Q&A: Catching Up With the Champlain Valley Quilt Guild (2024)

Since 1979, the Champlain Valley Quilt Guild has been promoting quilting and connecting crafters in Chittenden County. The nearly 100-member group — one of about 20 quilt guilds across the state — gathers monthly and has made hundreds of quilts for various charities over the years.

The guild's biennial show, "Seams Like Spring," will be held April 26 through 28 at the Holy Family Parish Center in Essex Junction. More than 100 quilts will be displayed, and a lucky raffle winner will take home a quilt.

Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger met up with guild members when they gathered at a Burlington home ahead of the show. A longarm quilting machine took up much of the room, and Sollberger was allowed to give it a whirl. The quilters worked on next year's raffle quilt and shared their passion for the craft.

Sollberger spoke with Seven Days about filming the episode.

What drew you to the quilt guild?

I've covered lots of crafters over the past 17 years, but I've never covered quilters. So when I heard about the guild's upcoming show from a member, I wanted to know more. I inherited a lot of colorful quilts that were handmade by my grandmother Margaret and great-grandmother Louise. I was never able to learn about quilting from them, so this seamed (forgive the pun!) like the next best thing.

It's interesting that quilts are signed like works of art.

Many modern quilters sign their works and also include the date, who it was made for and where it was made. I really wish my family members had done that on the quilts I inherited. But it's not too late. Guild members advised me to add origin info to the quilts, as much as I can, ahem, piece together. (Sorry!)

My favorite quilt was made by my grandmother and her mother when she was in her seventies. You can see the sections that my great-grandmother did because the stitches are larger. It is a happy pattern with colorful butterflies edged in black thread. My grandmother did the more intricate hand-stitching; I can't believe how small and tidy her stitches are. I treasure this quilt, even though it needs some TLC.

What surprised you about quilting?

Modern quilting is surprisingly high tech! My family members did much of their sewing by hand. My great-grandmother worked by the light of oil lamps. It was tedious and time-consuming. These days, many quilters use machines, like the longarm quilting machine, that enable them to be efficient and fast. Initially, there was a stigma against using machines, but the guild members told me that is pretty much gone now. I bet my granny would have loved these new gadgets!

Some lucky person will win a quilt in this year's raffle.

Yes, the quilt being raffled off is called "Geese and the Lilies." You can see two guild members holding it up in the first minute of the video. I also got to see a preview of next year's raffle quilt, called "Sunset Serenity." Guild members work on these projects together and use the proceeds from the raffle to pay for speakers and workshops. They also post photos of the happy winners on the guild's Facebook page.

Tell us how these quilts come together.

I learned that quilts generally have three layers: The top layer is the pattern, soft batting fills the center, and all three layers are held together by lines of stitching. Finally, you sew binding along the edges of the quilt to make it look neater.

The guild members showed me many steps of quilt making during my visit. Catherine Symchych, Joann Frymire and Nancy Suarez were piecing together next year's raffle quilt and sewing the top layer using a pattern. Marti DelNevo was free-motion quilting a charity blanket using the longarm machine. She even let me take a turn, which was a lot of fun. Luckily, there was no pressure because they removed the thread for my joyride. Sue McGuire was hand-stitching the binding of another quilt. Karen Abrahamovich was ripping out the stitches on her quilt of America so she could make some changes.

What do you think is the enduring appeal of this craft?

There is something very comforting about being with a group of women who are crafting. I think of my family members who were quilters but also of all the women throughout history who gathered to work on projects like this. Quilting started as a way for women to use leftover fabric pieces to create something beautiful in their homes. Then it fell out of favor as consumer goods became easier to purchase. I think, in this age of technology, we see the value in these old art forms and appreciate the time spent together.