For Mollie Harkness quilting is more than design, colors and beauty -- its about family.
For the first time, Harkness will show a quilt at the Dolores Mountain Quilt Guilds biennial quilt show this Friday and Saturday. On display will be Cats Meow, one of Harkness first big projects since she just started quilting two years ago.
Harkness was finishing up her quilt Tuesday in the back room at the Ponderosa under the watchful eye of her mother Jan Harkness.
Quilting is easy when you have a good teacher, Mollie Harkness said.
When she unrolled her quilt a half dozen ladies, part of the Sew and Sews, a subgroup of the Dolores Mountain Quilt Guild, oohed and ahhed.
My mom taught me how to quilt, Mollie Harkness said. I moved here to be close to her and she is teaching me to quilt.
Jan Harness seems thrilled to pass on the knowledge.
I made my first quilt in 1975, she said. My mother taught me.
So far, Jan is pleased with her daughters work.
She is very meticulous and very good and has a great eye for color, she said.
Judi Swain was also putting the finishing touches on a quilt show entry, a duvet cover she named Dont be a square.
She recently learned how to quilt, she took her first lesson in November of last year.
Quilting takes a passion for textiles, design, geometry and lots of patience, Swain said.
On Tuesday, Swain was thrilled to be putting the final touches on her piece with a 1955 vintage Singer Featherweight, something she just purchased because it was light enough to take to the Sew and Sews group.
They are the most wonderful machines. They sew like a dream, Swain said.
Janice Richardson was working on a hand appliqueed quilt Tuesday, something she said might not be seen until the next quilt show in two years.
Richardson has been quilting since 1992.
I like everything about quilting, she said. I like to buy the fabric. I like to cut it apart and put it back together.
She also enjoys the company.
I love the camaraderie. Its good to get together, she said.
The Dolores Mountain Quilt Guild meets monthly on the first Tuesday of each month at 9:45 a.m. at the Dolores Community Center. For more information, visit doloresmountainquilters.org or 882-2191.
Over 100 quilts will be on display at the Dolores Community Center, admission will cost $3. The Quilt Guild focuses on members artistry, continuing quilting education and contribution to local charities in the form of donated quilts to those in need, group creation of quilts for raffles and cash donations to local nonprofits. In addition, the group makes 80 plus handmade and stuffed Christmas stockings for area needy children, for a total of 320 to date.
Also at the show will be a quilt raffle.