Akwesasne Quilters Club

Indian Time
Vol 29 # 40
October 6, 2011

Top row (L-R) Dolores Thompson, Annie King
Bottom row (L-R) Louise Cook, Judy Cole

The Akwesasne Quilters Club is a group of Akwesasronon who share a similar interest - quilting. This group originally formed in 1997 is based out of the Kana:takon Recreation Centre. To date the club has 40 quilts under their belt made by many different members. Membership for the club fluctuates from year to year as members originally are involved to learn how to quilt for the very first time. In their inaugural year there were seven members and in 1999 that raised to 10 members before reaching their high in 2005 with 12 members. Currently there are four dedicated members to the group and they include Judy Cole, Annie King, Louise Cook and Dolores Thompson.

The club runs from October through June of each year and they make on average two quilts during that time. They gather as a group to select the pattern and travel together to also purchase the material for each quilt. The typical size of quilt that they produce is a Queen size quilt, which once complete they sell. Depending on the size of the quilt and the time put in the price for their beautiful quilts run between $600.00 and $1,000.00.

"The cost of fabric is steep," said Cook. "Especially because we like to use the good stuff." The 'good stuff' in question refers to the 100 cotton material that they search out both locally at fabric stores like Wolf Pack and out in Malone, Plattsburgh and even in Vermont.

"All we do is hand quilting," said Cook. "So you could say that we are still using the old school methods." "Annie McDonald was our oldest quilter for several years," said Cole. "The only reason she stopped was because it was getting hard for her to see."

Quilters from all backgrounds are always welcome to participate in this club that meets weekly on Wednesday mornings from 9:00 am until they are too tired to quilt any longer. "We don't have a set time to finish" said Cole. "If we are getting close to finishing something then we stay longer to finish."

The members of the quilting club have a vast knowledge of handling quilts. This comes from their travels to different quilt auctions around the region where they have been able to see professional auctions where over 500 quilts were auctioned off n a day. Even the upkeep of quilts is more than what you would think it would be.

"You aren't supposed to wash your quilts," said King. "Just hanging it
out to air and then maybe spraying it with something to freshen the smell
would do." "Quilts are an expensive commodity," said Cole. "You also can't let the light hit the fabric or it will cause the color in the fabric to fade."

The club sometimes is commissioned to do jobs for events in the community. One year they were hired to sew purple scarves to be placed on tabletops. They were also commissioned to quilt a ladybug themed quilt that turned out better than expected.

At the beginning the club was funded by the Casino RAMA fund through
MCA and that initial funding allowed them to purchase six sewing machines. They have taught classes to elders and kids, and one year they made clothing protectors for Tsi Ionkwanonhsote and Iakhisohtha. Around Christmas time one year they made 200 Christmas stockings and cosmetic bags for a Girls Night Out event.

"Some of the quilters who we taught here have gone on to other things," said
Thompson. "They have even started their own classes." There is a lot of knowledge available to beginners who want to learn how to quilt at the Quilt Club in Kana:takon. These quilters are very proud of the history and community service that they have provided in their almost 15-year run. Whether it is showing a new quilter how to cut with the grain or just assembling pieces the correct way if you want to learn the finer points of quilting this is a great place to start.