursing homes and others.
The Swamp Fox Quilters Guild has given area quilters a place to practice their craft – and to socialize – since 1980.
“People love to do quilting once they get involved,” says longtime member Courtney Stukes. “We meet the first Thursday of the month for a business meeting and the third Thursday of the month for quilt work” at John Calvin Presbyterian Church in Florence.
Now with about 50 members, the group was established to educate enthusiasts about collecting, making and preserving quilts.
For example, “Putting a quilt in a plastic bag is very bad for it,” Stukes says. “It’s best to store heirloom quilts using acid-free paper and boxes, and it’s important to take them out and refold them from time to time to prevent wear and tear.”
Each year the guild chooses a theme, and members are challenged to create a quilt reflecting that theme. The themed quilts are assembled for a traveling exhibit displayed at area museums during the summer. The 2007 theme was landscapes; past themes have included flowers and patriotism.
Community service is incorporated into many of the guild’s projects.
“We make lap quilts and donate them to local nursing homes and hospitals for people in wheelchairs,” Stukes says.
Members also have made quilts for physically challenged children to draw and color on and then to sell as fundraisers.
Martha Herbert, one of the guild’s founding members, says quilting is an art form that is well worth preserving.
“A lot of people are very interested in quilting. It’s a pouring out of your soul through cloth,” Herbert says. “You can wrap up in it and feel the warmth of both the blanket and the heart of the person who made it.”
Story by Jessica Mozo
Photo by Brian McCord
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