TALENTED quilt designers in a leading community group plan to showcase their creation and offer it as a draw prize in memory of a well-loved member who lost a battle against cancer.
Members of the American Women’s Association Quilt Group have completed a majestic cathedral window-style covering which will go on display at the AWA general meeting at the Golden Tulip on June 13.
All funds raised will be presented to the Bahrain Cancer Society to celebrate the life of Cherryl Chisholm, from Awali, who died last September, at the age of 41.
Kathy Journeaux, AWA quilt group chairperson, explained: “This quilt was very much a labour of love. One of our members estimated that each square took one hour to make – that’s 352 hours of work!
“I had suggested making a ‘cathedral window quilt’ as a fundraising project as the pattern fascinated me. The Quilt Group decided early on in the project that we wanted to support a cancer charity and as Cherryl had died not long before I suggested we made the quilt in her memory.
“I remember Cherryl as being warm, friendly and caring.”
Cherryl worked for GulfWeekly’s parent company the Al Hilal Group after joining from Red House Marketing. She played a significant role in the Women in Business and Travel and Tourism News (TTN) publications as well as taking on the position of operations manager for the popular Bahrain discount booklet The Entertainer.
She also used to run the AWA’s popular ‘Women of Taste’ section, organising demonstrations in the kitchens of restaurants followed by a lunch consisting of the menu items that had been shown.
Kathy and fellow members Susan Craycraft, Liz Gardener, Khadeja Al Aradi, Rebecca Argay, Herma Rockey, Gulnar Toorani, Carie Sauze, Caron Scott, Irina Averinos and Sandy Saurage worked on the quilt project.
The technique uses squares of folded fabric as a background to show off small ‘windows’ of decorative fabric. “The background fabric is white cotton which we purchased in the souq,” Kathy explained. “The decorative inserts are a mixture of fabrics in the AWA Craft Group ‘stash’ and ones donated by members – a mixture of cotton and poly-cotton.”
The quilt measures 64-inches x 88-inches, and consists of 352 squares and can be used for bedding or alternatively a wonderful wall hanging.
Quilt making has been strong in America for more than 200 years as shown by the title of a recent book by Robert Shaw ‘American Quilts, The Democratic Art 1780-2007’. It is accessible to anyone who can sew and who wants to make something that is beautiful whether it is a quilt for a bed or a small wall hanging, advocates say.
This was the quilt group’s second charity project. Last year proceeds of sales were used to buy items for the paediatric oncology unit at Salmaniya Medical Complex.
The first meeting of the American Women’s Auxiliary was held at the American Club in 1974 and attracted 42 ladies. The AWA now boasts 209 members. “The purpose was charity, friendship and cultural understanding. This is still very much the case today,” added Kathy.
The AWA general meeting takes place on Monday, June 13 at 9am at The Golden Tulip. Prize draw tickets will be on sale priced BD2 for a strip of five. A baby quilt and a pillow can also be won.
In the months leading up to her death, Mrs Chisholm split her time between Bahrain and her native Philippines, where she received
treatment.
Her husband Ross and the couple’s teenage daughter, Chelsea, still live in Bahrain and have been told of the group’s charity
gesture.
