Exhibit Features Creative Quilt ‘Architects’

By Jan Howard

An art quilt exhibit with the theme “Elements of Architecture” has been mounted at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library by the Newtown Scrapbaggers.

The quilts will be on exhibit during regular library hours through April 6 on the second floor of the library near the adult circulation desk.

The exhibit is a challenge show, member and exhibitor Janet Bunch explained.

“It is not a juried show. Anybody who wanted to enter a quilt could. It is not a competition,” she said.

“We challenge ourselves to interpret a theme, and in the process we do something we have not done as an individual before,” she said. “Someone throws an idea on the floor, and we design quilts on that theme. This time it is on the elements of architecture.”

 She said members of the group decide whether or not they want to enter the challenge.

 “The people who contribute vary. Different people participate in the challenges we have,” Ms Bunch said. “This time, some people made a couple of pieces.”

“Elements of Architecture” is the second of the group’s challenge projects. The last one was held two years ago.

“The Emily Dickinson challenge attracted a lot of attention,” Ms Bunch said. That show was also exhibited in other towns, including Roxbury, Newtown, and Darien.

Heloise Wilkinson of Newtown founded the Newtown Scrapbaggers in 1985 as part of a Newcomers group. Over the years it has gained and lost members, but it has retained its goal of nurturing creativity.

Members are from Fairfield and Litchfield counties.

“Over the years, membership has ebbed and flowed. Sometimes the group is huge. Twenty is a good number because we meet in homes,” Ms Bunch said.

The members of Newtown Scrapbaggers work individually but meet as a group every week, weather permitting. On the last Friday of the month, they meet at the C.H. Booth Library for support and inspiration and to exchange ideas and experiences.

“We help each other with technical problems, “ Ms Bunch said. “You don’t suffer in silence because there’s always someone to help you who had the same problem.

“We work on our own quilts, but sometimes do a group project,” she said.

Skill levels of the members vary, she explained. “Some are new, and some are nationally known. Some teach quilting, and most are involved in a charity quilt project.

“We all find a way to keep doing what we like to do,” she said.

February 23, the day the exhibit was mounted, was the first time the members had seen all the pieces together.

There are currently 21 members in the group, and 16 are participating in this challenge.

The exhibit features 17 art quilts. They include “Pyramid I” by Catherine (Wehrle) Allen of Brookfield; “Passage” and “Golden Gate Bridge” by Madeleine Bajracharya of Newtown; “Look Through Any Window, Yeah” by Janet Bunch of Woodbury; “Bok Tower” by Barbara Crocker of Brookfield; “Temple of Poseidon” and “Gables; Doorway I, Doorway II” by Nike Cutsumpas of Danbury; “View of Twin Towers, New York” by Peggy Giumarra of Danbury; “Yosemite’s Half Dome” by Judy Irish of New Milford; “Barn in Winter,” “Blue Door,” and “By the Sea” by Judith Reilly of Brookfield; “Building Blocks” by Betsy Pusey of Norwalk; “Ah La Stairways” by Mary Tyler of Wilton; “Portals I and Portals II” by Norma Schlager of Brookfield; “View from Nowhere” by Anita Veccia of Norwalk; and “Roofs of Tuscany” by Heloise Wilkinson of Newtown.

The Scrapbag Art

After retiring in 1976, Heloise Wilkinson started quilting. Her family philosophy had always been “use it up, wear it out, make it do,” and that, combined with the financial squeeze of the 1930s, laid the groundwork for her love of “scrapbag art.” Working with nursery school children for 25 years had shown her the joy and satisfaction of making something of beauty from discards. Her quilts are mostly scrap quilts, a tribute to her heritage.

Catherine Allen’s sewing journey took her from doll clothes to human clothes, to upholstery and household accoutrements, and finally to quilting. A metal smith, she finds working with fabric similar in many ways to working in metal. In both media, small pieces and diverse elements combine to form a whole finished piece.

After seeing a quilt in a magazine during her first time in the United States from Switzerland, Madeleine Bajracharya adapted the design and made her first quilt in the metric system. She made many traditional quilts while moving to different parts of the world. She designs art quilts inspired by nature, and has won many national awards.

Janet Bunch has been quilting since 1978 when she fell for a magazine article that promised a quilt could be made in a weekend. It wasn’t true, but she has been hooked on quilting ever since.

Barbara Crocker is new to quilting and is constantly challenged by her quilting friends to try new techniques.

A quilter for more than ten years, Nike Cutsumpas came to the group from a graphic design background. With her love of color and fabric, designing and executing quilt art is an important part of her life.

Peggy Guimarra started sewing doll clothes when she was ten on her mother’s treadle machine. This grew into clothes for herself as a teen, draperies, and other household items as a young wife, followed by mending/sewing for her four children. In 1974, she took a quilting class, and has had numerous quilting projects going on since.

Judy Irish taught junior high school art in California before moving to Connecticut in 1986. Painting with fabric and drawing with thread, she now has a home business quilting for others.

Betsy Pusey started her sewing life making clothing for her two daughters. She began quilting in the 1970s, with the Norwalk Bicentennial quilt, which commemorated not 1776 but 1778, when the British burned Norwalk.

Judith Reilly is a quilt artist, teacher, and lecturer who has been creating quilts all her adult life. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, and has received many awards. Her quilts have been reproduced on note cards, calendars, and postcards and been published in several books and magazines.

Norma Schlager made her first quilt for the Bicentennial. Her award-winning quilts have been exhibited nationally in many prominent shows. She prefers to work on controlled scrap quilts, allowing her to use a myriad of fabrics. She teaches beginning quilting and wearable art.

Mary Tyler, the group’s senior member, is an accomplished artist in several other media: printmaking, engraving, oils, and watercolors, and is a skilled needlewoman in many disciplines.

A quilter for more than 20 years, Anita Veccia’s work evolved from traditional patterns to original designs. Her quilts have appeared in numerous shows and exhibits, winning several awards. She teaches quilting in Fairfield County, and is the creator of KIDQUILT, a program designed to teach quilting to children. She is artist-in-residence at the Daniel Webster Magnet School in New Rochelle, N.Y., teaching KIDQUILT in the Studio Arts program.