By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
MOCKSVILLE ó When members of the Davie Quilters Guild get together for a project, they mean business.
Shortly after setting up cutting boards and electric sergers to make blankets at the Davie County Senior Center recently, they had an assembly line going. They worked fast and efficiently and seemed to have a great time in the process.
At one table, members paired two pieces of fleece fabric to make fringe-trimmed blankets. Ann Cline was using a guide to cut fringe when she said, “Oh, you know what we didn’t do? We didn’t cut out our 4-inch corners.”
The last time the guild made blankets for the national Project Linus: Providing Security Through Blankets ó which distributes them to infants and children in some type of need or crisis ó Cline took all the 4-inch corners home and made a quilt out of them.
“It had every color under the rainbow in it,” said Kevin Wilden, who heads up Project Linus chapters in Iredell, Davie and Alexander counties with his wife, Kim.
They’re in the process of starting a chapter in Rowan County.
Kevin Wilden said Davie Quilters Guild members buy their own material. “They donate everything,” he said, “and they did the same thing last year.
“They come up with some of the prettiest fleece.”
Guild members made about 30 quilts last year and had enough fleece and flannel on hand to make that many more.
Stacks of coordinated printed and solid fleece were spread across a table in the spacious multi-purpose room for members to make into blankets.
A table over, Chris Vogler of Winston-Salem and Erin Davis of Clemmons were making flannel blankets. They rolled the hem around the fabric and sewed it with sergers. Vogler said they use fray check liquid to keep the end threads from unraveling.
“Once this dries, we’ll cut that off,” she said of the end thread on the infant blanket she had just completed.
Last year’s blankets went to the Mocksville Police Department to give to infants and children in crisis or need. This year’s blankets were going to the Davie County Department of Social Services and Storehouse for Jesus to distribute.
Betty Niblock of Cool Springs brought a quilt she made at home to donate.
Grace Anderson of Statesville and Jinny Leagans of Mocksville rotated between helping with the flannel blankets and the fleece ones.
Niblock said the blanket project is a great thing to do. “It makes me so happy,” she said.
Wilden chimed in, “It definitely makes me happy. It makes the little kids happy, too.”
Guild members talked and laughed while they worked.
“She’s an oldie but a goodie,” said Connie Barnette of Harmony about fellow member Betty Gantt of Statesville. “I’m a newbie. I’ve only been here a year.”
Barnette secured the fleece fringe with a square knot. “Right over left, left over right,” she said.
By the time Guild Vice President Sue Seaford arrived, members had several blankets completed.
Cline said the fringe blankets can be made with one layer of fleece, “but they’re just not nearly as snuggly.”
“This is a good project for people who do not sew,” she said, “because you do not have to sew to do them.”
Gantt said she likes to make the fringe blankets because it keeps her awake while her husband is watching television.
“I can do this and watch the ballgame or race,” she said. “I feel like I’m accomplishing something.”
Barnette said she’s addicted to making the fringe. She’ll be somewhere, she said, and think, “Oh God, I’ve got to fringe. I’ve got to get home and cut some.”
She compared the satisfaction she gets from making fringe to popping bubble wrap.
Gantt said she buys fleece for her grandchildren to make fringed blankets. “It’s a wonderful project for them,” she said.
Grandchildren were a hot topic with this group.
Barnette said her grandson “thinks I’m a cool granny because I pack a gun and I drive a four-wheeler.”
Kevin Wilden did a lot of listening and laughing as the ladies worked. “This is a fun group,” he said.
Leagans agreed. “It’s a great group of people,” she said.
The Davie Quilters Guild meets the third Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the Davie County Senior Center at 278 Meroney St. in Mocksville. A $10 annual membership fee covers the cost of projects and programs.
The topic of the May meeting coming up Monday night is making quilts from feed sacks.
Anyone interested in doing a blanket project in Rowan or helping with the Project Linus chapter can contact Kim or Kevin Wilden at 704-878-2909 for more information. To read more about Project Linus, log on to its Web site at www.projectlinus.org.
Contact Kathy Chaffin at 704-797-7683.