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Quilting, a rewarding hobby
Theresa Seraphim
for Spotlight
Karen Nielsen had planned to begin quilting as soon as she retired from her job as vice-principal at St. Andrews School.
Then, the attacks on the World Trade Centre occurred, bringing to Nielsen a message about the importance of seizing the moment.
“After 9/11, I thought you should never wait to do something you want,” says Nielsen, who then joined the High Prairie Quilt Guild.
Being craft-oriented was nothing new for Nielsen.
“I’ve always liked to sew,” she says, adding she had made stuffed animals and other items for her children when they were younger.
However today, her hobby is quilting.
“Quilting is not only my passion but it is also my therapy,” says Nielsen, adding it gives her time to reflect.
The time needed for each project depends on its size and complexity. Since Nielsen has not yet retired, she does not get to constantly quilt, however a lot of her free time in the summer is spent quilting. Some projects have been on the go for a couple of years, while others are finished in one or two evenings. If the project is destined as a gift, there is more urgency to getting it done quickly.
Momentary appeal is the deciding factor for Nielsen’s projects, when choosing patterns and fabric.
“If I see something and I like it, I’ll do it,” she explains.
“I use a variety of patterns, and I favour a lot of kits which contain patterns.”
Nielsen may use whatever scraps of fabric are lying around, but more often she works with collections of fabric in which the colours come together into a theme.
‘I find if I go with a collection, the colours will match.”
Nielsen already has a pattern in mind for the quilt she’s making for this year’s guild quilt show in October, which has a Western theme.
“I’m looking for fabric that will go with it,” she said, adding she buys fabric wherever she finds it.
Any quilt that hasn’t previously been displayed can be entered into the show, slated for St. Andrew’s School gym and during which two quilts and one duffel bag will be raffled off.
The 35-member guild also offers sewing days and retreats, allowing members to get input from one another, and guild meetings have a “drag and brag” time during which members bring finished projects to show off, says Nielsen.
“You get a good feeling not only for what you have done, but what others have done as well.”
Nielsen follows this procedure: after picking out the pattern, she gets the fabric or collection, and then cuts out the pieces according to the pattern.
“Then, I sit down and sew,” she says.
Being an avid quilter, of course it means having the right tools; Nielsen has two machines, one for home and another, more compact one she brings to courses and retreats.
After the blocks of fabric are sewn, Nielsen arranges them on the floor.
“I usually lay them out by rows until I’m happy with what I see,” she explains.
“Then you start sewing everything together.”
This includes adding a border (a process called sashing) and measuring the batting and the backing.
Nielsen then takes the quilt to a friend who has a long-arm quilting machine, who puts the stitches in the fabric and sends it back to Nielsen, who trims the edges and sews the binding on.
Willier puts the stitches in the fabric and sends it back to Nielsen, who trims the edges and sews the binding on.
Willier said as far as she knows, she’s the only one in the area with a long-arm machine.
“Most people don’t (have one) because they’re very, very large and very, very expensive,” says Willier, adding an up-to-date, computerized machine can cost as much as $35,000.
Those machines can basically be set to the particular pattern and left to sew it, but because Willier’s is older, and she has to do bobbin and thread changes, she has to remain nearby once its laser is set and it begins to work. Her machine weighs 65 pounds; the newer ones, says Willier, are lighter.
“My machine is 24 years old, but it works good,” she says, adding those who have computerized machines are so popular they have long waiting lists.
“They’re going day in and day out (with quilting).”
The time needed on the machine varies, as well, depending on the size of the project and the density of the pattern, says Willier.
“An easy pattern on a king-sized quilt would probably be about four hours, but it varies,” she says.
A sense of accomplishment accompanies the finishing of the quilt, she says.
“Once it’s completed, you can see the results of your efforts.”
Nielsen has traveled widely and seen many, many beautiful projects.
“It’s mind-boggling to see the work that’s been done.”
Willier stresses that people who may raise their eyebrows at the price of a quilt may not realize the time, effort and money that have gone into the project.
“Quilting isn’t really a cheap hobby.”
Nielsen says the guild also makes comfort quilts for those being treated for cancer and is doing a pillowcase challenge, where those products will be given to the Sucker Creek women’s shelter and the Youth Assessment Centre in High Prairie. Members have also made blankets for premature babies at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Grande Prairie.
“We’re doing good not just for ourselves but for others in the community. You know you’re doing something very worthwhile,” says Nielsen.
“I think it’s important and it’s good to help someone in their time of need. A little thing can make a difference.”
Nielsen says some of the guild’s members have moved away, but keep up their membership.
“It’s a strong bond of women.”
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These are some of the projects that quilter Karen Nielsen has made since she took up quilting in 2001.
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Nielsen said she enjoyed making this wall hanging, especially sewing in the crows.
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Marilyn Willier sets her long-arm machine to sew. Willier’s machine is 24 years old but still works well for her.
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