Piecemakers Quilt Guild of Central Wisconsin

What are the Piecemakers, and what do they do?

Piecemakers Quilt Guild is a talented group of quilt makers who meet monthly to share their love of the needle arts and to combine their abilities with their giving, compassionate nature. The group currently has about 50-60 members, many of whom head up different various committees, from a Sunshine Committee that brightens the day of any member who is experiencing an illness or family issue, to a Raffle Committee that oversees the construction of the next large quilt project for the show each year.

President Carol presides over the meeting each second Tuesday of the Month at 7 pm at the Zion United Methodist Church in Marshfield. She and the other officers- Ardith, Marijean, and Carol report on various guild commitments and/or news.  The business portion of the meeting typically takes an hour, after which Lisa and Debbie schedule a demonstration or some sort of entertaining game or puzzle, the group breaks for a snack supplied by scheduled groups of members, then the meeting finishes up by 9:00 with show and tell.

At any given time there are a number of projects going on within the guild. Ardith plans and schedules the annual Sleepover night with quilters arriving Friday afternoon and sewing through the night until breakfast is prepared in the morning and machines are packed up and taken back home. Not everyone chooses to stay all night, and some take a time out nap to rejuvenate their creative processes. Reports from participants are always fun to hear, with stories of sleep deprivation silliness.

Ardith also oversees the Production Quilt each year, a large undertaking that usually includes 20-30 members. Each person is assigned one portion of the quilt and has to make enough of that particular block or piece for every participant to get one. All are exchanged and in the end, everyone has all the components to make a wonderful quilt.

Carol works on the mystery quilt handouts each season.  Participating members get clues for specific steps in making a quilt - cutting directions one month, maybe strip piecing the next, without having a clue what the final quilt is going to look like. The last clues have instructions for the final quilt layout and when they are finished the members bring them to a meeting where a viewer's choice prize is awarded. There is a designated area in the Treasures of Tomorrow Quilt Show for the mystery quilts to be hung.

In addition to the above mentioned events the guild provides a valuable charity service in the Marshfield and surrounding community area. Members may donate to any or all of the following:

Lap robes - Made and donated to area nursing homes and respite care centers for the residents, special care is taken to be sure the dimensions are right to fit a person in a wheelchair if necessary.

Neonatal Quilts - The guild also supplies the neonatal department at St Joseph's Hospital with tiny quilts and shrouds. Many members use that opportunity to try a new block or technique, quilting and binding it to size for donation. The shrouds are unquilted soft colored coverlets for burials, even the tiniest little person is remembered.

Hope Lodge - a housing unit for families and patients undergoing treatment at the Clinic or Hospital for Cancer. Many times the distance is too far to travel back and forth, so lodging is provided. The quilt guild provides wall quilts for decoration, and bed quilts for the lodge.

Presentation Quilts - Quilts are made for special occasions such as Habitat for Humanity houses, Ronald McDonald House, families displaced by fire or a natural disaster of some sort. Anyone may work on or donate a quilt or fabrics to use for this purpose.

Disaster Relief - Quilting supplies were sent by the truckload to flooded families in North Dakota, during Hurricane Katrina tote bags were made and filled with personal hygiene supplies and necessary toiletry articles. Some included crayons and coloring books, gifts of money, food treats. Drop offs and pick ups were arranged to ensure the items were delivered.

The above list is only a portion of the community service performed by the Piecemakers Quilt Guild. In addition, they award a scholarship fund each year for traditional and non-traditional students, they support Wisconsin Public Television for promoting quilting programs and in general are willing to use their skills whenever needed for assistance and comfort.

Interested persons are welcome to attend up to 3 meetings to see if they would like to join the guild. Yearly dues of $20 are collected at the September meeting, however quilters may join at any time of the year. Contact a current member at the quilt show for more information.

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