No one confessed to having a birthday, so no song was sung.

The optimist welcomed four guest. The secret handshaker was Wendell Boesch who picked Tom Ganz as best handshaker.

Chuck Hinkle announced that Homer Erickson was the winner of last week's contest. This weeks contest was given by Homer Erickson.

Raffle winners were Homer Erickson, Bonnie Godby and Jan Ermel.

PROGRAM: Ruth Wasmuth of Common Thread Quilting Guild. Introduced by Optimist Jan Ermel.

Ruth Wasmuth works at National Group as a graphics designer. She is president of the Common Thread Quilting Guild, and is apparently a quilter’s consultant extraordinaire. While showing one of her handmade quilts, she describes quilting as tearing up fabric and put it back together. There are 3 layers to a quilt: the top, the (inside) batting, and the backing. The ‘quilting’ is actually in the stitching pattern chosen for each quilt. Why quilt? Some do it out of the necessity for a finished piece, some for pleasure, and some as a distraction from life’s challenges.

The guild was started in 1997, borne out of the Old Tippecanoe Quilt Guild. Members often travel to various quilting events. For example, a small group recently joined 86 quilters in Shipshewana for a Thursday & Sunday quilters’ affair. Quilting is necessarily somewhat costly for equipment, materials, and time.  Over those four days, those 86 seamstresses spent an estimated $31,000!

The guild typically holds two retreats a year just to quilt (as sort of a new-fashioned “hen party”). They also sponsor day camp days and charity days, complete with speakers and demonstration workshops. Last year over 700 quilts were made by the group. While finished quilts are often given as gifts, many are given to charities like quilts for kids to the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, as placemats for Meals on Wheels, and as Christmas stockings that are filled for troops overseas. Very special “Quilts of Valor” are designed for war vets. (Ruth showed a demonstration sample)

As you would presume from the above information, quilts can be big or small; from king size to miniature. Some quilts are quilted by hand, but most are machine quilted.

Ruth had business cards available, and noted that guild dues are only $20/year.  Quilting is her passion, and Paducah, KY is the proclaimed quilt capitol of the world.  (Many other areas of the country like Pennsylvania and Texas are noted quilter havens.

The average hours spent on a quilt varies by design, size, and quilting (threading) method. Ruth spent 36 hours on one product for a magazine, including 13 hours of just quilting. Another one took 50 hours, but was 105 inches square. Most quilts today are made from 100% cotton fabric, while some “crazy quilts” are made by piecing wool scraps.