Little Stories

Not long after the founding of the Amelia Island Quilt Guild (AIQ), one of our quilters, Marsha Gramzow, had an ingenious idea. Marsha began creating kits for patterned quilt tops. At our monthly meetings, she would encourage members to take the kits, create the tops, and quilt them (or ‘encourage’ someone else to quilt them!). Marsha started to purchase fabrics with specific patterns in mind. When these cozy creations were complete, Marsha would deliver the quilts throughout the community to share this gift of warmth and comfort. 

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As time went on and things changed as they tend to do, other AIQ members continued what Marsha had started. Theresa Megna graciously volunteered to house all the fabric Marsha had accumulated for this special project and a small group of guild members took the initiative to continue her mission in our community. They would choose fabrics from Marsha’s collection, from fabric donated by the community, or from their own stash to create these comfort quilts. Other members of the guild would come to these small group meetings to collect fabrics to sew at home. Betty McCullough and Dell Dunman stepped up to the plate to machine quilt the majority of the quilts. Faye Justice, became the D.D. - “designated deliverer” until she could no longer do so. At which point that baton passed to Theresa Megna and Kathy Dean. 

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The Community Outreach Quilters have become renowned in the community for their thoughtfully crafted quilts that continue to be donated to various non-profit organizations. This altruistic group also makes quilts for these organization’s fundraising efforts, upon request. What started with one woman, making kits and collecting fabric, has grown into a group of members that make over 400 quilts a year! 

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“If you’re touching one person’s life, you’re making a difference.” - Steve Palfreyman