Members of Newton quilt club say their past president is still giving them inspiration

The gals of the 1/4-Inch Quilters quilting club have worked tirelessly this past year creating the next batch of textiles for the annual Quilt Auction and Salvation Army fundraiser, and they have done so without one of their key members, past president Laurie Wallace, who died in March. But her impact can still be felt.

Bette Kling, the current president of the group, remembers Wallace as an active member of the group who was always willing to collaborate with others on quilts or give advice to any stumped sewers. Kling reckons Wallace would also be quite proud of the 22 quilts the group made for the auction.

“Oh, I know she would be very pleased,” Kling said. “She was always very supportive of the quilts we made and she would offer lots of suggestions. When we work on a quilt and get to a certain point and try to make a decision, I’d ask the group if anyone has suggestions. She always had suggestions for people.”

Wallace was quite the creative. In addition to making quilts, she hand-made table decorations and wall hangings, as well as leatherwork and embossing for wallets, purses and saddle bags. Kling said Wallace was also a gifted teacher, having taught her how to operate the long-arm machine for quilt making.

“I learned so much from her, and we got along real good,” Kling said, adding the absence of their fellow quilter was certainly noticed these past months.

“For me, the first couple of weeks it just seemed very odd. Because I was sitting on the other side of the room, and I didn’t hear her voice talking about different things with the gals at her table. I don’t have that conversation going on anymore. We talked about it for awhile, and then everybody transitioned pretty well.”

Bobbe Church, who is Kling’s older sister and another member of the quilting group, recalled Wallace being a lot of fun to be around, especially when Wallace was able to accompany members of the club on a bus trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin before she passed way. Memories like that still stick with folks.

“Lot’s of things still remind us of Laurie and say like, ‘Oh! Laurie would have liked that,’” Church said. “We have a quilt that is going in the auction that she made, and she made one with Diana and Jenny; they made one together. We all still remember her and miss her. She was a lot of fun.”

Even more so during the weekly quilting sessions. Church said Wallace “was quite the inspiration” and “really challenged you to try something way harder than you thought you could do.” Wallace, too, would live up to her own challenges by giving herself more complicated, kaleidoscope-like patterns.

“But she’d do it,” Church said. “She hadn’t quilted before she started here. I would stick to some of the more easy stuff, but here she was doing something hard like that. So then I thought I could try something a little more challenging. I feel there’s an inspiration to kind of live up to not being afraid to try new things.”

The quilt auction — which will be held 6 p.m. Nov. 10 at DMACC Newton Campus — will also feature an additional 11, slightly-used quilts from Wallace, which were donated by a close family member. Which means there will be more than 30 quilts up for grabs at the live and silent auction.

All made by the dedicated ladies of 1/4-Inch Quilters, who say it is the fellowship that keeps them coming to the weekly gatherings.

“I made a lot of friends that I didn’t have before,” Kling said.

Friendships that have shown to last more than a lifetime.