2016 Quilt Walk to benefit Columbiana Library

Published 2:55 pm Monday, December 12, 2016

By JENNIFER MAIER / Community Columnist

There is something so comforting about quilts. Not only are they cozy, but they all seem to tell a story.

On Oct. 29, several Columbiana locations will feature quilts of all kinds during the annual Quilt Walk benefiting the Friends of the Columbiana Public Library.

The quilt walk idea was inspired by a similar event in the town of Collinsville.

“Three years ago ladies from the Quilts for Kids quilting group and members of the Friends of the Library Group attended a quilt walk in Collinsville,” explained Peggy Wood, president of the Friends of the Columbiana Public Library. “They were very impressed and suggested we have one in Columbiana. The first one was held in October 2013 and was a success.”

Bringing the quilt walk back to Columbiana was Wood’s goal once she took office earlier this year. Proceeds raised from the walk will be invested back into the Columbiana Public Library.

“These funds will be used to support adult and children’s programs at the library, purchasing new books and other materials for our library,” Wood said. “As with other organizations they [the library] have also been faced with budget cuts. We try to help fill this gap.”

Tickets for the event are $10 and can be purchased ahead of time at Busy Hands, the Columbiana Public Library and the Columbiana Inn Bed & Breakfast.

The tour will start at the Columbiana Public Library located at 50 Lester Street, where a selection of quilts will be on display.

Other stops include the Columbiana Senior Center, the Shelby County Arts Council, the Shops of Columbiana and the Columbiana Inn.

You can also see a display of quilts at the Shelby County Exhibition Center during the Novella Club’s Antiques, Arts & Crafts Show.

Woods said that there will be dozens of quilts on display, and that a quilt pattern will be available at each of the stops.

“There will be 20 patterns available, enough to make a nice quilt,” Wood said. “One pattern will be available at each quilt stop and other downtown businesses.”

You can expect to see a wide variety of styles among the quilts on display.

“Some of these quilts are 100 years old, some are new,” Wood said. “Some are pieced and quilted by hand. Modern quilts are pieced and quilted on sewing machines. Some of the art quilts have painted scenes on them.”

Wood has several quilts that hold special memories for her.

“I have quilts made from dresses that my sister and I had outgrown,” she said. “Some were made from the material that was attached to a sack of flour. Each quilt is unique. Each quilt is a work of art. If you have ever quilted you know how much work and love goes into each one.”

The library will also hold a raffle to benefit the Quilt for Kids organization. For $2 a ticket, or three tickets for $5, you have the chance to win a quilt in the Pine Burr pattern, which is the official pattern of the Alabama State Quilt. The money raised will be used to purchase fabrics to make quilts for children who are suffering from illness or abuse.