Reaping what they sew

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Sue Manley turns an early hand-stitched quilt she designed on a bed in her home. The quilt will be showcased in the bed turning at the Harvest of Quilts this weekend at Athens State University. News Courier/Lora Scripps

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September 10, 2010

Piece Makers celebrating Harvest of Quilts at ASU Sept. 17-19

By Lora Scripps lora@athensnewscourier.com The News Courier Fri Sep 10, 2010, 09:40 AM CDT

ATHENS — Members of the Piece Makers Quilting Guild will be reaping what they’ve sewn next weekend as they celebrate a Harvest of Quilts at Athens State University.

The guild is holding its 9th annual harvest, a salute to the timeless tradition of quilting, Sept. 17-19 in the ASU ballroom.

Show times are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 17-18 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 19.

Chairman of the show, Sue Manley, said Harvest of Quilts is a time for members of the guild to share the fruits of their labor.

The quilt show will feature a quilt exhibition, a boutique of items donated by guild members, a silent auction featuring the guild’s work, door prizes given away once an hour and a number of vendors from throughout the region.

“I started quilting more than 20 years ago,” said Manley, a self-taught quilter. “I began quilting when my husband Jim and son Keith went off to Desert Storm. While they were gone, I kept thinking I should really make a quilt.”

She wanted a way to not only take her mind off the war but also commemorate the soldiers’ efforts.

She said her love of quilts also fueled her ambition.

“Shortly after they came back home in May 1992, I had the opportunity to take quilt lessons at Athens University,” she said.

She learned the basics, made a hand-stitched sampler, and the rest is history. She has since made more than 100 quilts. Her quilts range in shape, size and pattern. She said she loves to appliqué and she chooses her colors from fabric reproductions of the 1800s.

“Quilting is too much fun,” she said.

In addition to being a quilter, Manley is a wife, a mother of three, a grandmother of five — with another on the way — and a retiree of The Boeing Company, where she spent many years. However, she still finds time to focus on her affection of quilting. Approximately 70 to 80 other women from the area share the admiration and are also members of the guild, a non-profit organization started in 1991.

A bed turning

Every member shares a common thread. They all have stories wrapped up in their quilts.

Such stories will be featured over the weekend in an anticipated practice called a bed turning. During the bed turning, quilts that have weathered the test of time from the early 1900s to present will be placed on a bed. The history of each quilt will be told as the quilts are turned and showcased just like the pages of a storybook. Lou Ann Schrimsher and Janice Kelley will narrate the bed turning beginning at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sept. 17 and 18 and at 2 p.m. Sept. 19.

“People love the bed turning,” Manley said. “It is a big part of the show.”

Another big part of the event is the People’s Choice Awards. Manley said when attendees come into the show they will receive ballots and have a chance to vote on seven different categories of quilts. Three ribbons will be awarded in each category. There will also be a President’s Choice Award that will be chosen by ASU President Robert Glenn.

“The Harvest of Quilts is great time to showcase our work and share with the community,” Manley said. “This is a way for others to get to know us.”

Admission to the Harvest of Quilts Show is $5. Proceeds will help hire teachers to show guild members different techniques as well as for other needs.

For more information about the quilt show, call 256-777-3218.