backroom quilters

Midday. Thursday.
C.C. Mellor Library.
1 Pennwood Ave,
Edgewood, east end of
Pittsburgh.


And since it's fall, it's raining.


Could the day be any less inspiring? It’s Thursday. That means it’s time for the Back Room Quilters demi-guild. Quilters may be a friendly bunch, but we can be a little difficult to locate initially. I discovered this group accidentally because I was cross referencing something completely different that I had seen on the Pittsburgh library’s calendar of events. Since Edgewood was, or in actuality still is a separate municipality that has it's own library and police force among other things, the events aren't listed on the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh web page, though Edgewood has a Pittsburgh mailing address. Semantics.


Needless to say, I was very surprised to learn about a group of quilters meeting at a library within a reasonable driving distance of my own zipcode [at the time, walking distance from my house], and at the first opportunity, I headed over to the C.C. Mellor library to check it out.

Except that there is no sign posted anywhere in the library that says a group meets there weekly, contact thus and so if you are interested in joining.  What also throws a newbie off is not only how to find the room, but the “Emergency Exit Only – Alarm Will Sound” warning on the door latch. Right… However, if you wait long enough, and you have a quilting badge of identification with you, such as a hoop, someone will come along and say, "Oh, don't worry about the door. Pleased to meet you, you look new..."


I say demi-guild because they don’t have by-laws or charge dues. They do, however, collect a donation for the library. We are, after all, borrowing their space for three hours, from 12 – 3, and almost everyone brings lunch. And if it's your birthday, you bring a treat to share.

Something of an apparent rarity is a group project, though about eight of the women are working on a tessellating stack-and-whack, being taught by another woman in the group who works at one of the local quilt shops, using materials from classes she has taught in the past. I should have gotten in on this but I figured I was a grad student, I'd be too busy. Now I wish I had raided the stash for something, or run down to LOOM for another yard or two of the STAR WARS  fabric I was freaking out about last month. That would have been awesome, something like a talking heads quilt or something... In any case, it's been a great 3 hours to get some work done quilt-guilt free. I'll miss it next semester.