Handmade Quilts Blanket Berkeley Springs

Berkeley Springs is generally known as a spa and arts town, and right now quilts are the primary form of art on display. Quilt squares are hanging at the local art center, The Ice House, and at businesses throughout downtown.

Every year the Delectable Mountains Quilt Guild auctions off the squares to benefit a local charity.

During a recent bi-monthly meeting at a church hall, before the squares went on display, guild members showed off their creations during a ‘parade of quilts,’ holding each one up for all to see.

“They are 36 inches square and they are beautiful,” Karen Hayes, guild president, said. “We have 40 of them available this year and they will be auctioned off and the proceeds will go to a charity that we all voted on.”

This is the tenth year the guild has sponsored the auction. In the past the proceeds have gone to organizations like the Morgan Arts Council, the Morgan County Public Library and the local Humane Society. This year’s recipient will be the Morgan County Observatory Foundation, which supports an observatory located next to Greenwood Elementary School.

“We have a wonderful telescope that was given to the county but we had to build the building to keep it in and the foundation also takes care of all the tours and opening it for tours and of course they’re always at night,” Hayes said. “With our money they’ll be able to have more star parties.”

Hayes said the quilt guild members design their own squares, although they are often tailored toward the charity that is chosen for the year.

Credit Cecelia Mason / West Virginia Public Broadcasting

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West Virginia Public Broadcasting

“So you notice several of them have stars in them this year,” she said. “But otherwise it’s whatever they want to give. It’s their donation and they provide all the materials and everything and just give it to the auction for the charity.”

The quilt squares will be sold at auction on Sunday May 25, 2014 at 2 p.m. at the Ice House.  Several of the squares are also being auctioned online which should increase participation.

“We will have more people involved that way because his online presence is 600,000 people,” member Jane Franke said. “So we selected the six quilt and the quilters said that they would like to be the online people as an experiment to try it out.”

In addition to the squares hanging in shop windows throughout Berkeley Springs, the guild is also curating a show at the Ice House called “Home is Where the Heart Is.” It includes nearly 60 full size quilts made by members, as well as smaller items like wall hangings, coasters, table runners and pot holders.