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Two ladies in the front of the room were eager to talk about what they were doing and having their work photographed. The lady in back is the unofficial instructor. The dark-haired lady is a beginner.
Naturally I think about the easiest way to do things, so I was interested in why the layers of material aren't just sewn together. I didn't get a really satisfying answer: "It's not done that way!" Each piece has to be cut and the backing has to be cut to match the outside of the first piece. I asked what happens to the cloth that is cut from the backing and I was told that it's saved, to be incorporated into another quilt. Geez, that was the best way I could explain that, and I'm sure it's still confusing.
That large piece of cloth is getting cut into progressively smaller strips and stacked on itself. She has about 8 layers here now.
Now the strips are being cut into triangles.
This is what happens when the stacks of material are unstacked. Both ladies told me separately that they prefer working with triangles, since you can turn each piece of fabric in a set to make a different design. Now the pieces will be sewn together and then a background piece will be attached around the sides.
Here's a pic of a quilt the group completed for an auction at the county museum. I don't know exactly how long it took, but from what I saw today, quilting is time intensive.
Quilting is an American invention dating back to the settlers who used whatever material they had to keep warm. It has since become an art form. Donna wants to go to the next quilt show and raffle in September, and I think I'll join her.