It’s getting to be the time of year when we pull out the winter coats, blankets, and hopefully some beautiful handmade quilts. On Nov. 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., three Gorham residents will participate as members in the Cobblestone Quilter’s Holiday Market at the Woodford Club, 179 Woodford Street in Portland. There they will display and sell quilts they have made throughout the year.
The marketplace event is the club’s annual fundraiser, and includes quilted items, a quilt raffle, fabric sale, bake sale, and craft vendors. Whether you’re a quilter, a prospective quilter, or just someone who enjoys the warmth of a beautiful handmade quilt, this marketplace would be a great place for you to visit.
Debbie Stirling of Gorham said, “The use of color, the precision piecing of fabric pieces, and having a finished product that could be used to enhance one’s living space and/or keep one warm appealed to me.” She has been a member of the Cobblestone Quilt Chapter for six years, and before that, she attended the club’s annual Quilter’s Getaway as a guest every year beginning in 1990, but has been quilting for 40 years.
Stirling already knew how to sew when she discovered quilting. Equipped with a domestic sewing machine and 100% cotton quilting fabric, she gives her quilts away to friends, family, and charity, and sells them in her Etsy shop. And yes, some are also displayed and enjoyed at home.
Camille Rowe of Gorham has been a member of the Coblestone Quilt Chapter for 2 years, but has been quilting off and on for over 40 years. She also sews clothes and other household items. She started quilting when her daughters were babies as a creative outlet. Though she did quilting over the years, she didn’t get back into it regularly until she retired.
In addition to fabrics and batting, Rowe sometimes uses embellishments like buttons or embroidery. She has a couple of sewing machines and a serger. “I also quilt by hand using my grandmother’s wooden quilt frame, or a smaller round frame to stretch the quilt and make it easier to sew.”
Susan Kelley of Gorham has been a member of the chapter since 2021 after meeting a Cobblestone member at a quilt retreat in Bar Harbor but has been quilting for over 50 years. “My grandmother made quilts and the raggedy one I used as a child was well-loved. My husband loved them too and saw an adult ed class on quilting and signed me up- also bought me a sewing machine that year for Christmas,” said Kelley.
Kelley says those who visit the Marketplace “will become inspired by the quilted gifts, table runners, bags to create their own art as the concepts of creating a quilt can be used in fabric sculpture, landscape wall hangings and painting to express your unique outlook on life.
“And your purchases help us afford to make more quilts for all the charities (Quilts of Valor, Maine Needs and Opportunity Alliance to name a few) in our communities that benefit from our work.”
Then she added, “I would also be interested in designing a class for young boys and girls to help keep this historical art form alive. Kids just naturally love to create.” Let’s keep this conversation going.
After meeting these three women, one thing stands out that quilters seem to have in common is that quilts should be given away to family, friends, and people in need. You don’t have to be a quilter to share that value. You just have to check out their marketplace, on Nov. 15, enjoy their work, and do some shopping.