Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild

The Laurel Janes group was inspired by a quilt viewed by guild members at the March 2008 Lancaster quilt show. The quilt was a reproduction of Jane A. Stickle’s 1863 quilt, comprised of 225 unique patterns, each block featuring different fabric. Each of Jane’s quilt blocks was drafted by Brenda Papadakis and is available in a book or electronic format called “Dear Jane.” MLQG members were awed by the quilt and wondered if there would be others locally who would be interested in supporting one another through their own “Dear Jane” journey. The Laurel Janes were born! First meeting in June 2008, the group connected on the first Monday of the month from 2:00 – 4:30 and 6:30 – 9:00 at a member's lake house on Hills Creek Lake. Beginning in November 2008, the Laurel Janes started meeting from 10:00AM until 4:30PM. Each member chose her own fabrics (everything from the traditional Civil War reproduction fabric to scraps to batiks) and her own style of sewing (from hand sewing, paper piecing, appliqué and rotary cutting) the 5 inch square blocks. The group learned from one another, compared blocks and shared tips on how best to complete some of the intricate designs. Since 2008, several members completed their work on the Stickle project, so the group decided to shift its focus. Since May 2010, the group's new focus is on blocks 6 inches or smaller. This allows those who are still working on their Dear Jane project to continue to receive support and it also allows others to work on other small-sized projects of their choosing. Additionally, guild members not interested in sewing a Dear Jane project may join the group to work on other miniature projects. As of November 2011, the group is known as "Beyond Jane", which allows guild members to work on their choice of project.

For a number of years, on the 4th Wednesday of every month (except for November and December), guild members of all ability levels gathered informally at the Gmeiner Art and Cultural Center for an open sewing session starting at 10:30 and ending around 2:00 PM. This was a great way to work on projects and to spend time getting to know other guild members. Members brought their hand or machine projects (sewing, knitting, embroidery, whatever) and stayed as long as they liked while enjoying the company of fellow quiltaholics from the guild. As of October 2011, these gatherings have been canceled indefinitely.