Mini Me Quilters event teaches the art to a new generation

The art and tradition of quilting was revealed to 21 West End Elementary first graders last week.
Kim McDonald brought students from her class to a spring quilting retreat at Thunderbird Lodge. The special “Mini Me Quilters” event was offered by Quilters on Rainy Lake.
The young quilters would make pot holders as a Mother’s Day gift.
“This was better than successful,” said Carolyn Napper, retreat organizer. “I think we have some future quilters here.”
Napper runs Superior Stitches Longarm Quilting & Retreats. She organized the spring retreat last week and six people helped out in the Mini Me event. They included her mother, Gail Napper of the Falls, Paula Ross of Grand Rapids, Melissa Anderson from the Gunflint Trail, Pam Iversen of Little Marais, and Donna Wielinski of Grand Marais.
The project began earlier in the week in McDonald’s classroom, where the students learned about quilting and got started by practicing cutting squares of paper and gluing them in patterns. They selected fabrics from several samples to create a nine-patch blend.
Gail Napper thought it interesting that the boys picked out flower patterns, while the girls seemed to match the colors.
At the retreat, the students worked individually with a quilter to sew the nine patches together. For the flip side, they used their crayon on paper Mother’s Day messages and ironed the pattern onto a muslin cloth. The two sides were then sewed together with a batting pad in between.
The students learned how to use tools of the trade, ranging from the rotary cutter and cutting mats to rulers, thread, fabrics and sewing machines. They displayed the final project on a wall to show how all of the separate nine-patch pads could be sewn together as one quilt.
Napper said the adult quilters wanted to pass along their knowledge, skills and passion for the art to another generation.
“It is a way of giving back,” she said.
In the process, they learned to use math, art and storytelling skills, according to McDonald.
When they were not working on quilts, the students rotated to Jackie Snyder, a retired teacher and volunteer grandmother through Lutheran Social Services. She helped the students with their practice patterns using paper, scissors and glue.
They also went on a nature walk with Heidi Porter, a teachers aid. She said the students appreciated the diversion and the chance to explore nature and look for different kinds of bark and pine cones.
Napper started the retreats when she lived in the Falls. She found that quilters are a close-knit group and liked the idea of a retreat for uninterrupted quilting. She keeps participants informed on events and happenings with newsletters and emails.
“We could have our meals cooked for us; our beds made and linens changed each day,” she added. “No men, no kids, no cares and sew, sew, sew.”
The first retreat was held in April 2002 at Beaver Bay along Lake Superior. When she relocated to Arizona, Napper expanded the retreats from the “lakes of Minnesota, to the mountains of Arizona, and the rolling hills of Texas.”
“At the end of a retreat I'm exhausted, but I am so filled with joy,” she said. “The fellowship that goes on is a wonderful thing. The best part for me is that I get to come home and give back to my community.”
In addition to their major projects and classes, the quilters make children’s items to donate to local police and fire units. The stuffed animals and quilts are given to a child in a traumatic situation, such as a car wreck or just pulled from a fire.
The Quilters on Rainy Lake retreat is held at the end of tourist season in the fall at Sha~Sha Resort. Last year, the spring event was held at Thunderbird Lodge. To attend the fall retreat in October 2008 contact Carolyn Napper at 623-512-9869.