South Shore Stitchers Quilt Guild

A Brief History

The South Shore Stitchers was created in the fall of 1985 by Peggy Della Porta of Upper Township. She felt there were many people in the area interested in quilting to start a local guild.The club grew quickly and in 2004 reached over 100 members.The purpose of South Shore Stitchers is to preserve the heritage of quilting, be a source of information and inspiration, and be a gathering point for people with a common interest in quilt making.
Meetings are held at the Tuckahoe United Methodist Church, 112 State Highway 49 in Tuckahoe, on the second Monday of each month.Visitors are welcome. Doors open at 6:00 pm and the meeting begins at 6:30 pmQuilt Shows
The South Shore Stitchers Quilt Show is held every two years during mid-October over three days at the Upper Twp. Community Building in Cape May County New Jersey. The next show is scheduled for Oct. 18th, 19th, and 20th, 2024.- For information contact the Guild email: southshorestitchersguild@gmail.com

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Comfort Quilts

The group completes an average of 12 quilts each month.
The group averages from 13 to 17 members attending each month. About 120 individuals participate throughout the year. Almost all of the fabric is donated.Alma Flippen organized the first workshop at the library. Then, in 1994, Merry May started workshops at the Church in Tuckahoe.Workshops have been held ever since, making at least 100 quilts per year.The Comfort Quilts are given to police departments for aid in domestic situations, Shore Memorial Hospital, Health Care and Home Care organizations, fire departments, nursing homes, and anyone who needs one.Monthly workshops: Crazy Lady Stitching is part of the guild. They meet on the fourth Monday of the month from 1 pm to 4 pm at the Linwood Library. They work on their own individual projects and help each other as needed. They share fabrics and trims. They stitch together and socialize. Come join us for a fun time of stitching and fellowship.

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Events

- Jan. 21 (Wed.), Scissors Holder with Deb MacNeill at the Petersburg
Library, 11 am to 3 pm. Free, but you do need to sign up! Bring your
sewing machine & extension cord!- Feb. 18 (Wed.), Foundation Piecing with Jane P. Our focus will be on
making SSS name tags for new members, but if you want to brush up
on your skills, we'll have a simple pattern available for that as well. At
Petersburg Library, 11 am to 3 pm. Bring your sewing machine &
extension cord! Free, but you need to sign up in advance.- March 18 (Wed.), Name Tag Bag using the Hipster pattern by Riley
Blake with Ruth Ann Bosworth. At Petersburg Library, 11 am to 3 pm.
Bring your sewing machine & extension cord! Free, but you need to sign up in advance.- March 21 (Sat.), National Quilting Day Sew-In at Tuckahoe United
Methodist Church, 9 am to 2 pm. Bring your lunch plus a snack to
share. Also your sewing machine & basic supplies if you can. Be
prepared to help teach someone how to sew! We will also be selling
quilt show raffle tickets that day. Flyers will be available at our January meeting, so please pick them up and post them wherever you can. See Merry for the flyers.

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Tips & Resources:

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Hanging Sleeve:
Hanging a quilt is a great way to display it, but you should protect the quilt by hanging it properly. Nails,
staples, and tacks cause rusting and tearing, and put stress on the fabric. A popular hanging method is to slip
a dowel or curtain rod through a sleeve sewn to the backing. This distributes weight and strain evenly across the quilt width. Any quilt that is 60” or more wide needs a hanging sleeve for the quilt show. The rod from which the quilt will hang is 94” wide. If your quilt is wider than
that, make your sleeve about 92-93” wide and center it. This way your quilt will hang flat. If your sleeve is more than 93” the quilt will hang with gathers.
To make a sleeve:
1. Cut a fabric (muslin works well, or match your backing fabric) strip 9" wide and as long as the top edge of the quilt. Piece strips as needed to achieve desired length.
2. On each end of the strip, turn under 1⁄2”; then turn under another 1”. Topstitch to hem both ends.
3. With wrong sides facing, fold the strip in half lengthwise. Sew the long edges together with a 1⁄2” seam allowance, leaving the ends open.
4. Press seam allowances open, turn and open the tube. Press the tube flat. On the back side, press in another crease 1" down from the top crease.
5. With the tube against the backing, center the sleeve just below the binding and pin. Hand-sew sleeve
to backing along bottom crease. No stitches should show on the front.
6. Remove pins and fold the top of the sleeve along the second crease. Hand-stitch the second crease in
place on the backing. (See diagram). This “pleat” allows for more fullness to accommodate the bulk of the dowel and the quilt will hang flat on the front side.
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