Quilting Club Works To Preserve Schoolhouse, Art

Sally Carroll/McDonald County Press Bunker Hill Quilting Club members Dora Latty and Donna Hobbs work on a quilt together.
Sally Carroll/McDonald County Press Bunker Hill Quilting Club members Dora Latty and Donna Hobbs work on a quilt together.

It's a camaraderie formed over coffee and a quilt frame, stitch by stitch.

The members who make up the Bunker Hill Quilting Club meet and greet each other. They know each other well. They lean on each other's talents.

They pull together to create beautiful quilts to preserve their heritage, raise money for an old schoolhouse and make new friends.

They embrace anyone who wants to join. Young or young-at-heart wanna-be quilters can attend a meeting at any time. "Anybody can learn to do it," says long-time member DeDe Lewis.

No experience required.

Preserving History

Donna Hobbs has been a member of the group all her life.

"I don't ever remember not coming here," she said.

Her momma, who was a member, brought Donna as a baby and set her in a box during meetings and quilt work days.

Hobbs' cousin, Debbie Ziemianin, serves as the current president. Ziemianin, like Hobbs, has been a tried and true member for some 30 years.

Then, there's Dora Latty, who at age 66, joined the group. She didn't have any sewing experience. Her mother, who was her father's "right-hand man," didn't have time to sew or see to it that her children could sew. She was too busy running a farm. Latty never learned to sew until she joined the group.

"I think I have material in every room of my house, except my bathroom and the kitchen," she said, laughing.

Kitten Lagoon joined the group in 2013 to make friends. New to the area, Lagoon thought the group looked like fun. They seemed a creative group, so it seemed like a good fit. Though she didn't have any quilting experience per se, she's quite skilled at doing a lot of different types of work with her hands: regular sewing, welding, small machine engine repair. She took to quilting like a duck takes to water.

Lewis, who has served as president for several terms, enjoys making quilts, purses and all kinds of items. She and the other quilters take on projects, working together to complete a creative blanket of sorts.

The quilters meet every Thursday, generally from 9 to 4, to share and work on projects. The room features piles of material to use. Quilts are hung on the walls. From hand stitching to machine sewing, volunteers team their efforts to make cozy and comforting quilts of all designs, sizes and colors.

One such quilt is known as the "Rip It" quilt, which became a work in progress for a while. The idea for the quilt was a collaborative effort. Members were charged to sew a square or two, then bring together to form the quilt. Not all the squares matched up when they were all brought together, members said, laughing. Many a stitch was ripped out. Today, the quilt is perfect and a beautiful piece of art.

Members stay on the lookout, searching for patterns, and mixing materials and colors to create a unique artisan project.

Finding the perfect combination of materials -- or an interesting pattern -- piques their interest.

Patterns, such as the jelly-roll or a chandelier, challenge quilters to piece together a pleasing piece.

The quilters use their talents to preserve their art and help their community. Last year, the quilters worked painstakingly on 113 quilted pieces for the "Stories of Military Service" exhibit at the McDonald County Historical Society's museum.

Stitched Together

Bunker Hill Quilting Club members rely on each other. They realize they are stronger together as a group, and work on some projects together.

Member Judy Rickett, a retired art teacher, has a great eye for design and pulling colors. Members say they rely on her to draw out patterns and come up with some designs.

The quilts they make are marketed and sold. Monies go toward the Bunker Hill Schoolhouse, which the group is working to repair.

The group used to meet in the schoolhouse, but cool temperatures -- and an outgrowth of members -- prompted the group to build a side building.

Member Linda Johnson raised a great deal of the funds to build the building. Now, the members meet there to quilt, have meetings, and share ideas.

Repairing and restoring an old schoolhouse can be expensive, members say. Through the years, the quilters have raised money through quilt sales and monthly lunches they host on the Pineville Square on the last Monday of the month.

Proceeds from a quilt show, held in May every two years, also helps the cause. Donations are accepted at the quilt show.

For fun, the group also hosts a potluck with local entertainment at 4 p.m. on the first Saturday at the Pineville Methodist Church.

As with any long-time group, members have come and gone over the years. Long-time members Clara Miller, Pearl Guthrie, Founty Abercombie, Stella Bethel, Viola Schlessman and "Granny Hicks" were some who contributed much to the group, members say. Their hard work and heritage are recognized by the current members, who marvel at the foundation that was laid to preserve history.

The group remaining today is a dedicated membership, still motivated to maintain the old schoolhouse and the artwork of quilting.

In this busy day and age of technology, cell phones and instant messaging, members realize the value of some old-fashioned visiting and sharing of life's worries. It eases the stresses of life.

"We're kind of like a family," Lewis said.

General News on 04/18/2019