Two hundred works of art will be on display later this month in Schenectady, and it is something fans of the medium will get wrapped up in. Quilts United in Learning Together Schenectady is presenting its 13th biennial quilt show, Autumn Inspirations, on Saturday, Sept. 29, and Sunday, Sept. 30, at Proctors GE Theatre. All three floors will feature many different styles of quilts, 14 vendors for fellow quilters, raffles, door prizes and a special exhibit featuring quilts of four of the group’s founding members, Cathy Gruyters, Chris Kaczynski, Shirley Hedman and Marie Miller. The quilting guild has been active for 30 years in Schenectady County and he group has around 130 members. There are also members from outside the county in the guild, including Albany, Saratoga and Schoharie counties. Unlike some other area quilt guilds, QUILT meets at night on the first Thursday of the month, so people working during the day can attend. In addition to quilting, the guild hosts speakers on the craft. “A lot of the people work during the day,” guild spokeswoman Lynn Lauzon-Russom said. “The people you’ll see are a little bit younger.” Lauzon-Russom found out about the group because her neighbor was a member and she had quilts displayed throughout her home. “I started coming with her and as my son grew I started making different kinds of quilts,” she said. “Now he is 30 and he and his wife are having a baby, so we will start all over with quilts.” The group has also taken on charitable efforts and over the past 23 years it has made and donated more than 1,300 “comfort quilts” for children served by the Northeast Child and Parent Society of Schenectady. In 2004, the group started making quilts for injured soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to be shipped to Bethesda, Md. The group now donates quilts to the Albany VA Hospital for veterans admitted there. The group’s most recent initiative, started in 2008, has members making miniature quilts, which are donated to raise money for Alzheimer’s research. The quilts are bid on www.alzquilts.org. Gruyters, a Schenectady resident, said she got into quilting as a social outlet.
“I didn’t know anyone, so I thought it would be a way to meet people by taking adult ed courses,” she said. “One of the other featured quilters … Shirley Hedman, was the teacher.” “It is very relaxing, as if anyone would believe that, but as someone that likes this it is a very relaxing process,” she added. Quilt show co-chairwomen Nina Whitney and Kathy Wagner said the event is a good way to feature founding members as the group marks its 30th anniversary. Both quilters have been in the group for nine years. The last show saw about 1,200 visitors, Wagner said. The show serves as the QUILT’s primary fundraiser, with money going towards room rental costs, insurance and hiring speakers. “I just like to see what other people have done and what techniques they use,” Whitney said about the show. For more information on the group and the upcoming quilt show, visit www.quiltschenectady.org.