Great South Bay Quilters build friendships while doing good works

Twenty-five years ago, Mary Ekelund took up quilting in an adult education class and was hooked. But trying to balance the demands of work and raising three children caused the Bay Shore resident to set her needlework aside.

That is, until she joined the Great South Bay Quilters nearly two years ago.

“I always wanted to get back into it,” said Ekelund, 59, about the craft. And now that her three children are grown, the grandmother of two is back at the sewing machine.

Ekelund is one of nearly 50 members of the Great South Bay Quilters, which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. Members of the tight-knit group of female quilters, whose ages range from the mid-40s to the late 80s, share and also learn new quilting techniques during monthly meetings and Saturday workshops from September through June at the Joyce Fitzpatrick Senior Center in East Islip. Their quilted creations run the gamut from coverlets, table runners and tote bags to lap quilts, place mats and coasters for gift-giving and donation to multiple Town of Islip charities and community groups.

“This group is fantastic,” Ekelund said. “It ranges from people who never made a quilt to the people who make masterpieces. And the ones who sew the masterpieces are so kind and helpful. It’s one big family.”

Patchwork tradition

There are roughly 10 million quilters in North America, according to 2022 data by craftindustryalliance.org, a trade group.

The storied craft got its start in this country in the 1600s with settlers who had learned European quilting traditions. Quilts were often austere and made with repurposed scraps of worn or outgrown clothing, which were patched together by hand into a design. Over the years, quilted coverlets not only provided warmth against harsh winters, but also became an art form.

“Art quilters frequently use hand-dyed or painted fabric, and they build a composition from scratch versus following rules or guidelines,” said Kim Eichler-Messmer, associate professor of fiber at Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, and a longtime quilter. “It’s more like how a painter or collage artist might work, but with fabric and sewing instead of paints and brushes.”

No longer considered an antique store staple, quilting enthusiasts say the craft is experiencing a revival among primarily younger generations fueled by the modern quilt movement.

“Modern quilts have lots of background and rely on graphic, sparingly used designs with bold colors that pop,” said Kathie Beltz, a Greenfield, New Hampshire, quilt lecturer, designer and nationally certified judge of quilting. By contrast, she said, traditional quilts “feature a grid of regularly repeating geometric patterns.”

For the most part, the Great South Bay guild’s members favor traditional quilting and stitch classic patterns, such as the log cabin, which represents the American frontier, and the love and marriage-themed wedding ring blocks, often given as wedding or anniversary gifts, said president Joan Dlouhy, 61, of Bay Shore.

Dlouhy explained that traditional quilts enclose an insulated padding between two layers of fabric. The decorative top consists of a patchwork of small pieces of fabric with a solid backing on the underside. All three layers are stitched together either by hand or machine. The binding creates a finished edge to the quilt.

Quilting as ‘therapy’

Guild members say they are passionate about the craft and find sewing quilts to be a “therapy” of sorts. Ekelund, an administrative assistant and church volunteer who converted her son’s former bedroom into a sewing room, says when she begins to stitch, her “blood pressure drops.”

“I’m always nonstop, and it is something I really enjoy and wish I had more time to do,” she said.

Ekelund and other guild members agree that it takes both a mathematical and artistic mind to create quilts, from cutting the fabric to deciding where to insert the pieces to make a pattern. Eichler-Messmer, the professor, said having a good understanding of basic sewing skills and also “knowing how to sew straight lines” are important.

While members maintain that anyone can learn to quilt, they say the hobby can be expensive. Purchasing fabric, supplies and a no-frills sewing machine to stitch a handful of baby quilts, for example, could run a beginner about $500, Dlouhy said.

“There is so much out there that you may want to get,” said Beltz, referring to quilting fabrics and supplies. “You don’t need all the bells and whistles to start. Start with the basics.”

‘Warmth, comfort and love’

The guild — one of a handful of quilting groups on Long Island — was founded in 1983 by charter members Audrey Collins, 86; Lillian Dowling, 99; Ronnie Alber, 85; and former member Gloria Bleidner, all of Islip.

A major thrust of the guild is charitable giving. Each member is required to sew at least one quilt for an annual community service project, said the guild’s community service coordinator, Donna Ketcham.

This year, members donated lap quilts for seniors who use wheelchairs at Momentum at South Bay for Rehabilitation and Nursing in East Islip, and Maria Regina Residence, a senior living community in Brentwood. Baby quilts went to the Family Service League in Central Islip and Mercy Center in Patchogue, which houses homeless pregnant women and mothers.

“Each donation gets delivered with a note that says, ‘We hope your clients can feel the warmth, comfort and love that these quilts contain,’ ” said Ketcham, 76, of Sayville, who is a retired elementary school teacher. “When I sew the quilts I feel I’m putting part of me in them, and hopefully they will make someone’s life a little better.”

But the guild’s giving does not stop there. Members also collaborate on an annual voluntary community service project. This year, they donated nearly 800 quilted tote bags that they filled with toiletries and toys to the social ministry at Saint Patrick Roman Catholic Church of Bay Shore and the Family Service League. The ministry and the Family Service League serve seniors, the homeless and low-income families and individuals. 

Kerri Ostrow, director of the church’s social ministry, said her clients were delighted with the tote bags and that they made them feel “special, cared for and thought about.”

She added, “We are so appreciative of these donations. These are coming from people’s hearts and it shows that someone is thinking about them.”

Over the years, the guild has donated “countless thousands” of quilted items to Town of Islip communities, Dlouhy said.

And when war broke out in Ukraine last year, guild member Gerrie Fitzpatrick, 73, said she was saddened watching the escalating conflict on the nightly news. The Sayville grandmother of three thought that if the guild pitched in to help her complete an unfinished quilt, they could raffle it off and donate the proceeds to a Ukrainian relief fund. When she presented the idea to members at a guild meeting, “everyone wanted to have a part in it,” Fitzpatrick said. “In one week, the quilt was finished and everyone volunteered to sell raffle tickets.”

Within a month, the raffle raised a record $5,200, which was presented to Ivanna Wronskyj, wife of the head priest of the Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Mission in West Islip, the Rev. Victor Wronskyj. The church then donated the funds to the Chernivtsi, Ukraine-based City of Goodness, a nonprofit that supports displaced women and children.

“I had anticipated making only $1,000 on the raffle, so it brought me to tears,” recalled Fitzpatrick, a retired customer service agent. “We made a difference.”

Members agree that their love for the craft and helping others through charitable giving is a common thread that binds them together. In some cases, the bonding has created lifelong friendships within the group.

A few times a year, Dlouhy and other members travel to upstate New York or Pennsylvania for quilting shows and quilt “shop hops,” shopping events sponsored by quilt stores that feature special sales, prizes and raffles.

“We have become good friends over the years,” said Dlouhy of the guild’s members. “They are the most caring and empathetic women I have ever met.”

Added Ketcham: “We are not only sewers and quilters; we are so much more than that.”