Pieces Come Together for the Perfect Afternoon

Jun 7, 2007
By Kat Teraji

One of the most pleasant events I've been to in a long time was the Spring Quilt Show May 19 at the historic Hersman House on Church Street, just off of Monterey and the downtown area. It was a warm spring day, the kind that makes you want to sit on the veranda and sip lemonade in the shade, which is just what many of us did. Members of the Gilroy Branch of the American Association of University Women served cucumber sandwiches and divine lemon drop cookies that melted like liquid sunshine on our tongues. The AAUW displayed beautiful handmade and heirloom quilts, charging a $10 entry fee in order to raise money for scholarships to send young women to college.

More than 100 quilts were displayed inside and out. It was quite a treat to have the opportunity to tour the inside of this private 1917 historic Craftsman home, a perfect setting for displaying antique quilts. Many quilts at the show were made by the cooperation of more than one person, such as "Indian Summer," which was crafted in fabric colors of goldenrod, raw sienna, brick, and turquoise. It seemed almost three-dimensional. I would have sworn I could touch the pieces of turquoise jutting out of the fabric if I had gone up close enough. It was pieced by our hostess, Bonnie Colbert, but quilted by Noni Gamino, and displayed by owner Mary Cook.

Using the sewing machine as an art tool, these quilters conjured imagination. My favorites included a quilt made with fabric that looked like stained glass, and "Fish Bowls," which gave the impression of looking directly into many rows of fish bowls all at once.

Suzanne Barrett of San Martin talked about sitting under a quilting frame as a kid. "It was an honor when the older women allowed the younger ones to iron the little strips of cloth for the quilts they were making," she said. Women would talk about what was going on in their lives as they worked together on quilting projects, and this is still true of the many local quilting groups in our area. But don't be deceived - the women who meet as "Seam Rippers," "Piece By Piece," or "Bobbin Babes" are engaging in more than quaint old-fashioned tradition. They are each others' outlet, therapy, support, and advisory committee. When they share common threads, they are quilting more than mere squares of fabric - they are quilting strong bonds with each other.

Every quilt has a story, and the one that moved me most was scientist Margie Enger’s red and aqua polka-dotted and flowered quilt in a traditional fan design. It reminded me of my grandmother’s beautiful quilts. She was a farmer’s wife who lived in Oklahoma from 1906-1986. She used whatever scrap pieces were left over from sewing clothes for her family. Each square held a memory: “That’s the dress I wore at Easter when I was 5!” my mom would exclaim at the sight of a light green patch, or “There’s your grandpa’s work shirt,” when she came across a rougher denim square. Her quilts were always a plethora of patterns, colors, and designs - a hundred memories all woven together.

Margie’s quilt had this story pinned to it: “The original quilt was hand-pieced by my great aunt. She was mentally handicapped, and her role on my great grandparents’ dairy farm in Baron, Wisc., was to make quilt tops. During the Depression in the 1930s, my grandmother and Aunt Mabel would quilt the tops and sell them. My grandmother gave my mother this top in the 1950s. The top was found in the ‘90s, stored in a chest. I sent the top to my Great Aunt Emma in Wisconsin. She found a younger woman (in her 80s) to add the navy borders and back, and then hand quilt the layers.”

There is wisdom to be gleaned from quilters: when life gives you scraps, make quilts! And this saying can be applied to more than just quilt-making: “To quilt is human - to finish divine.” The AAUW not only pieced together a beautiful show and the creation of one of Gilroy’s most enjoyable spring afternoon events, but made it a benefit for a good cause as well. I hope they will consider hosting a repeat of this successful event next year.

Jun 28, 2007
 By Kat Teraji

This week’s mail made me think about how it seems like mainstream movies, TV shows and news programs focus all too often on stories of women and children being abused, raped, or murdered by men. It can be easy to forget that while the majority of violent offenders in our society are male, they only represent the behavior of a very tiny percentage of the overall population of American men. Most men, like my husband, are busy pursuing far more peaceful hobbies and projects, taking care of their families, helping others, working their way through the tasks their wives have assigned them on their “honey do” lists - and easing the negative effects of wind turbulence at quilt shows.

A reader brought it to my attention that in my recent column on the American Association of University Women's Quilt Show (6/7), a fund-raiser for women’s scholarships, I neglected to mention the important role that men played in the event. Richard and Bonnie Colbert, owners of the historic house where it was held, wrote to tell me more about what went on behind the scenes.

“The AAUW members, aka ‘worker bees’ worked so hard to get the event together. So many members were involved and all worked very hard … including several spouses of the AAUW members,” Bonnie wrote. We needed some STRONG and energetic men to do the really dirty work, i.e., assembling the quilt stands and securing them to the ground with tent stakes in case of ‘wind turbulence.’ And, they were available all day in case we needed assistance.”

Later in the afternoon, wind turbulence did kick up and knocked over one of the very tall quilt frames. I was surprised to see how quickly several men appeared and rushed over to stabilize the quilts. At the end of the day, the men could be seen carefully disassembling everything.

Bonnie also praised the “KC” aka the Kitchen Crew, for being so adept at working under the adverse conditions of a small and old kitchen. “As the owner of this fine home, I do love my funky old kitchen (circa 1950s perhaps) but the space limitations are challenging. That did not deter the KC from doing a fabulous job of assembling the luncheon items for the guests.”

“The money we raised will provide at least two scholarships for young and reentry women,” Bonnie reported. “Two weeks later we had our annual garage sale and added to the scholarship fund. Again, very labor intensive by a very devoted group of women and their spouses. We hope to encourage women with AA, AS, BS, BA and other college degrees to join our AAUW Gilroy Branch. It is a lot of fun and we have many creative and wonderful women to encourage pursuing educational goals and also help future generations of women to pursue their dreams.”

Kat Teraji
Kat Teraji is communications coordinator for a large non-profit organization that benefits women and children. Her column appears every Thursday in the Take 2 section of the Dispatch.