Whanganui: Quilters to hold an open day

Cotton On Quilters (from left) Pauline Walton (treasurer), Veronica Davidson (president) and Lesley McFarlane (newsletter editor). The group is holding an open day. Photo / Paul Brooks

Cotton On Quilters are going public with an open day on May 1.

"We just want to encourage new members," says Lesley McFarlane, newsletter editor. Their last open day two years ago resulted in people joining the group.

Cotton On Quilters has been going for more than 30 years, having celebrated the three-decade anniversary at the end of 2018.

They meet regularly at the Masonic Lodge building on the corner of Keith and Dublin streets, where they work on their individual projects, share ideas and techniques, occasionally have speakers, have a show and tell and plenty of social catch-up.
They have demonstrators, sometimes, for a particular technique, enjoy workshops, and a winter favourite is Soup and Sew Days.

"And we have bus trips away," says Pauline Walton, treasurer. Last Saturday there was a quilting show — Rapt in Quilts— at Southward Car Museum on the Kāpiti Coast. Local members attended.

"We went to Stratford three weekends ago," says Lesley. "They had a quilt show up there. We went to Feilding the same weekend: they had a quilt show in the museum down there."

In May there will be a Tote 'n' Gloat in Palmerston North, (tote your quilt down there and show it off) with a guest speaker and a lot of merchants.

While they make quilts for themselves, family and friends, they also make them for charity, says president Veronica Davidson. Wheelchair quilts are specially designed with cut corners that can't get caught in the wheels. Many charities have benefited from the skill of the ladies of Cotton On Quilters.
"We make them because we want to create something," says Pauline, "Whether you've got a home for it or not."

Also on the agenda is a quilting retreat, where members go away for a couple of nights of peace, quiet and quilting.

Next month in Rotorua is the Great NZ Quilt Show over three days and in October is the National Symposium, a Quilting Fiesta in Lower Hutt.

The Details
What: Cotton On Quilters Open Day
When: Saturday, May 1, 10.30am
Where: Masonic Lodge, Dublin St