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  • Phone: (714) 871-4115
  • Email:
  • Mailing Address: 114 North Pomona Avenue, Fullerton, CA 92832

 

 

Quilters

Purpose of the Quilters Circle: To provide a supportive fellowship in the community for people of all faiths through teaching and practicing the art of hand quilting. Our mission is to keep our hands and minds active and our hearts open by using our talents to bring joy through our art, and hope through our giving. Every stitch counts, and the profits made from our quilting projects are used to fund donations to a wide variety of charitable causes in our community and around the world.

Meeting time: Every Wednesday, from 9:30am to 2:30pm. We break for lunch at 12:00pm. Feel free to join us even if you only have an hour or two. Many hands make light work!

Location: The North Lounge of the Fullerton First United Methodist Church. Enter the church at the office door on Pomona Street, or off of the parking lot on the East side of the church. Then follow the signs on the walls, or ask at the church office for directions.

General information: Quilters of all levels of skill are welcome. If you are a beginner, it is easy to learn, and we would be happy to teach you all you need to know. Don’t worry about bringing supplies. We will provide everything you need to get started. Just bring a sack lunch if you plan to join us when we break at noon. If you would like to learn more about how to hand quilt, there are lots of sites on the Internet. This one should give you a quick idea of the basics:

View this Video about Hand Quilting Stich:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-WvF4xjQ64

History: This quilting circle has been in the community for at least 83 years, and probably over 100 years. No records still exist, but a long-time quilter and member of the Fullerton community who passed away several years ago, Grace Ellis, was noted to have said that her mother quilted in this group when it was located in the Gothic style brick church building on the southwest corner of Amerige and Pomona. That church was erected after 1909 and used by the Fullerton First United Methodist Church for services until the move to the present location in 1929.  So, sometime between 1909 and 1929, we put in our first stitch, and we have been active ever since! While many of our members make quilts from scratch at home, cutting small pieces of fabric into intricate patterns and sewing them together to make a quilt top, our job is to take finished tops given to us, and for a fee, make a  finished quilt “sandwich” of backing fabric, batting, and top. This “sandwich” is placed on a wooden frame, and we sit around it and hand quilt in patterns which are marked in chalk on the fabric using a needle (called a “Between”), thread and thimble. Patterns are either marked ahead of time by the customer, selected from our large collection of template patterns, or inspired by the design of the quilt top. Currently, our members range in age from teens to nineties. Over the years, we have stitched countless quilts of all sizes. We have quilted for the famous Hollywood set designer, Tony Duquette, whose works include the starburst style curtain used at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and the “Celebrational Environment” at the California State Museum of Science and Industry for the Los Angeles bicentennial. Tony’s quilt was pictured in an issue of House & Garden. We also stitched an FFUMC centennial wall quilt modeled after the Rose Window in the sanctuary at FFUMC and designed by one of our former members, Tressa Mabry.  Made in 1988 to celebrate 100 years of Church history, this quilt has remained on display since then in the South Lounge of the church. Our archives reveal we have also in the past put on a quilt show, and given a presentation to the United Methodist Women on the art of Quilting as a method of giving to others.

Over the years, we have donated a substantial sum to the following charitable organizations: Famine, earthquake and disaster relief worldwide through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR); Heifer Project; Adopt-a-Social-Worker Program; Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Services (FIES); Women’s Transitional Living Center; Orangethorpe Learning Center (an after school learning program); Fullerton First United Methodist Kids Summer Camp Fund;  United Methodist Women’s Missions and Thank Offerings; Fullerton Crop Walk; Fullerton Hot Meals Program; Habitat for Humanity; and the David and Margaret Home for Children, to name a few. All of our profits, except for a very small amount for kitchen and quilting supplies, are donated to charity. Our oldest members also remind us there are “Three Rules” observed in our quilters circle that have been in effect as long as anyone can remember: no gossiping, no talking politics, and no talking about the preacher.

Pricing: Our rates have changed over the years, but the current price (2011) to have a quilt hand quilted is 75 cents per yard of thread used, with a $150 minimum charge. We traditionally return the quilt to the customer to bind the edges themselves, but for an extra fee, we will do this as well. Currently, there is about a two-year waiting list to have a quilt stitched by our circle of skilled and happy hands because quality work takes time!

Contact: If you would like to learn more, contact Janice Freeland at (562)690-1964.