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Above, 2025 Raffle Quilt “Star Gazing” created by dozens of guild members
Two Franklin and two Medway Quilters will be represented in the upcoming “A Ruby Celebration” Quilt show at Blue Hills Regional Technical School on Saturday April 5 from 10am-5pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.
Rhododendron Needlers Quilt Guild (RNQG) will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary showcasing 150 quilts made by members. Activities of note will be a 1:30pm presentation each day about Antique Quilts, quilt appraisals, scissor sharpening, Raffle Baskets, a Boutique of handmade treasures, and multiple local vendors. Tickets for the beautiful “Star Gazing” Raffle Quilt will be available as well. Admission is $10 with children under 12 free.
From Franklin, Diane Bell has been quilting for 49 years. She has sewn since she was a child and loves putting beautiful fabrics together. After joining a group of friends who met every week to quilt, it didn’t take long for her to get hooked. Diane feels the happy accidents she creates are more joyful than following a pattern. Diane joined RNQG in 2019 and is happy to have had her quilts in the 2023 show and in this year’s show too!
Also from Franklin, Lisa Steinka has sewn and knitted since she was young- taught mostly by her mother. In the early 1980s her mother encouraged her to try quilting, however she didn’t quilt regularly until joining a group that met weekly to quilt and socialize. Over the years Lisa learned painting and tried multiple hand crafts such as knitting and cross stitch; the creation of beautiful works brought her joy. In quilting Lisa has found a medium where she can design and produce original works and that gives her great satisfaction. Lisa has shown her quilts nationally and won awards: Houston International Quilt Festival 2017 - Honorable Mention and RNQG Quilt Shows 2015 - 3rd place, 2017 - 1st place and 2023 - 3rd place.
Anh Fahey, from Medway, has been quilting for three years and joined RNQG in 2023. She quilts for the joy it brings her, as a creative outlet, for gift giving and to share her creations through charitable giving. Anh’s beautiful quilts have been awarded 2nd Place in the Bed Quilt category and 2nd Place in the Wall Hanging category at the 2024 Topsfield Fair.
Medway's Kathleen Yorkis attended a Community Education course with her daughter to jump start her 20 years of quilting. Kathleen says that she loves to quilt “to make gifts, it makes me happy and gives me a sense of accomplishment”. She has been a member of RNQG since 2011 and has exhibited her quilts outside of the guild at the Bentley University Student Center.
RNQG is grateful for financial support for the show from Canton, Sharon and Westwood Cultural Councils, Roche Bros and Dedham Savings. Reference rnqg.org for more specifics about the show and the guild.
