THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 23, 1996 TAG: 9608220142
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BARBARA J. WOERNER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 79 lines
Eleven-year-old Grace Noden never sewed a stitch before participating in a weeklong fiber apprenticeship program with Virginia Beach resident Meryl Ann Butler.
Devan Howard, 13, who also participated in the fiber apprenticeship, admitted to having some sewing experience before she enrolled in the session.
``I made a pair of pajamas once,'' said Howard as she smoothed the bright edge of her almost-finished quilt. ``But, now I'm afraid to wear them because the seams are crooked.''
By the close of the apprenticeship program - held Aug. 12-16 - both girls not only finished their own 40-by-50-inch quilts but somehow found the time to design and piece together a quilt destined to hang in the new Peninsula location of the CANDII Project, which serves area children and families affected by HIV and AIDS.
``I've taught the girls every single one of my quick tricks,'' said Butler, who was featured in the May 1996 issue of Traditional Quilter Magazine and has won acclaim locally and internationally for her work as a fiber artist. ``This whole project took approximately 13 hours - including the shopping for fabric, the design and the cutting of all the squares.''
Both girls chose a theme for their quilt that centered on color and symbols. Howard's quilt is made up of softly muted colors and each square features stars of various shapes and sizes. Noden's quilt is a menagerie of brightly colored squares with different animals depicted on each one.
``I made my quilt up as I went along,'' said Howard. ``Basically, you just walk into a store and find fabric you like and stick with it.''
Both apprentices also inserted a couple of pieces of fabric in each quilt that have a humorous theme - something to bring a smile when observed. The corners of each quilt contain pieces of ultra-suede and corduroy fabric. And there is not a crooked seam or out-of-place stitch to be found on any of the three quilts.
``The corners of the quilt are the parts most likely to be close to your face when you cuddle up in one,'' said Butler. ``Quilts are also called comforters - they bring to us that comforting feeling.
``Most people start their love of quilts or quilting with a baby quilt that is usually received as a gift,'' she added.
Such is the case with Harris, who received a baby quilt as a gift at birth from Maureen Noden, the mother of fellow fiber apprentice Grace Noden.
``A lot of my mom's friends quilt, and I love the way they look and feel,'' said Harris. ``I thought it would be neat to have one that I made.
``I found that it's like putting together a huge puzzle and helping each other,'' she added.
According to Butler, quilting often brings a sense of community among those that work together on a project. She said she hopes - along with Noden and Harris - that the children who are served by the CANDII Project will sense the care that went into the creation of the quilt and be cheered by its brightness.
``I felt that it was neat making stuff for other kids,'' said Noden. Both girls selected quilt pieces from swatches of material that they used in their personal quilts for the CANDII Project quilt.
``We chose all the pieces because we wanted this quilt to be bright and happy,'' said Harris. ``Most of the animals in the pieces are smiling and we put the angel pieces in there because they symbolize hope.''
The brightly colored quilt consists of 25 squares of material that depict ladybugs, chickens, whales and other creatures. Buttons of various colors were sewn on all four corners of each individual square of material that make up the quilt.
``I do a lot for global peace,'' said Butler. ``I like the element of healing and helping other people so it seemed natural to do this quilt as a project.''
Before the quilt is presented to the CANDII Project, it will be exhibited in the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts' Prisms XII exhibition. The quilts created by Noden and Harris will also be part of this exhibition of artwork from the summer's Artcamp and Teen Studio '96. The opening of Prisms XII will be Aug. 29 from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibit will run through Sept. 22. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by BARBARA WOERNER
Beach resident Meryl Ann Butler, left, who has won aclaim as a fiber
artist, worked with Devan Howard, 13, and Grace Noden, 11, in
producing this quilt that will hang in the new Peninsula location of
the CANDII Project, which serves area children and families affected
by HIV and AIDS. by CNB