When I started the Christmas “Nutcracker Ballet” wall hanging in January, 2015, using Sunbonnet Sue as my main character, Emily Cole, a talented quilter in the Ocean Wave Quilters’ Guild, received a jolt to her creativity and started her own Sunbonnet Sue project.
Emily has a niece who lives in London. The niece has a little 2½ year old girl named Scarlett Ava Fitzgerald. Since Fitzgerald gives her a Scottish heritage, Emily has dressed Sunbonnet Sue as a Scottish lassie complete in the traditional Fitzgerald plaid costume. Emily has spent the last nine months designing this lassie in many costumes and circumstances to entertain the little one for many years to come. This is truly an heirloom quilt for the Fitzgerald family made for them by their loving Aunt Emily.
When I started the Ocean Wave Quilters’ Guild in 2003, Emily Cole was my choice for the first President. She kept the group going and helped to get many Hospice quilts made those first years. The Guild has 40 members now. They have made hundreds of Hospice quilts in the past twelve years. Their efforts for making the Heart Pillows for Hospice every Valentine’s Day at the “Work Your Heart Out Day” at The Plantation, have been phenomenal. They have distributed thousands of these pillows to the Hospice Centers of North Florida.
Anyone wishing to help with these worthy projects should attend an Ocean Wave Quilters Guild meeting the 2nd Friday of any month at 10:00 0 12:00 at the Players Community Center on Landrum Lane off Hwy 210 behind the Shell station.
Ones of you who are working on the Sunbonnet Sue Christmas project should be encouraged to finish the “Nutcracker Ballet” wall hanging before Christmas. I, for one am taking my project with me on a trip. I shall work on it while traveling. I love to have handwork to do while sitting on a plane or a bus. I meet so many people while doing this. Most ladies can’t resist walking up to me to ask, “What are you making?” This opens the conversation and usually ends up with my encouraging them to take up quilting as a great past time. Several times I have met quilters on cruises who would join me on deck in the afternoon during our days at sea. Quilters are known for their friendliness and love of helping others to learn their art.
Quilting is not known as a craft anymore. It is truly an art form. When you see the excellent quilts that are to be exhibited at “Quilt Fest” in Jacksonville beginning Sept. 24th through Sept. 27th at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center at 1000 Water St., 9:00 – 5:00, you will agree with me on this point.
Hope to see you there! Happy quilting!
