Things We Do~

Service Quilts - The Service Quilt committee makes quilts for donations. These are quilts of all different sizes and designs.  We have given quilts to be used in fundraising raffles, to the Women's Shelter, to the Arts Council, to the hospital for children's beds, and to people who have lost family members or experienced other tragedies or illnesses.  We've also given quilts to celebrate the happy times such as the birth of a baby or retirement. Often, at the "All Day Sew" service quilts are created.

Recently, Frances Sandin reported that 16 quilts are being made by 11 members.  Nineteen are available for distribution.  A recap of the number of quilts given:  as of April 1, 2008 8; in 2007 – 20; in 2006 – 24. We currently are contributing quilts for fund-raising by Brother Francis Shelter, Hope Cottages, Kodiak Women’s Resource Center and VFW.

Service Projects: During the summer of 2008, the Wounded Warrior Project of the Elk's club brought veterans to town, and the Guild provided lunchtime meals for the visitors. Another activity that the Guild began in 2007 as a part of service to others, is tocollect scraps, notions, patterns, extra material or batting for encarcerated women at the Highland Correctional Center in Anchorage. There, some of the inmates have learned to quilt and have created items for needy families and agencies throughout the state of Alaska. During 2007 this group made over 700 quilts from donated materials. For more information on their sewing program, contact Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, Eagle River; 907.694.9511.

All-Day Sew: a time when members gather together and sew; learning to make a new pattern, get help finishing a project, or work on Service quilts. This is also a time for members to relax, visit and get to know one another better, and gather ideas and share. Held at the Bayside Firehall once per month, usually the last Saturday of each month, quilters bring their sewing machines, thread, scissors and projects etc. any time during the day, usually from 9am to 5pm.

Quilt Retreat: During one weekend in late April, interested members go to Port Lions and spend 3 days sewing. Sometimes there is a theme, sometimes it's just a time to finish up UFOs, it is always a great deal of fun.

Library - While the guild no longer maintains its own library, we donated our inventory of these publications to local libraries so they would be accessible to the public as well as guild members. Look up their online catalogs for quilt books: A. Holmes Johnson Memorial Public Library and the Carolyn Floyd Library at Kodiak College.

Teachers - The Guild hosts sewing classes several times during the year. Often, members provide the instruction with help from other members. In 2008 there were 2 classes offered by local talent, a Garden Twist class with Tempe Berestoff and an applique class with Becky Applebee. and The guild occasionally brings in experienced quilting teachers from other parts of Alaska and the lower 48 states. In January, 2008, the Guild hosted Brenda Henning, an author of numerous quilting books. Brenda is an Alaskan who describes herself as " a compulsive quiltmaker with a fondness for traditional design and a desire to incorporate today's speed-piecing techniques with yesterday's well-loved patterns" (from her website). She held classes on a small project and border and binding techniques January 18-19, 2008. See photos of past classes below.