Quilting show to be held at Hatfield Hall
For The Madera Tribune
Anita Frede, with a quilt that reflects a Yosemite National Park scene.
The Heart of California Quilt Guild will stage its Bi-Annual Quilt Show Saturday and Sunday at Hatfield Hall.
There are two featured quilters who have a long history of sewing.
Janet Morita learned to sew at age 11 in her Home Economics class and never stopped. Her mother bought her a Singer sewing machine and all the fabric she needed to make her own clothes. Through middle school, high school and college she sewed her own clothes, including her wedding gown and a wedding suit for her soon-to-be husband.
Anita Frede learned to sew from her mother, who was a quilter, as was her grandmother.
Her mother encouraged her to buy her first sewing machine at age 19. She continued to sew clothing for herself and her children all her adult life.
Frede began quilting in 1977 with a baby quilt for her son, Paul. She has made over 200 quilts in her years of quilting. She has made quilts and stuffed toys to sell, as well as to give her children and grandchildren. Anita continues to focus on learning new techniques as her quilt display demonstrates.
Anita makes quilts for her church as well as for community projects through the Heart of California Quilt Guild and the San Joaquin Valley Quilt Guild.
One of her fondest memories is making a donation quilt for flood victims with her grandson Matthew. Matthew drove the sewing machine while Anita guided the fabric. She has passed the love of quilting to her daughter, Marcy, and to her granddaughter, Laura, with whom she attends quilt retreats along with her sister, Jane.
Janet began quilting around the time that she started teaching. Her first project was a quilt-as-you-go Log Cabin quilt which she learned to make at Quilters’ Paradise. She continued quilting while teaching by making quilts from drawings her students made. When Janet retired, she embraced two hobbies, watercoloring and quilt making. She joined the quilt club in Yosemite Lakes Park and later joined the Heart of California Quilt Guild.
This past year with the inspiration of her ninety-year-old friend, Julie, she began painting on fabric and then quilted it with thread paint, creating art quilts. She exhibits her work at the Timberline Gallery in Oakhurst.
Both Janet and Anita continue to be inspired by the work of colleagues and friends as they enhance and improve upon their work as quilters.
