Stitches and time: Piecemakers donate quilt to McCook's 125th

Members of the McCook Piecemaker Quilt Guild who donated a quilt that will be raffled off Dec. 8 are, from left, front row, Bea Bauerle, Theresea Reeves, Judy Spomer, Audrey Suiter, Bernita Reiners, Ila Widger, Arlene League and Beth Guth. Second row, from left, Terri Shipshock, representing McCook's 125th Birthday Committee, Beryl Knotwell, Dorothy Lambert, Judy Bair and Deanna Stevens. Members not shown include Ada Lee Cox, June Davis, Ladonna Everts, Candy Fellers, Dee Fries, Patty Grafel, Diane Hanson, Rosalie Hoff, Pam Klug, Judith LaBash, Jean Marshall, Cathy McDowell, Connie Olsen, Patti Ottem, Margaret Skraback, Marlene Strigel, Gloria Tinkham and Esther Weise. (Lorri Sughroue/McCook Daily Gazette)

Hundreds of hours, stitches and pieces of fabric were used in a quilt that memorializes McCook's history.

Based on a pioneer sampler design and stitched together by the McCook Piecemaker Guild, the quilt was donated by the guild to McCook's 125th Birthday Committee. The winning raffle ticket for the quilt will be drawn at the First Ladies Tea at the George Norris Home Dec 8.

Large enough to cover a double bed, the quilt includes 19 blocks that represents the McCook area.

This means wild roses, a stately corn stalk, a pheasant and a bison, along with the traditional patterns of a bear paw, pinwheel, four-patch star, log cabin and others.

Members of the guild began the quilt in January with hundreds of pieces of fabric that members sewed together for each appliquéd block.

Then, Laurie Rogers of McCook donated the batting and machine-quilted it together.

Every block sports a different design in the rich colors of gold, burgundy, navy and olive green. Decorative stitching scrolls along the border and each patterned block is outlined on the reversible back.

The quilt will be on display at the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce, 107 Norris Ave. Raffle tickets are $2 apiece or 3 for $5, available at the chamber.

"It's gorgeous, it's almost too pretty for a bed," said Terri Shipshock of the 125th Birthday Committee.

For the 30 members of the Piecemakers Club, it's all in a day's work.

They've made dozens of quilts that have been donated to various organizations, such as Nebraska Health and Human Services, the Work Ethic Camp, Hurricane Katrina victims, and the McCook Police and Fire Departments, for domestic violence or other emergency calls.

But preserving the lost art of quilting -- along with the fellowship -- is the driving force of the club, which meets monthly with members from all over the area, including Benkelman, North Platte and Kansas.

And quilting is really not that hard to do, members insisted.

"If you can read, you can quilt," said Audrey Suiter, who had never quilted before she joined the club.

Gov. Dave Heineman and his wife Sally will be at the Governor's Ball in McCook the evening of Dec. 8.

The First Lady has been asked to attend the The First Ladies Tea in the afternoon, which will be hosted at the Norris Home by Dawna Bates of "Tea With Thee."