IT’S SEW RIGHT

PALMER — Many Valley Quilters Guild members think of Sew for Service Day as their annual Quiltstock, while a couple of younger thread-pullers may think of it as Quiltapalooza.

By whichever kitschy catch-phrase, Saturday’s marathon quilting session at the Palmer Depot means a small piece of homey comfort to many who most need it. From battered women and children to senior citizens, service projects created by the guild are used throughout the Valley year-round.

“You could say we have them covered,” said Meg Hills, co-chairwoman of Sew for Service, who talked while cutting material to be sewn into quilts.

“We hope to get at least 10 or 15 quilts done today, or at least started,” she said.

The guild’s 175 members work year-round on the estimated 200 quilts donated annually to agencies such as the American Red Cross, Alaska Family Services, Mat-Su Services for Adults and Children, Habitat for Humanity and local law enforcement, Hills said.

In addition to quilts, Saturday’s 11-hour Quiltstock created a variety of bags designed to fit on walkers and wheelchairs for Palmer seniors, along with dozens of dog beds for the animal shelter.

“Most of our fabric is donated by members of the guild or thrift stores or other stores,” Hills said. “We had a really big show of support from the community this time, so we also have door prizes for all our members who are here today.”

One of those members is Judy Foster, who co-chairs the event with Hills.

She spent part of the afternoon tying quilts.

“Right now I’m learning to tie quilts,” she said. “You have to hold the back to the front. There are two methods. One of them is tying, which is easier to do, and the other method is sewing, which is a different talent.”

Besides creating handmade crafts for the community, the social aspect of quilting draws Sally Galbraith to the art. As one of the younger quilters in the group, she admits that quilting “is probably becoming a dying art.”

And it’s folk art at its best, she said.

“It’s an art where you don’t have to be artistic,” Galbraith said. “You just follow directions. I am not creative at all, but I can follow directions, and that’s all you need to do.”

Gathering to create quilts dates back hundreds of years, Hills said.

“Everybody needs at least one hand-made quilt,” she said. “Everybody likes the feel of the fabric and the different colors and how putting them together is special.”

It’s also a testament to a more frugal time, she said. Traditionally, quilting came about by saving up scraps of fabric from other projects, which are patched together to create something useful.

Breanna Cuzzocreo, at age 10, was by far the youngest working at the depot. She spent most of the day making dog beds by stuffing scraps of material into sweat shirts, which were sewn closed.

While she admits quilting may be viewed as something older people do, she thinks it’s a good project for kids as well.

“It’s fun and you’re helping the community,” she said. “Sometimes I do some quilting stuff (at home), but not that much.”

With several generations represented in the room, Cuzzocreo said she enjoyed spending time with the other women, “but sometimes they talk about weird things.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.