A quilt made by the guild

Members of the Marathon Quilters Guild are putting together the final pieces for their ninth annual Quilt Show to be held Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 15 and 16, at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts, 98 Hayden Rowe St., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will include an artistic floating display of quilts, as well as hands-on activities, a community art project, a quilt scavenger hunt, raffle baskets, vendors, a boutique of member-made quilted items for sale, and the opportunity to purchase a raffle ticket chance to own the member-made Star raffle quilt. In addition to the Quilt Show, the guild is holding its Juried Quilt Show, also at the HCA, from now through Sunday, Sept. 30.

The theme for this year’s show, “Common Threads,” intends to inspire dialogue about common threads among family, friends, and community. The 30 members of the guild are brought together by their common craft, but come from many backgrounds.

“Some members are lifelong residents of Hopkinton, while others have settled in Hopkinton, Holliston or Ashland from other places,” said member Nancy Burdick. “Some members are parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Some are employed and others retired. Some work professionally in other fields and have started quilting related businesses on the side. Some join the guild for the social aspect, while others join for charitable works opportunities. Some participate to share and teach, while others join so to learn new techniques. Within the Marathon Quilters, there are at least five members from Hopkinton who run for-profit quilting and long-arm quilting businesses and a few members are national and international award-winning quilt artists.”

Even within the common craft, members use different techniques, materials, and create varied pieces.

“Across the membership we have quilters who use the following quilting methods: hand quilting, domestic sewing machine quilting, free-motion quilting; longarm pantograph quilting and long-arm free-motion quilting,” Burdick explained. “Some are scrap quilters and users of a variety of textiles and objects while others prefer creating with specific fabric designers and lines. For example, Kaffe Fassett’s quilt designs and fabrics are featured in most of the projects produced by one guild member; while another member frequently creates wall hanging quilts and quilted pieces that rarely exceed 20″ x 20″. This is clearly not your grandmother’s quilting bee.”

Quilters meet monthly between September and June at Faith Community Church of Hopkinton, 146 East Main St. They also host nationally known speakers and quilters for workshops, plan outings to quilt shops, and plan an annual weekend quilting retreat. Meetings include social time, instruction, working on personal projects, and completing quilts for charity. Now an officially formed 501c3 nonprofit organization, the guild has made and donated quilts for local organizations like Serenity House, Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center, the Hopkinton Senior Center, Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham, Milford Hospital and Rosie’s Place.

Patrons of the Hopkinton Public Library and the Hopkinton Center for the Arts may view some of the guild’s donated work permanently. Hopkinton’s Historical Society Museum also has a quilt made and donated by the guild to represent Hopkinton’s history. New members are welcome to join.

This year’s Quilt Show is made possible by generous support from the Hopkinton Cultural Council, Middlesex Savings Bank, and the Hopkinton Center for the Arts. Admission is $5 for adults; $3 for seniors (65 and up); and free for children under 12.

For more information about joining the guild or about the Quilt Show, visit www.marathonquilters.com/index.html.