Fun, Fellowship & Quilting with the TobiCrafters

Posted On January 15, 2014

We post a number of public service announcements in the Blackfly, and we always include a little notice to tell folks about the times and dates of the TobiCrafters Quilting Bees. I didn’t know anything about the group….but I was curious so I contacted Beatrice Lockhart to find out more.
I learned that the TobiCrafters would be beginning a new quilt project at their very next meeting and that I was certainly welcome to come check it out!
 
The quilting group meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 am at the Anglican Church Hall on West Riverside Drive in Andover.
 

Six ladies showed up to begin the new quilt. Marlene Christophersen, the club president, brought a queen sized quilt top that she had sewn on a machine at home. This will be hand quilted by the group members until the quilt is finished.
The pattern Marlene used for this quilt is a classic Stars motif, done in pretty shades mauve and pink. Quilt tops are sewn on a machine so they will be more durable and washable, the actual quilting stitches that are seen will be done by hand.
 

To begin the project required setting up the quilting frame to work on. This frame was made by Bob DeMerchant of Upper Kintore, and I soon learned that erecting the frame and attaching the quilt is the most labour-intensive part of the whole job!
 

Setting the frame up required a little bit of wrestling, but it was soon in place. Next, the quilt back is fastened to the frame by pinning it along its edges to the hanging fabric strips.
Starting in the middle of one side and working outward to prevent puckering, the entire back is attached to the frame all the way around, and then drawn taut to work on.
 

Next the batting is laid, then the quilt top is centered and smoothed down over the batting. The quilters then baste around the entire perimeter to hold everything in place so the actual quilting can begin.
 

At this point also a template was used to trace a diamond design around the perimeter for stitches on this quilt, plus the individual stars within the quilt blocks will be stitched around.
Now the frame can be lowered to a height to be worked at while seated, and the quilters break out their weapons!
 

This was fascinating to watch, and I gained a real appreciation for the hours of work involved in making a quilt. Even with several ladies meeting twice a week to stitch, this quilt will take several weeks to complete.
 

This is also why hand made quilts can command what might seem to be a hefty price. You may have seen hand sewn quilts offered for sale at what appears to be bargain prices at big box stores or through online outlets.

Be aware that these inexpensive imported quilts are being made by what amounts to slave labour in third world factories.
 

The TobiCrafters group first began meeting back in the 1950’s. It originally began as a forum for creating, discussing and displaying various crafts projects once a month.
It became a quilting guild in 1960 and has been meeting regularly ever since.
 

The Anglican Church generously allows the group to work on projects in the meeting room. As you can see, a quilting frame takes up quite a bit of space! Quilting is a time consuming process, so having a convenient meeting place where the frame can remain set up is extremely handy and welcome.
To express their gratitude, the group makes an annual donation to the church. The room is very nice, and features four beautiful panels that were painted by Violet Gillette.
 

The TobiCrafters primary purpose is to provide quilts to fire victims. They also occasionally sell quilts to help to finance the guild and purchase quilting supplies.
The group will quilt a project for you if you make the top and provide the necessary supplies. Prices will vary depending on the complexity of the design. Marlene also has several quilts already made that are available to purchase….give her a call for more information at 273-2597.
 

There are 15 current members in the group, and the ladies would love to see new members join. Many hands make for light work!
They work on each other’s quilt projects, and special rates are available for guild members.
If you would like to join the group, or visit a quilting session, call Beatrice at 273-6906 or Carolyn at 273-3791 to learn more.
 

As I watched this process unfold, we chatted about the history of quilts, traditional designs and the meaning of patterns.
As we’ve discovered that Carlingford was part of the Underground Railroad, the topic of the so-called “Quilt Code” came up, and I decided to do a bit of research on this as a companion article to this little story.
What I discovered surprised me. Turns out that the Quilt Code was a bit of ingenious marketing romance!