Bow Tie

Grapes

Amish Nine-Patch                                

We put the Peach Cobbler sale on our itinerary because it was one of the few in a urban area.  But part of it certainly felt rural as we drove 20 miles of back roads to the Kiwanis Complex Exhibition Hall outside of Fayetteville., Georgia.  Signs along the highway pointed the way.  Turning left, we came up on a lone building on a large acreage.  We were assured we were in the right place by the antique quilt hanging at the entrance.  When we asked Brenda Shelby (co-chair of quilt committee with Mary Lou Mojonnier) and Mary Maynard, (chair of the relief sale) about the sale's urban nature, they said one aspect is the distance between church communities.  The sale was first held in Atlanta but was moved to Fayetteville the second year to accommodate more conservative Mennonites who are uncomfortable in the city.  

For many, the sale is the only time they see Mennonites from other communities that support MCC.  Quilters and women's groups are not so familiar with other Peach Cobbler sale quilters. While twenty of the seventy-one items in the quilt auction had Atlanta connections, eight other locations in Georgia were also represented.  In addition, twelve came from MCC, Epharata, PA.  (Atlanta quilters Mary Maynard, Brenda Shelby, and Mary Lou Mojonnier each pieced one of the twelve.)   Other states represented were Florida, Texas, Alabama, Ohio, Colorado, Tennessee, and Indiana.  Jan Miller of Rome, Italy donated two comforters.

The quilt auction raised over $11,400.  The highest bid of $1,200 went to the Feature Quilt, a watercolor quilt "Beacon of Light," made by Brenda Shelby and hand quilted by Atlanta area Mennonites and friends.  A detail of this intricate quilt is shown at the right.

Brenda also created a T-shirt quilt celebrating the University of Georgia Bulldogs.  It was professionally machine quilted by Regina Carter of Jackson, GA, and donated by the Off Campus Book Store, Athens, GA.  Brenda was involved in at least eleven quilt auction items this year and was the major creator of "World Peace," last year's featured quilt, which brought $3,400 in a bidding "war" between a Methodist and a Baptist Church!  "World Peace" had been set up in Atlanta's Berea Mennonite Church and on Saturdays quilters from the area stitched on it.  About twenty quilters worked on "Beacon of Light" this year.

The first Peach Cobbler sale was at Berea Church in 2000.  It came about as a result of several Mennonites in the area, including Brenda, pushing for it.   Brenda had been an MCC volunteer in Atlanta in 1967 and stayed after her VS term was over.  The same is true for quilter Mary Maynard who joined the VS unit in 1970.  Mary introduced quilting to the unit by making a 16-Patch with the MCC symbol in it.  The "Bow Tie" at the left was purchased by Mary Yoder at the first Peach Cobbler Sale and given to her twin sister Marie Shelby.  We were fortunate to interview both Mary and Marie. at the sale.

One question that we have raised earlier is why sales have so few quilts of Amish design.  When we were in Pennsylvania last summer, we made a point to see the Esprit collection of Amish quilts on permanent display at the Heritage Center Museum in Lancaster.  It appears to us that Amish use of color and pattern appeal to the general public.  So, it was exciting to see a bed -sized "Amish Chinese Coins" sell for $500 and a smaller (43"x43") "Amish Double Nine Patch" bring $105. Both are pictured here.  The "Chinese Coins" was made and donated by Mary Maynard and hand quilted at the MCC Quilt Center in Ephrata, PA.  The "Double Nine-Patch was also made by an Atlanta quilter, Sue May and quilted by Mary Maynard.                         Chinese Coins on the left and Amish Double Nine Patch on the right

The only King Size quilt in the auction was "Grapes" made and donated by Americus Mennonite Church in Americus, GA and Faith Mennonite Mission, Cuthbert, GA.  It was hand-quilted and sold for $800.  It was announced to the audience by Fran Wenger that the larger sizes have been requested by potential buyers.  See "Grapes" on the left.

We were not surprised to see yet again another "Hired Man's."  It sold for $500.  It has been interesting to follow the incarnations of this quilt around the country, especially in light of the fact that Marilyn bought the first one in February, 2004, at the Brownsville, TX sale.  When we stop to think, however, we know it is common to see the same patterns from sale to sale.  What makes the "Hired Man's" somewhat unique is that all twenty-two were pieced and quilted in one place--The MCC Quilt Center in Ephrata  AND they were all pieced from the same lot of donated men's plaid shirts.  A good example of "more with less."

At every relief sale, it seems that the generations merge for a day, each having their unique ties to the events. Quilting seems to attract participants of all ages.  At the left, see young quilt piecers hold up one of three quilts made by a larger group of children during last year's sale,.  It was then hand-quilted and auctioned at this year's sale.  On the right two couples seem to be enjoying the quilt auction. 

And yes, there is peach cobbler for sale.

Ongoing research questions for consideration:

1.  Are there noticeable differences between what might be considered urban and rural relief sales?  What are the motivations for Mennonites, who live in large cities such as Atlanta, Minneapolis, etc., for organizing their own relief sales?  Does the setting affect quilt design in any way--for example, "art quilts" sell better in urban areas and "traditional quilts" in rural?  Is there a genre of "urban quilters" and, if so, how does their experience differ from their "rural" counterparts?

2.  We have heard at several sales that buyers are seeking king-sized quilts.  One of the important questions we are asking in our research is how changes in the culture bring changes in what types, including size, of quilts sale quilter produce.  For instance, since most traditional quilts were smaller, are quilters finding it possible to adapt familiar patterns to the larger sizes?

3.  Have Amish patterns (Center Square, Diamond in the Square,  Nine-Patch and variations, Sunshine and Shadow, Bars, etc.) with their unique colors and color combinations ever been auctioned in greater numbers at past relief sales?  Are Amish quilters reluctant to make their own personal quilt preferences available to a non-Amish population?  Are non-Amish quilters reluctant to appropriate distinctively Amish designs?

To discuss these questions, join the discussion found under the Participation menu or get there from the QUICK MENU on the home page.