On the Town: Quilting groups commit to 12-hour sewing session
The quilters department of the Glendale Women’s Athletic Club recently joined the Glendale Quilt Guild on a 12-hour quilt-a-thon at the athletic organization’s clubhouse.
A few members arrived at 8:30 a.m. to set up sewing stations. Others came at 9 a.m., machines in tow, to begin cutting fabric into squares and sewing them together to make the top layer of a handful of guilts.
Some stayed throughout the day, while others popped in after work. Many brought sandwiches and snacks for lunch and dinner breaks.
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About 30 quilters total worked on quilts that will be donated to the Seven Stars Foundation, which provides a weeklong camp experience for children of military-service members including the fallen, wounded, active, retired, deployed and reservists.
The foundation also provides those in the military with financial, emotional and educational assistance.
The quilting event was coordinated by the Glendale Quilt Guild’s Loving Hands group, the philanthropic division of the guild, said chair Tina Curran. Members usually sew quilts for family and friends, but this group puts together quilts for charities such as retirement homes, domestic violence shelters and an Alzheimer’s study program at UC San Diego.
The Seven Stars Foundation is dedicated to seeing that children of military parents ages 7 to 17 receive a camp experience, and its members have requested that the group make quilts for children attending camp this summer.
“One of the things they want is a quilt to give campers when they greet them on the first day that they will use during the week and then take home with them,” Curran said. “Our guild has pledged to make 25 quilts, so tonight we will make 15 in this pattern and then make the other 10 in a different pattern.”
The colorful fabrics feature designs synonymous with camping, such as s’mores or hot dogs.
In each quilt, there is one background fabric and 80 novelty fabrics, and there will be another fabric on the back of the quilt. It takes 20 to 30 hours to complete a quilt.
All the material has been donated for the project, said Peggy Schiffman, of San Marino.
“It’s so exciting to see a room filled with women sewing up scraps to make something lovely that is going to be appreciated,” she said.
Craig Coleman, of La Verne, was the only male member of the Glendale Quilt Guild participating in the quilt-a-thon. There are four men in the guild, he said.
Coleman started at around 8:30 a.m. setting up the sewing tables.
He’s been a member of the quilt guild for three years. His sister, Kathi Coleman Wilson, invited him to join. Their mother had a quilt shop in Fallbrook and when she passed away, the siblings shared the fabrics. Coleman owns a long-arm machine that makes quilting the fabrics together easier.
Members of the quilters department invites the public to join them at their “quilting bee” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., every Monday at the clubhouse, 600 S. Verdugo Road. Members bring their sewing machines and have plenty of room to stretch out and work.
The Glendale Quilt Guild has for years presented a weekend quilt show and, after taking a hiatus last year, will resume the show on Sept. 22 and 23 in the conference room at the Pasadena Convention Center. More information will be provided in this column as the event draws near.
Giving a gift that keeps on growing
Many years ago, a tree was planted in my honor at Brand Park. It was a gesture of thanks from Glendale Beautiful’s past president, the late Gladys Wymore. Each time I drive through the park gates, I remember that tree and Glendale Beautiful, the organization that implements the donation project each year.
Those interested in giving a relative or friend a long-lasting tribute, can make donations to Glendale Beautiful until Feb. 28. The organization is collaborating with the city of Glendale Community Services and Parks Department on the community Arbor Day observance scheduled for March 7 at the Casa Adobe de San Rafael Park,1313 Dorothy Drive, Glendale.
Roberta Medford, of the Glendale Beautiful committee, said she is proud that Glendale is receiving again this year the Growth Award, denoting more advanced commitment by the city to cultivate the urban forest beyond the Tree City USA certification.
This is the 33rd year that Glendale has received the Tree City USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation, which implements the program in conjunction with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said Jeremy Cawn, arborist technician with the city’s public works department.
Cities earn the Tree City USA certification by meeting four requirements of urban forestry management — maintaining a tree board or department, having a community tree ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and celebrating Arbor Day.
This is the ninth year that Glendale has received the Growth Award, which is earned by achieving a total of 10 points in several categories of urban-forestry activities.
The city earned five points for its first project, to inspect for decay between 700 and 800 mature oak trees in the Verdugo Woodlands neighborhood, which took five months last year. Of the three trees found to have some decay, only one of those, a small tree, needed to be removed.
The second project the city conducted was the inventory and analysis of all the city’s 43,000 street trees, which began in April and completed in December. Glendale earned seven points, two more than what was needed for the Growth Award.
To donate to the Glendale tree-planting project, call Medford at (818) 248-8151.
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JOYCE RUDOLPH can be reached at rudolphjoyce10@gmail.com.