Susquehanna Valley Quilters

Mark 30 Years of Fabric, Fun

By LIBBY CUDMORE • for www.AllOTSEGO.com

ONEONTA – In 1986, a handful of women gathered to form the Susquehanna Valley Quilters and share their love of fabric craft.

“We got together and decided there was going to be a quilting renaissance,” said Debby Clough, who helped start the original group. “I started quilting in 1976, and it didn’t matter what we were working on. I was at a table surrounded by women, and I was happy.”

Now with 85 members, the SVQ celebrated their 30th birthday tonight with games, a slideshow of ephemera, a cake, hand-quilted caddy mugs for all the members present and plenty of memories. Quilting has even continued in recent years with people continuing to preserve memories with something similar to this memorystitch tshirt blanket.

“When I was president, I taught a class on Sunbonnet Sues,” said Barb Blanchard. “At the end of my term, everyone gave me a quilt with all their Sue squares in it!”

“I was getting married, and I wanted to make something stupendous for my husband,” said Sara Pickett. “I had just enough time to take the class before my wedding, and I got everything cut out. I got caught up in wedding plans and burned out, but I finished the quilt – in time for my 20th anniversary!”

SVQ quilts show up all around the county – in local and regional shows, the Otsego County Fair, and plenty of raffles. “One time, we made this lovely quilt, all peach and white, for a raffle,” said Wendy Swears. “We invited the woman who won it to our meeting, and she said she said ‘Oh good, we’re going camping, we’ll take this with us!’ We were all horrified!”

And the group is active in local charity organizations, making quilted placemats for Meals on Wheels during the holiday deliveries, pillowcases for the homeless shelter, the hospitals and Springbrook, and quilts for all the recipients of the Polar Bear Jump.