The Women’s Advisory Council of the St. Bernards Development
Foundation will host its fifth annual Threads of Life Quilt and Fiber Art Show on May 5-6 at St. Bernards
Auditorium, 505 East Washington Ave.
Hours the 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 5, and 1 to
4 p.m. on May 6.
The Women’s Advisory Council, Sew E-Z Quilt
Club, St. Bernards Senior Services and St. Bernards Village have worked
together to coordinate the event.
The guest quilter will be contemporary fiber
artist Barbara Shapel from Washougal, Wash. Shapel began her fiber arts career
by making her clothes in her school years. She continued to explore other art
media, including embroidery, photography and stained glass. In 1993 she began
her quest into the world of quilting and fiber arts.
Shapel is an award-winning quilter, and her
work is in many private collections and has appeared in shows in various
locations in the Northwest part of the United States.
Also on hand will be Jim Gatling, artist,
quilter and teacher who has been quilting for more than 35 years. He has taught
art, stitchery and quilting in the Arkansas public school system for 30 years.
Now
retired from public schools, he teaches art part time at Sacred Heart Catholic
Schools. Gatling is the only quilting teacher sanctioned by the Arkansas State
Department of Education. He will be sharing his love and passion for quilts by
having 30 “scrappy pieced” quilts from his collection on display during the
show.
There
will be two opportunities for demonstration, teaching and hands-on activities.
The first project will be sewing fabric strips into quilt blocks, and
Gatling will be on hand to assist with this project. Sew E-Z Quilt Club will
take the finished blocks and make quilts for charity.
The second activity will be knitting baby caps
for the neonates in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Bernards Medical
Center. Supplies and materials will be provided for both projects.
This year’s community education emphasis will
showcase the resources available through St. Bernards Senior Services. From
health care to housing and from caregiver training to personal enrichment,
these programs are tailored to the individual.
The
programs are geared toward persons age 55 and up and encourage independence to
whatever level the client is capable. Representatives of these departments will
be available to answer questions relating to senior care.
A quilt will be given away during the show.
Members of the Sew E-Z Quilt Club made the “scrappy-pieced” quilt from Civil
War reproduction fabrics, and Ann Davis did the quilting.
There will also be a silent auction open to
show attendees. The proceeds of the activities will benefit the Flo and Phil
Jones Hospice House.
Nancy Chrisman, event chairwoman, encourages
anyone who is interested in entering their quilts in the show to contact her.
Quilts do not have to be made by the person entering them in the show.
For further information such as guidelines and
quilt entry forms, visit the St. Bernards Foundation website, www .stbernardsfoundation.org/view/173.