STITCHING TOGETHER CRAFT,
With artisans utilizing
the latest technology to
create truly spectacular
pieces, over the centuries
quilting has evolved from
a craft born out of pure
necessity into an art form
adorning walls, clothing,
and, of course, blankets.
In this ever evolving art,
the Guild of Quilters of
Contra Costa County’s
(GQCCC) aim since
1973 has been to not only
keep its members up-todate
on the latest quilting
ART, AND TRADITION
By Jeannie Howard
techniques but to also
ensure continued interest
in the quilting tradition
by reaching out to new
members.
As a member of the guild
for nearly 16 years, Becky
Styles, current GQCCC
president, said that shortly after becoming interested in quilting
when she retired she decided to join the guild. “A friend of
mine said that her and her daughter were going to take a class
and invited me to join,” she described. “I thought ‘what the
heck, might as well,’ and then I got hooked on quilting.” Styles
points to the monthly speakers as being one of the biggest
draws for her when she first joined GQCCC.
In addition to members sharing their current projects, a book
raffle, and the standard updates of new and old business, a key
element of the guild’s monthly meetings is the guest speaker.
According to Styles, the renowned speakers, largely coming
from the Bay Area and Northern California, speak on a variety
of topics all related to quilting techniques; often speakers will
also teach a class, which is a huge draw, attracting nearly half of
the 250 members to attend the monthly meetings.
With a focus on continued education, the guild has several
smaller groups that host regular classes. So, no matter a quilter’s
skill level, there is always something new to learn and assistance
to improve skills. “Members can learn so many things,” said
Styles. “I’ve have learned so much from my fellow members.”
54 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM MAY 2018
Member classes are held in
what the group calls their
Farmhouse on Clayton
Road; named rightfully so
since the facility use to be
the farm bureau building.
This large, open classroom
is a quilter’s dream, with
ample space for the quilt
working and designing of
many members. In addition
to the space, the Farmhouse
also holds the guild’s
extensive library collection
of more than 1,000 books.
“There is a whole wall of
books that members can
checked out” she described.
While a majority of the
classes are for members
only, the guild’s monthly
meetings and select classes
are open to non-members
for a small fee. These
are great opportunities,
according to Styles, for perspective members. Guild
membership is only $30 per year. Even though some may
assume quilting is an activity for older individuals, Styles said
that their youngest member is in her teens—the guild openly
welcomes those interesting in quilting, regardless of age or skill
level. “We even have a few members that don’t actually quilt,”
she shared.
A driving force of quilts is to provide warmth and love and
the guild makes sure to perpetuate this through their quilt
donation programs. “We have, what we call, Patriotic Quilts
where we make red white and blue quilts that we donate to
Quilts of Honor, which is a nation-wide organization that
gives quilts to veterans,” said styles. “We also do quilts and
wheelchair bags for the local veteran’s hospital in Martinez.”
Styles also described the guild’s Quilts to Share program, which
donates quilts to local organizations all year long. “The Quilts
to Share group does quilts for organization in the county,
like quilts and pillow cases for the foster kids in CASA. We’re
currently doing a lot of blocks to donate to the Thomas fire
victims in Southern California.” In addition to donations of
quilted pieces, GQCCC also gives a financial donation to a