European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 11, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Tut in Story and photos by Charlie Bowden Munich Bureau Koula def Lossl is the Veteran among i he group her nov emundts come Wilh practice ease if result of 10 years Ai the Frame barely glancing Al i to stainless Ali ln1 firmly Between her thumb and forefinger she stitches Kipi pulls Light then repeals Iho process again Anci in in All the while she carries on a conversation Wilh her neighbor the Lopic 15 really unimportant sometimes wit i each switch. Derossi in a Qin Tor. One of 16 in a group in Mcd last August As of the Munich Community women s club it s a select group. Not Boc Nii of my i a l entry yaqui Emonts Hul More a a mtr of and logistics. They meet in Iho Altic playroom til am til the stairwells in the local u s military in current product resting on n homemade quilting irame on this particular monday the women Are gathered around the Yard High Idamc Elbow to Elbow Sil Henrj on everything from trunks to folding chairs to Titch on stools. They surround it like a team of surgeons stitching and snipping Licking thread and by Challma Needle eyes with a Marksman s precision All the while a cacophony of voices mis Ihu room dissecting a wide Range o topics of Little Tampori to the outsider. The in vacation spots what s in it the Exchange what s not in at the Exchange what s right and wrong with kids Loday advice is Irce and abundant and never a switch is missed six months ago. These women barely knew one another. Certainly few could be considered Good friends. Now. They spend hours to gather their common interest Iho thread Hal binds them that s a l o the idea Behms quilting groups says Derossi. Who was introduced to the Crall and the concept when her family lived in Dallas the group work together making quilts Tor one another. When the Munich group Lisl formed they assigned each other numbers. They decided Ihu older of precedence or their quilt making by drawing numbers from a a to determine whose Quill they would make that settled quilting began tin Quill begins with an idea. Ii might he from an old. Time honoured pallum or a mishmash of varied pallens or something with a Christmas theme their products Are known As Friendship quilts Fuch is unique personalized to the fancy of the individual whose Quill it will be generally a Friendship Quill is a person s first quilt and it s quilted by the re Rosip fisc a person in the group wit do a Square for the Quill and each Square is signed of marked by thai Parriso i explains decor Psi the members make Lher Lor the quilt at Home once the squares Are Complete the Quill of Fidi makes the quilt lop by sewing All i he squares together the women agree that this is probably the most tedious part of making the Quill if Lor no Oiler reason than it is done alone ii took me about 75 hours 1o make my quilt lop. And that Belore it s oven ready Lor the says Linda Worthington the time can vary however depending on the intricacy of the pallens and the Sun the finished quilt lop plus the the backing Plain piece of cloth and the filler Are then quilted together on the Frame quilling time on the Frame runs anywhere irom 175 to 200 hours requires several thousand stitches and about 1.000 Yards of thread everyone signs in and out when they come to Quill so we can keep Irack of How Long each Quill takes Worthington says adding Hal they average a Lieut 10 hours per person on most quilts. Their goal is a Quill a month handmade quills can Cost up to �3.000 the group s quilts Are not Lor Sale but they say their alone Cost Aboul $200 per quilt Oil tag is not easy it s Lodious. Meticulous. And surprisingly strenuous watching the group Al Woik one notices frequent stretching of backs and rums squeezing of hands Rind rubbing of eyes Vou can really tighten up says Rose Marie Turner Rotibi in her shoulder As one peaks. When Hal happens Yuu ust have to gel up and walk around " on the other hand. They All attest to quilt Iii s therapeutic Side Al tools it s very relating claims worthier Siori people do Dill run think Lon by some play Golf some Cook we quilt and As it Ivas Pul by Barbara while thu has her quilt hanging prominently on a Vail in her Home a Doorn 1 seem like we re working we re having Tun and milking inend5 that s what make l a Frei Ira ship quilt " the stars and stripes Page 15
