Local Quilters Guild sews up a storm

Quilters Guild members Anita Geike, left to right, Anne Wooden, Carol Patterson and Veronica Bayang work on a quilt together Thursday morning at the Larry Brian Mitchell Recreation Center. The guild will host a show and sale on May 3rd at the center. [photo by Jeff Jones / Independent]

By Leslie Wood
Staff writer

GALLUP — The 35 members of the McKinley County Quilters Guild are eager to display their work to the public on May 3.

“We love what we do,” longtime quilter Nelli Kelsey said. “ ... I always have a needle in my hand.”

Guild members will display an array of handcrafted blankets, which include 100 quilts that range in size from queen to those designed for babies, during the upcoming Quilt Show at the Larry Brian Mitchelll Recreation Center on 705 Montoya Blvd.

The show will last from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will include quilt displays, door prizes, sales tables, raffles and demonstrations. Handmade aprons and other crafts will also be available for purchase at the show’s sales table.

Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children 6 and older.
The guild meets on Wednesday and Thursday mornings in a room devoted to the quilters at the recreation center.

Members sip coffee and work on each others projects that can take several months to complete.

Kelsey said the group likes to emphasize handmade quilts, but some of the blankets are stitched by machine.

Kelsey is a self-taught quilter who inherited her mother’s knack for sewing and is a longtime member of the guild. She often makes quilts for her grandchildren that feature themes that are of interest to them. She’s sewn quilts with both hunting and dinosaur themes.

She said she’s inspired by her fellow quilters’ work.

“Sometimes, I’m just looking in awe of them,” Kelsey said. “ ... We encourage the community to come and see what we do.”

The group also contributes to charitable causes throughout Gallup. Members collected cans of food for the needy during the holiday season. They also gave a quilt to a family who lost everything when their house was burned to the ground near Red Rock Chapter House earlier this year.

“It’s a community project and we’re having fun doing it,” Kelsey said.

The quilt show will also feature a booth where residents can register to become members of the McKinley County Quilters Guild. Membership dues are $10 annually, which includes access to all of the classes offered by the guild.

“Anyone is welcome,” Kelsey said.
McKinley County Quilters Guild members Anita Geike, left, and Anne Wooden socialize Thursday while working on a quilt at the Larry Brian Mitchell Recreation Center in Gallup. The guild will host a show and sale on May 3rd at the center. [photo by Jeff Jones / Independent]