St. Philip's Episcopal Church 

QUILTERS

by Marilyn Sifontes

St. Philip's Quilters, a group of African-American Quilters, was formed in 1997 under the leadership of Diane Simpkins, a former member of the Daughters of Dorks, a well known African-American quilting group in Washington, D.C. 

Knowing of our congregation's long history of welcoming outside groups, I invited the group to use the church's facilities, but I had ulterior motives.  I had wanted to learn to quilt since childhood when I had sat at my grandmother's knee while she worked on her quilts. Diane brought a wealth of information and experience to the fledgling group and stayed with us until moving to New York City in 2000 so that he husband could continue his medical research career.  The group, however, was left in good hands.  Several members - Norwood Samuel, Vivian Thomas and Olivia Collins - had been quilting together for many years and possessed considerable skill themselves.  These ladies continue to provide guidance and support to the group.

The original group of twelve, many of whom are members of St. Philip's were soon joined by others, including Mildred Toner, who came with a wealth of knowledge from years of teaching quilt classes in the area.  Mildred is very talented and is always willing to help others.

The group meets regularly two Saturdays a month at the St. Philip's Parish Hall.  We work on our own individual projects and quilt-block-of-the-month projects.  We also make and distribute lap quilts to area nursing homes at Christmas.   Several members participated in the "Communion of Spirits Quilt Display and Workshop" several years ago.  The event was sponsored by Roland, a collector of quilts of African-American decent.

One of our most prized group projects was created three years ago for display at a special event organized by Barbara Seals-Nevergold, Ph.D. and Peggy Brooks-Bertram, Ph.D. honoring the women of St. Philip's.  Photos of 109 of the parish's 111 women were collected.  The images were then transferred to cloth squares and assembled into a quilt boarded with colorful African fabrics.

When Mrs. Fenty, the first of the women honored died, the interim rector, Rev John Russell suggested the quilt be used as a pall during her funeral service, a tradition was born.  Recently, when another of the women died, the family asked that the quilt be shipped to Arizona for her funeral.

St. Philip's Quilters are a wonderful group of women of all ages who enjoy quilting and each other, and have a great time helping with individual and group projects.  New members are always welcome.

So if you have an interest in quilting, no matter what your skill level, please Click here to email us, or call the church office at (716.833.0442) - Leave your name and number with the secretary, and a quilter will contact you. 

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Last modified: 02/24/08