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In the tradition of an old-fashioned barn raising, Susan Hill and about 40 other members of the Miami Valley Quilters Guild made six quilts in a week.
The quilts were presented to the James Terpenning family during the Aug. 6 reveal of their new Beavercreek home as part of the television show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
The old saying “many hands make light work” applies not only to building barns, but also to making quilts.
Hill, the guild’s president, was approached in mid-July by Kim Gros, a guild member who works at Prudential One Realtors.
“She’d found out that “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” was coming to town and that Rob (Arnold, president of Prudential One Realtors and Coventry Fine Homes) was going to be the builder. She was wondering if we would like to make quilts for the family,” said Hill, a Beavercreek resident.
While excited by the suggestion, members questioned their ability to make multiple quilts in one week. The family wouldn’t be identified until July 30, and the home’s reveal would be on Aug. 6.
A member stood up and declared, “If they can build a house in a week, we can make these quilts in a week.”
With that challenge, and under the leadership of Hill, Gros and Ed Chamness, the project was launched.
After learning the family’s identity July 30, the trio quickly selected quilt designs and headed to local quilt shops for the materials.
A conference room at the Prudential One building in Beavercreek became the quilting headquarters and quilters started pouring in with their ironing boards, cutting mats, cutters and sewing machines.
“Those who brought sewing machines sat down and started sewing when the first strips of fabric were cut and ready to be sewn,” Hill said.
That pace continued from July 31 until Aug. 4, when the six quilts were completed.
Maria Elkins, who has won national awards for her quilts, also made a portrait wall hanging featuring the Terpennings.
“I was never prouder to be a part of a group. These ladies (and one gentleman) did whatever it took,” she said, noting that local quilt shops donated the supplies for the quilts.
The 1975 Belmont High School graduate became involved in quilting when her husband, RK Hill, was in the Air Force, stationed in Florida.
Because he was to be away from home for several months and she was looking for a way to keep busy, she enrolled in a quilting class.
“It was a wonderful, creative time. Quilters are happy, fun people to be with,” said Hill, who continued her quilting while raising two children.
Joshua, 19, is a physics major at Ohio State University and Rachael, 14, is a student at Ankeney Middle School.
Hill’s next project is the Miami Valley Quilters’ Guild’s Quilt Show from May 7-8 at the Greene County Fairgrounds. She is chairwoman of the event that will feature quilts, wall hangings and other fabric arts created by the guild’s more than 200 members.
For more information, visit www.miamivalley quiltersguild.org.
Contact this columnist at dsb@donet.com.