SOMERSET COUNTY &mdash The Pieced Together Quilters Guild will host a showcase of 150 hand-crafted quilts, lectures, demonstrations &mdash and a raffle to win
a charity quilt at the group’s Hot Needles, Cool Quilts show Saturday and Sunday. The show at the Somerset County 4-H Center is a way to support the community of quilters, and the community at large, said Charledine Rome, who is organizing the event. This year, the group has created a “Promises of Spring” quilt to raffle off for The Wellness Community of Central New Jersey, which provides support, education and hope for people with cancer and their loved ones. “Promises of Spring” is a queen-sized quilt featuring a hand-appliqued vase of flowers, Rome said. It is made of batik fabrics and a washable wool batting. The quilt will be on display during the show. The Pieced Together Quilters Guild welcomes new members, and will feature beginner’s lessons in the coming months, said Mary Yanchok, a member who lives in Warren. Yanchok was looking for a new group about five years ago to meet some friends after retirement. She knew she liked sewing, and eventually found Pieced Together Quilters Guild. “I needed some encouragement, and I have found there are a lot of people in common,” Yanchok said about the craft and the group, which has members of all ages. She started by making Log Cabin patterns, a beginner design using strips of fabric around a center square, and now she is an applique fanatic, hand-stitching and hand-quilting pieces for herself.
The group meets on the second, third and fourth Wednesdays from September through June. Meetings take place at the Green Knoll Rescue Squad building, 608 N. Bridge Street. A sub-set of the Guild meets on Monday mornings to make quilts for the homeless.