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The Pieces of Friendship Quilt Show is currently on display at the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts in downtown Globe. The rooms of CVCA are painted with color and comfort showcasing the beautiful quilts made by local quilters. This annual showcase will be available for viewing until March 29.
“This year’s show is the 25th anniversary show,” said Copper Country Quilters show chairperson Sally Hatfield. The group was founded in 1984 by a group of Globe-Miami quilters that wanted to start a local quilters guild to teach others in the community about quilts and quilting. In the beginning they met in member’s homes and borrowed classrooms in Globe.
In April of 1986 the Copper Country Quilters received a charter form the Arizona Quilters Guild. “Today we meet three times a month at the First Christian Church,” said Hatfield. “New members and visitors are always encouraged to join and attend.”
Since it began, the group has remained a visible part of the Globe-Miami community. “We try to stay very active,” said Hatfield. They continue to work on community service projects which include making quilts for the G.I.L.A. house, the local nursing homes, and Horizon Human Services. The group also provides scholarships for the Summer Youth Musical Theater Program and supports the local food bank and the Humane Society. They have also been known to provide comfort dolls to Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center’s ER unit.
The annual Pieces of Friendship Quilt Show began in 1990 to showcase the talent and work of local quilters. All quilters in the community are invited to enter quilts to the show which takes place in February and March at CVCA. As part of the show the group is raffling off the Almost Amish Pieces of Friendship Quilt made by the Copper Country Quilters. The quilt is brightly colored and massive and will go to one lucky winner. Tickets for the raffle are $1 each or six for $5. All proceeds go to the CCQ and the drawing will be in late March.
This year’s Quilter’s Awards of Merit go to: Circles in Black and White by Sally Hatfield – Best of Show, Award of Merit for Domestic Machine Quilting; Spinning Wheel by Ruth Meyer, CVCA Sponsor Award, Globe-Miami Chamber of Commerce Sponsor Award, Award of Merit for Color; Desert Landscape by Marge Imperatrice, Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame Award; Old and New Favorites by Wanda Rakoczy, Award for Merit for Piecing; Dry Creek by Jan Pederson, Award of Merit for Applique; Liberty by Joyce Loew, Award for Merit for Hand Quilting; and Briar Rose by Ellen Kretsch and Dora McCrite, Award of Merit for Long Arm Machine Quilting. A viewer’s choice ribbon will be awarded at the end of the show so viewers are encouraged to vote for their favorite.
The year the group chose to showcase several antique quilts from the area. “We decided to feature some antique quilts this year since it is our 25th anniversary,” said Hatfield. “One of the vintage quilts was made by a man in the 1920s. He embroidered his name on all of his quilts which is very rare to see.” Another antique quilt, named Grandmother’s Flower Garden, was made by Lily Tracy Brengle and Florence Cook and given to Beverly Hawkins in April of 2004. The following story was detailed on the name tag.
“My mother, Lily tracy Brengle pieced this quilt for me in the early 1930s. We were living in Bisbee, Ariz. at the time. Our grandmother, Linda Belle Tracy came and spent about three months with us one winter. She worked on it but didn’t get it finished so took it home with her. Mom had used unbleached muslin for the white blocks and when grandma sent it back she had used feed sacks for the white blocks. Mom ripped them all out and redid them with muslin. I recognized some of the material she used as she made all our clothes. We had very few though. My friend Ruth Todd bought the batting and backing for it and her mother, Florence Cook, quilted it for one of my birthday presents. It is all hand stitched. I am giving this to you, Beverly, because you make beautiful quilts and know the work that goes into them. It is about 85 years old.”
The Copper Country Quilters are celebrating their 25th annual Pieces of Friendship Quilt Show at Cobre Valley Center for the Arts until March 29. Photo by Andrea Justice
Photo by Andrea Justice
Andrea Justice started working for the Copper Area News in Feb. 2013. She is the primary reporter and photographer for Copper Futures, a special edition highlighting exceptional students and athletes from Globe, Miami, and San Carlos. Andrea works as a copy editor for several of the publications produced by Copper Area News. She is the former managing editor of the Arizona Silver Belt and San Carlos Apache Moccasin, and has over 10 years of experience working in a newsroom. She has received awards for photojournalism and design from the Arizona Newspaper Association. Andrea has strong ties to the Globe, Miami and San Carlos communities. She is a Globe High School and Eastern Arizona College graduate. She lives in Globe with her husband, Justin, and their three children, Brandon, Isiah, and Ryliegh.
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