The long-arm sewing machine gives off a high-pitched whine as Janie Walker adjusts her nearly completed quilt beneath a two-inch steel needle.
“What I’m doing is pretty much putting together a sandwich,” she says. Walker’s fingers deftly glide across the quilt’s surface, below is a layer of padding, which is protected by two sides of exterior cloth. Once completed, it will be sent off for sterilization and distribution.
The Santa Maria Sewing Superstore on Main Street may be relatively empty this June weekday morning, but Walker and the Quilting Angels, the philanthropy arm of the Central Coast Quilters Guild, are humming with activity.
As many as eight members make the bimonthly trip to the store to put together quilts that are then shipped off to local charities. The “long-arm team,” as they call themselves, is represented by just five folks today, but they still expect to put out dozens of quilts.
“We quilted three quilts the first day and we thought we were really hot stuff,” Walker explains. That was 10 years ago, and now if the angels don’t do 20 in a day, it’s considered somewhat of a failure.
“We think we are slacking off,” she adds, “even when the team fluctuates like this since we all are volunteers.”
Walker said the group produces about 50 quilts per month and made more than 600 just for donations to local charities this year. Marian Regional Medical Center received around 200, while dozens were given to the 5 Cities Homeless Coalition, the Homeless Shelter Overflow group, and SLO Foster Care. Around 60 of the quilts were reserved for auction.
Deb Cowgill, who heads the Olde Towne Quilters of Nipomo, told the Sun those last quilts usually take a bit longer than the regular batches.
“We want the sale quilts to look a little nicer since people are actually buying them,” she says, while adding her “signature” pattern to a quilt.
“I’m known for my dog bones,” she adds, as she uses her machine to create small arc patterns that resemble canine treats.
Quilting, she says, is all about consistency. “You don’t want any big gaps between patterns.”
It’s something Mary Jane Anderson knows well. The 10-year guild veteran laughs as she puts the finishing touches on her own project, which is about half the size of the other quilts being worked on today.
“I’m quicker than the others, but then again, I use probably half as much material,” she says.
Anderson joined the group for the sociability, among other reasons, and the charitable side being the primary one.
“Just knowing that you are doing something for somebody and that it’s useful,” she explains, “you feel like you are a part of something.”
That combination of community and charity is a common theme among the Quilting Angels, who continually joke with one another as they piece together donation after donation.
“Charity work is good for the heart and soul,” Walker says. “What we do is as much for us as for the recipients.”
Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo county residents can do their part by joining a local guild (there are seven between Paso and Lompoc) or by attending one of their auctions.
On Saturday, Aug. 18, Nipomo’s Olde Towne Quilters will host an auction and bake sale at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church at 298 S. Thompson Road. The auction begins at 1 p.m.
Recently, the Central Coast Quilters held an event at the Madonna Expo Center in San Luis Obispo to fundraise for the next year. According to Walker, the economic impact from the showcase is considerable for the area.
She says big draw events like that one are key to attracting a younger audience.
“We need to get more young people involved,” she explains, adding that many parents don’t know how to sew, but because of popular TV shows like Project Runway, the craft is making its way back into the mainstream. “That’s what interests them, and then if we can get them to participate in one of our events and they see their quilts hanging, that motivates them to keep doing it.”
Sewing began to lose popularity in the 1970s, when ready-to-wear clothes became cheaper than those you could make at home.
“I think that was the demise of the sewing industry because they had China, Taiwan, and the Philippines mass producing,” Walker says. “That took out the garment industry; the people that do it now just want to do it to do it.”
Most of the guild members got back into the practice because they’ve been sewing for decades and they missed having a creative outlet, she notes.
“We didn’t need to do it, but still desired to do the craft,” she adds. “It truly is an artist’s endeavour–it’s just like anything else from ceramics, to painting, to sculpting.
“And I like that part: it keeps you engaged; it’s social; it’s fun; and it’s great for the community.”
Staff Writer Spencer Cole wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, mail, or email at spotlight@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 28 – Jul 5, 2018.