Grafton Quilting Group Earns Eight Awards
Submitted by Jim Prazak
Three members of Grafton’s Binding Friends Quilting Group earned eight awards at the recent Schaghticoke Fair. During this year’s fair there were a total of thirty-eight quilts entered in nineteen various classes. Anne Kiely, Linda Wescott, and Jenny Prazak entered quilts in the fair’s quilting competition and in total earned four first place awards, two-second place awards, one third-place award and one honorable mention. Club member Mary Gagnon long arm quilted several of the pieces for the other members. Quilts were entered into various categories such as baby quilt, mixed media, star quilt, pieced quilt, table runner and other. Group leader Anne Kiely stated “This was an outstanding result and honor to represent our quilting club.”
Ms. Laura Swensen who judged the fair’s quilt competition evaluated the entries on four criteria. In order of priority they are: visual impact, design, workmanship and the quality of quilting. Many details go into the making of a quilt such as color of the material, how the borders and edges are created, matching up of any points or corners, if the quilt was done by hand or machine and if the stitches are hidden or not. Ms. Swensen has forty years of quilting experience, is a lecturer and consultant in a variety of quilting disciplines, both on the local and national level.
The Binding Friends Quilting Group has been in existence for over fifteen years. They meet on the second Thursday of each month at the Everett Wager Senior Center in Grafton, NY, at 9:30 am. The informal club is open to quilters of all experience levels and styles of quilting. They mentor and help each other, show-and-tell about their works, learn, assist and inspire each other. Over the years they have participated in quilting fairs, lectures, competitions, making mystery quilts and are currently planning their 2020 quilting retreat. A retreat is a three day ‘quilt-in’ where they spend time quilting and helping each other while they share comradery and several meals together.
The group’s current charity project is to make children’s dresses for young girls around the world. They are supporting the Dress a Girl Around the World program of the Hope 4 Women International, a not for profit 501C3 organization.
Should you wish to learn more about Grafton’s Binding Friends Quilting Group please contact Ms. Anne Kiely via email at; adkiely@aol.com.