The Material Girls Historian

Judy and her purple and white sparkle quilt

Judy and her purple and white sparkle quilt

Barbara Chmilar

Everyone who joins a club becomes part of its legacy whether they’re an officer or a member at large who just attends functions. It’s up to the club historian to record the notable events during their tenure. The position, however, extends beyond just writing down what happens. The historian’s job duties can extend to being a photographer, filmmaker and researcher.

Four years ago Judy Gibson became our Historian. She began her research and started with what little information she could gather, and so started the basis for recording and scrapbooking, thinking about quilters and all the different areas we serve with our charity quilts. She decided the pages needed to depict a quilt pattern background and then decided on colors that would enhance the articles that printed that month. Sometimes the articles are quite large so had to be cut to fit. She makes sure she has publication dates and tries to depict the seasons with the designs added to each page. Fortunately for the Material Girls she used to make greeting cards, etc. so had a lot of equipment and paper to use that the club did not have to buy. There is now a designated allowance to purchase other items to use to enhance the pages.

The scrapbook shows anyone looking at it all the things the club does for others and the different functions we participate in during the year. The important thing is to collect keepsakes that the club members can look back on.

Last year as well as this coming year we are supporting the Family Advocacy Center for Children and providing the Eloy Police Department with two quilts for each police car for when they must remove a child from a home. The Material Girls have also supported the Eloy Senior Center for four years by annually providing a quilt or pillowcase to all of the residents. We also make comfort quilts for our own residents who have a serious illness or who have lost a spouse.

Please contact either Marge Doughty 360-739-9990, [email protected] or Doug Kant at 989-860-0692, [email protected] if you know a Robson resident who might need one.

The Material Girls welcome all residents who have a love for sewing and/or quilting to join our club. Dues are $20 per year, and you can visit two times before dues are collected. Monies from our dues, profits from our raffle quilt ticket sales and the craft fairs support the purchase of fabrics and supplies we need to fulfill our ongoing commitments to our charities.

If you would like more information about the club, contact Mary Syer at [email protected], phone 610-613-6161 or Barb Chmilar at [email protected], 250-573-2808.