Pieces of art
Even when it’s not abuzz with the seasonal hues of busy student activity, East Elementary is a picture-pretty school. But today, the high-ceiling halls of the historic EES campus are awash in extra splashes of colors, shapes, and patterns, all thanks to the seam-stitching skills of its temporary guests: the Heartland Quilters’ Guild of Cullman.
From the ornately elaborate to the functionally simple, dozens of locally-made quilts are on display at East Elementary today as the guild commemorates its 20th anniversary at its biennial quilting show. Featuring work curated from local guild members, it’s a chance for prizes to be awarded, hours of painstaking labor to be recognized, and — for anyone who’s interested — even for new blood to join the guild’s 50-person group of artful seamsters.
“We welcome all,” says quilter Porsia Anderson, one of the guild’s four co-chairs. “Even if you’re a beginner, there’s a place for you. What I always say is, ‘What one person doesn’t know, another will.’ We’ve got modern quilters and old-fashioned ones, too, and we’ve got quilters of every skill level. Wherever you are with it, there is always somebody in the guild who can help you.”
Newcomers might be surprised at the event’s super-sized scale. Walking into the EES gymnasium today will have a little of the feel of stepping into a fabric-walled museum, with row upon row of bed-sized showpieces offering a taster’s choice between quilting styles that date back more than a century alongside contemporary creations.
The show’s $7 admission price isn’t just for looks, either: it also gets guests access to some pretty nimble-thimbled know-how. Starting at 10 a.m. and continuing through the day, a full slate of demonstrations and sit-down learning sessions will walk participants through the myraid ways you can take a mound of scraps and turn it into something beautiful. and if the quilting bug bites you while you’re there, well…that’s just part of the fun, says co-chair Hazel Ruehl.
“We do it because we love it — it’s just our passion. Really, it’s our hobby!” says Ruehl, noting that even some of the group’s most experienced members found their love of quilting in adulthood — even though, as children, they might’ve grown up watching their family forebears master the delicate art.
“Most of our mothers did quilt at one point or another,“ explains Ruehl, admitting she’s nevertheless among the experienced guild quilters who had to find her own path into the hobby. “Most of us come from rural areas where they had to do stuff like that. Back then, it was a necessity: people couldn’t just afford new things. Now, it’s just fun for us. It is an art, though: That’s something people don’t always understand. and it can get expensive…but it doesn’t have to. Anybody can start and join in, and just get in on it at whatever level they’re most comfortable.”
After kicking off with an activity-filled afternoon on Friday, the “Heartland Has Turned 20” quilt show resumes today starting at 10 a.m. at East Elementary School. Demonstrations and activities will take place throughout the day until the event finally calls it quits — or should we say quilts — at 4 p.m.