82-Lancast«r Famine, Saturday, February 22,1986
Maijorie Miller quilts
treasured family heirlooms
BY BARBARA RADER
Staff Correspondent
CONNEAUT LAKE - A needle,
a thimble, some scraps of thread
and material are all that Marjorie
Miller needs to create a priceless
coverlet, better known as a quilt.
“I’ve been quilting for as long as
I can remember,” said the Con
neaut Lake resident who has
developed skills handed down from
her mother and grandmother.
Since leaving the farm 25 years
ago, Marjorie has devoted many
hours to crafting quilts. Her five
children have each received a pair
of quilts, and her 17 grandchildren
each own one of their grand
mother’s treasured heirlooms.
Next in line to receive examples of
her handiwork may well be her 15
great grandchildren.
If, as the saying goes, a good
quilter takes eight stitches to the
inch, then Marjorie probably
wouldn’t qualify for the title. But
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Marjorie recently completed a quilt of months which in
cludes embroidered flowers. This quilt will be entered in a
number of shows during the year.
rjorie has four quilt tops pieced and will soon start quilting them. Some she will do
herself, while others she will give to the church’s women’s society to quilt for a needy
numerous awards earned in quilt
shows and county fairs offer proof
of her expertise.
Because of the long hours
required to make a quilt, Marjorie
rarely sells her finished products.
Only those who are familiar with
the time required would be willing
to pay a fair price, she says. While
her grandmother quilted for one
cent a yard, Marjorie notes that
today’s going rate is between 32
and 40 cents a yard.
Although in years past, quilting
was a necessity, “Now they’d
rather buy a bedspread or a
blanket,” Marjorie points out. But
anyone who has used a handmade
quilt will attest to the superior
warmth and comfort it provides.
Two time saving devices that
Marjorie employs are a cutting
board and a cutting wheel that
were gifts from her family two
years ago. Another time saver is
the sewing machine that Marjorie
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Marjorie admires the completed Bible History quilt, one of the most time-consuming
quilts she has ever made.
employs for most of her stitching.
Among her favorite patterns are
various designs of stars and the
double Irish chain. Although she
doesn’t care to make embroidered
quilts, she does admit that two
them are among her favorite
creations. One is a patchwork of
blue triangles in a star design. The
idea for this quilt originated during
one of her visits to a quilt show.
Other sources of inspiration in
clude magazines and newspapers.
Marjorie’s favorite quilt is an
embroidered Bible history pattern.
This prestamped design was
acquired from a Garden City,
Missouri, radio station in 1935. The
pattern was purchased for her
invalid sister, who unfortunately
passed away before she had time
to finish it. Marjorie finally
completed the family keepsake in
1973.
The blocks of the quilt include
scenes from the life of Christ, as
well as scenes from both the Old
and New Testaments. All the
embroidery work was done with a
single strand of thread, and the
entire quilt was set in a design of
lavender squares with a quilted
crown and cross.
One of Marjorie’s favorite
pastimes is attending monthly
quilting sessions sponsored by the
Women’s Missionary Service
Commission at the church where
she is a member. Working
together, eight to 10 quilters will
complete a double-size spread in
three to five quilting days. These
quilts are usually donated to
children’s homes or other in
stitutions.
The group has also sent its
handiwork to a town in Ohio where
Intricate embroidery is part of the Bible History Quilt'
Marjorie made. The quilt shows the life history of Christ.
a sale similar to the relief sale held
at the Farm Show Complex is held.
Quilters are always on the
lookout for thimbles, says Mar
jorie, noting that her small,
tapered fingers make finding
suitable thimbles very difficult.
Nor is paying a premium price for
a thimble any guarantee that it will
be durable. One such expensive
thimble developed three holes by
the time Marjorie had finished two
quilts.
One thimble design that Mar
jorie found particularly
fascinating was used by a
Japanese neighbor who came to
her to learn the craft. With its top
end removed, the thimble
resembled a ring. But Marjorie is
quick to point out that a quilter
must be accustomed to pushing the
needle with the side of the finger in
order to use this unique design
safely.
Whatever its design, a thimble
should have good indention so that
the quilter can get a firm grip on _
the base of the needle, says'
Marjorie.
Marjorie intends to take her
Vfamesfead
c tfcies
work with her on a vacation to
lowa later this year with her
daughter. The two plan to con*
plete a quilt during their four to
six-week stay.
The veteran quilter will also be
providing unique Christmas gifts
in the form of her own stamped
quilt patterns.
Marjorie cautions quilt lovers
not to display their prized quilts in
direct sunlight, as the sun will fade
quilts over a period of time.
In addition to her quilting en
terprises, Marjorie also enjoys
crocheting. Each of her grand
children and great grandchildren
owns one or more of her crocheted
items, including mittens, slippers,
doilies and dresser scarfs.
Although Marjorie finds time for
crocheting and gardening, a
needle, some thread and scraps of
material continue to be focal points
in her life. And even though she has
completed her goal of manufac
turing quilts for each of her
children and grandchildren, she
intends to continue crafting family
heirlooms for many years to come.