Since its beginnings in 1987, the Stepping Stone Quilters group has grown from a handful of women to more than 100 members, who, over almost three decades, have combined their love of the age-old art with a desire to help people in need.
The women meet at the Sebastian Art Center Mondays and Fridays to work on a variety of projects, share ideas, patterns, fabric and conversation and to learn, practice and refine stitching and design techniques, of which there are many. It is said the group’s name was chosen because the stepping stone block pattern represents the way quilting technique is learned: one step at a time.
In addition to the pure joy of creating beautiful works, large and small, from a rainbow heap of fabric squares, the Stepping Stone Quilters ply their craft for another mission – community service.
An ongoing project is Quilts of Valor: the group makes quilts for veterans. “We bring them to local veterans or mail them to the hospitals. It warms your heart,” says long-time Stepping Stone Quilter Ellie Perrone, adding that quilts are also sold or raffled to raise money for “every organization that needs our help.”
Caps, blankets and other items are lovingly crocheted for premature babies and area seniors. Once a month, the women bring in canned goods, to be donated to the Ecumenical Food Pantry and the Baptist Church pantry. Over the years, the quilters have supported numerous local organizations and causes.
On quilting days, the long tables in the Art Center’s big, sunny studio room are set up with sewing machines and heaped with stacks of fabric, patterns, pin cushions, scissors, cutting boards, Exacto knives – and projects in all stages of completion.
Experienced stitchers are happy to share and teach the quilting newbies as everyone works at his or her individual project or a group project such as the Quilts of Valor. The pleasant humming of the sewing machines provides background harmony for the buzz of conversation.
“I tried that blanket stitch you showed me. I really like it!”
“Oh, show her the roosters you’re doing.”
“I did a quilt for my granddaughter. Each square is only one inch. WHAT was I THINKING?”
Perrone had been sewing for many years when she decided to attend a quilting class. “One class and I was hooked,” she says. After moving to Vero Lake Estates in 1994, Perrone spotted an article on the Stepping Stone Quilters and “I’ve been with the group ever since. After 9-11 we made red, white and blue quilts for people who had lost someone – all over the country.” Perrone also creates quilts for family, friends and special occasions. With a smile, she says that quilting has been the secret to “a perfect marriage. My husband says quilting’s the best medicine. He watches TV and I go do my quilting!”
Design choices come from the hundreds of available patterns as well as from photos, pictures, old magazines. “We see something and put it in our quilt. I once did one from old aprons.”
Wouldn’t all that tedious stitching on one piece get boring after a while? Apparently not. “No quilter I know does only one quilt at a time,” she says. “I usually have four or five under way.”
New Jersey native Janet Schiefer first learned to quilt totally by hand. Now, beautifully feathered roosters are among her favorite quilt subjects. Schiefer loves living in Sebastian and says she will never again “cross the Florida line. You want me, you know where to find me.”
Kathy Costa is new to quilting and was thrilled when her work received first-place recognition in a recent club competition. Club President Cathie Mozzetta came up with the clever idea: Each participant would reach into a bag of crayons, sight unseen, and grab one. The color picked would dictate the palette from which she would create her design, using only fabric in varying shades of the crayon’s color, from light to dark.
It took many months to locate the right fabrics, but the results were well worth the effort – wonderfully creative and diverse 18 x 18” square works in different color palettes, from pumpkins to wild grasses to abstracts. Costa was a bit nonplussed when she drew out a reddish, brownish crayon labelled “bittersweet.” Nonetheless, the striking Florida marsh scene she created garnered her a top award. Many of the entries were on display in the Art Center’s gallery in March, colorful examples of the stitchers’ skill.
An artist all her life, Stepping Stone quilter Mindy Marik taught art in Ohio for 16 years, focusing on pottery before taking up quilting, which she now teaches locally, after moving to the area two years ago.
Marik became fascinated by the possibilities quilting offered, and decided, in 1999, to employ the medium as “more of an art form.” As she had worked to follow the quilt patterns, she said, “I read the pattern, it said what to do but, just like a kid, I never could ‘color within the lines.’ I just didn’t use the pattern. I enjoy the process. Quilting is like an art element, you start with the quilt ‘line’ and go from there. My ‘quilt’ – is not for your bed. It might be found on a wall or framed. It’s non-traditional, the elements might include different yarns, beading.”
In addition to membership in the Stepping Stone group and the Sebastian Craft Club, Marik belongs to the Dirty Dozen Fiber Artists (Melbourne) and TAS (The Applique Society), which meets in Sebastian. She’s also connected to a larger group of studio artists – SAQA, Studio Art Quilt Associates, and has shown and ribboned in several shows and galleries. A teacher at heart, Marik hopes to do more lecturing and teaching.
The Stepping Stone Quilters exemplify what is best in a community organization – fellowship, creative opportunity and community outreach.
