Quilters stitch together Wings auction piece

Fundraiser to help cancer patients now in its 11th year

The Daily Inter Lake

Many hands worked on the large, colorful quilt going up for auction on the Wings radiothon this week.

Mary Rice created the piece from flower squares embroidered by a special ministry of women of Easthaven Baptist Church. The quilters used their retreat last September to create more than something to hang on the walls of their homes.

"They wanted to make something that would benefit the community," Rice said.

She decided to donate the cheerful queen-size quilt to the annual Wings benefit radiothon that airs Thursday and Friday over all the Bee Broadcasting radio stations.

Rice said several church members have had family members with cancer helped by Wings.

Now in its 11th year, the radiothon raises dollars that Wings uses to help families pay out-of-pocket expenses such as transportation and lodging associated with cancer treatments. Rice said she appreciates the importance of their work.

"You're not only devastated by the illness, you're devastated financially, too," she said.

Rice said she had no idea what she would do with the 50 embroidered squares representing the flowers of each state in the union. She decided they would fit nicely with a large central square that she had intended to use for a quilt of valor.

Rice has made 18 such quilts for veterans hospitals across the nation. These handmade gifts provide an expression of caring to cheer soldiers as they recover.

"There's nothing that makes you feel better than cuddling up under a quilt," she said.

To start the Wings quilt, she first exhausted her and her friends' supplies of flower-themed fabrics to intersperse with the embroidered flower squares around the large center piece that says, "Daily cares will never cease - In my garden there is peace."

She tapped 17 years of experience to piece together the squares over about a week of sewing.

According to Rice, a broken sewing machine got her started in the craft. She said her husband took the Bernina machine to a local shop where he learned about a sewing group that met once a week.

Since she was new in town, Rice decided to join the group. After a few classes in quilting, she was hooked.

"I've been doing it ever since," she said. "It's kind of like doing a jigsaw puzzle. It's something I love doing."

Once she had found the perfect fit for the Wings squares, she needed to find the final fabric to frame her work.

"I took it to the Quilt Gallery to find a border fabric," Rice said.

She said a consensus of customers and staff voted for a colorful orange print. Louise Moon used her large machine and talent to quilt the top to the back of the piece.

Easthaven Baptist Church hung the quilt in the entry of its new church before presenting it to Wings.

"It's going to be hung at the Sportsman," Rice said.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.