Quilt the Day Away at Hoffman Hall
Sue Phillips, from Barneveld has been attending the event for seven years. Phillips sews on a Vintage Singer Cast Iron Sewing Machine from the 1940’s ( Melissa R. Collum/ Courier Press)
Mardell Winter is seated across from her niece and sister-in-law as she works on a star pattern block. (Melissa R. Collum/ Courier Press)
By Melissa R. Collum
Sixty quilters took over the Hoffman Hall gym this past weekend for the 15 Annual Quilt the Day Away retreat. Quilters from all over the mid-west traveled to Prairie du Chien for this two day event. Not only did the quilters work on projects but there were also classes and demonstrations for them to attend. The event always takes place the last weekend in April. “Some of the ladies put their tables together, because they already know each other. It is like one big family,” comments Janet Paulson, one of the event organizers.” Some of these ladies travel from retreat to retreat to retreat!”
This is the first time that Lori Lehner, who is originally from Eastman but now lives in Minnesota, attended the event. “My mom lives up by me now and wanted to come back to the area for this quilting retreat,” notes Lehner. “I was the one who got my mom interested in quilting.” Lehner likes that quilting gets the creative side of her mind working before she has to do other kinds of work.
Beth Trautsch, Lehner’s mom, was working on a block with very small pieces. “The smaller the pieces the more precise they have to be. I have not quilted much for the past three and a half years so I am just getting back into. I thought it would be fun to come down and attend the retreat.”
Mardell Winter has been attending ‘Quilt the Day Away event’ in Prairie du Chien since it began. “I began quilting after I retired and took a quilting class. It is relaxing and the people you quilt with are fun to be with,” notes Winter.
