Page 35 - Discover Summer 2020

Quilting is an ancient skill that has been a school teacher in 2005. Like her fellow
passed down through the ages. It can be a
work of art worthy of hanging on the wall of
a mansion, or simply a utilitarian way to use
scraps of material in a home where nothing
goes to waste.
Certainly, for many of us, a homemade
quilt stirs fond childhood memories, and
brings a special type of comfort along with
the warmth it offers on a chilly night.
A group of a 130 women here at Smith
Mountain Lake spread a message of goodwill
and hope in the form of quilted, homemade
items. Using materials donated or bought
with donations, they produce a variety of
beautiful things designed to comfort and
soothe: lap quilts for nursing homes, stuffed
bears for hospitals, quilted Christmas
stockings for clients of STEP (Solutions
That Empower People), and totes suitable
for attaching to wheelchairs and walkers
for nursing homes and hospice. They call
themselves Lake Quilters Guild at Smith
Mountain Lake, Inc. Their goal is to promote
quilting as a craft, through education and
the sharing of their work. As a service to
Hope that are distributed locally to charitable
the community, they make useful items
organizations, for donation to clients and
patients.
Betty Huffman of Rocky Mount is the
chairperson of the Service Committee for
Charity. She shared with us some of the more
popular projects of the guild. Betty has been
a member since shortly after retirement as
members, she not only enjoys making
beautiful things; she relishes the camaraderie
of other club members. Betty’s position
with the Guild includes the responsibility of
inspecting and sanitizing each item before it
is bagged and delivered.
This year’s general membership meeting,
held in February, celebrated the Guild’s 30th
birthday. A total of 150 cuddly, colorful
teddy bears were made by the women for
distribution to hospitals in Franklin and
Bedford Counties, as well as shelters for
battered and/or neglected children.
“The bears give a frightened or sick child
something to hold on to, and it helps comfort
them,” Betty said. She commented that the
little stuffed animals are a favorite among
the items that the club makes. When the
women first started making the bears, the
faces were embroidered. Today, in the interest
of saving time and simplifying the process,
the faces are painted.
“Back when we embroidered the faces,
we worked in teams. One person would
Betty explained. She fondly remembers an
embroider, while the other stuffed the bear,”
occasion when she and her teammate, who
also happens to be a friend, had produced
numerous stuffed bears to be distributed
to hospitals and other facilities in the
community.
Some time after having made the bears,
the friend’s daughter had an emergency with
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