Quilters invited to weekly sessions at The Commons at Central Hall

DOVER-FOXCROFT – Quilters of all experience levels are welcome to gather at The Commons at Central Hall from 1 to 3 p.m. each Tuesday. The Adult Quilting Group, facilitated by Cathy Flockton of Dover-Foxcroft and Roe O’Toole of Dexter, began in June, but “it seems like every two weeks a new person shows up, and that’s fine. The more the merrier,” O’Toole said.

The group includes a mix of skill levels ranging from beginner to award winner. The Commons provides tables and coffee. Flockton and O’Toole arrive early to set the downstairs activity room up for quilting. Participants bring their own projects, cutting mats, and sewing machines – if they want to sew that day. Occasionally, someone brings a cake or other treat to share.

“This is just a group of quilters who get together and socialize and help each other out,” O’Toole said. “Everyone gets along really well and there’s a lot of interaction. We will stop what we are doing to help somebody else. We have some patterns we share with each other, and we help pick out colors because that’s a hard thing to do.”

Photo courtesy of Sheila Grant
ADULT QUILTING GROUP — Roe O’Toole, Joan Shapleigh and Abi Rayner discuss their quilting project. The Adult Quilting Group meets from 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays at The Commons at Central Hall on East Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft.

Thus far, membership is free, but discussion is underway about a $10-15 annual fee to offset costs. Individuals dropping in only occasionally may be asked to pay a pro-rated amount. With 8-10 members, the group is able to meet downstairs, but a larger space is available upstairs and accessible by elevator, if the group continues to grow.

Additionally, when sharing a pattern means creating a number of large copies that can’t be done on a common photocopier, members may be asked to pay for their copy so that the volunteer facilitators don’t have to absorb the cost. One such pattern is a pumpkin/fall table runner the group is interested in creating, O’Toole said.

For more information about the Adult Quilting Group at The Commons at Central Hall, call O’Toole at 924-3660.

Photo courtesy of Sheila Grant
SEW THERE — Lorraine Novak participates in the group, and also does machine quilting for others for a small fee,“because I know a lot of ladies spend a lot on the fabric.”

Photo courtesy of Sheila Grant
GETTING TOGETHER TO QUILT — Linda Hannigan, a volunteer for The Commons at Central Hall, chats with quilter Carolyn Pettengill.