Local Resident Makes Quilt For Good Cause

By Jeff White

Fawn Schmidt is using her love of, and knack for, quilt-making to raise money for Sandy Hook Elementary School, which will hold a raffle for her “A Walk Down Main Street” creation.

The quilt had been almost two years in the making when Mrs Schmidt’s friend, Linda Rogers, planted the idea in her head. Since last year, she has been working on it consistently during her spare time.

The 79-inch by 89-inch quilt depicts 10 individual homes and historic buildings along Main Street, and part of the quilt’s fun is seeing how many building one can identify. Ultimately, the quilt goes to symbolize something larger than Newtown’s main thoroughfare. “It could be like any Main Street in Connecticut,” Mrs Schmidt says.

The patched creation will be the first prize for Sandy Hook School’s annual PTA raffle, which will be June 1 at 7:30 pm at the school. Sandy Hook School’s major fundraisers usually coincide with the annual Jolly Green Giant Fair.

Although “A Walk Down Main Street” is only her fifth quilt, Mrs Schmidt would like someday soon to turn her talent into a business. She is currently looking into ways that she can make professional quilts on order for people around town.

However, as each quilt is a labor of love for the Charter Ridge Road resident, it might prove difficult for Mrs Schmidt to part with her creations. At least it was for Sandy Hook’s quilt: “It’s my baby and I’m giving it up,” she says. “It’s been with me for two years.”

And it will be with the town for some time to come. Starting Friday, April 14, the quilt will be on display at Booth Library, where it will remain until the raffle, except for days when it needs to be showcased in classrooms throughout the school district.

Stitching the quilt, Mrs Schmidt says, was merely one way of helping out her school. “I will have three boys going to Sandy Hook next year, so I had to do my part.”

Besides being a quilt maker, Mrs Schmidt is an active officer in the school’s PTA, a group, she says, which is owed a large measure of gratitude for its support of her project.

Tickets are available in Sandy Hook School’s main office and at Booth Library, and are $2 each.

Proceeds from the PTA quilt fundraiser will go to the school’s student enrichment program.