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Quilt squares pieced together for fair

Last week, Lisa Hardy stopped by Creekbottom House, arms full of quilt squares. What a stunning collection of artwork. Stitchery talent is as alive and well as any other art form in this artsy village.

As Lisa and I sat enjoying a pot of tea, she brought out the squares, laying them along the cushions of my couch. Framed in fire engine rusty red of the old couch, they shone, like the bright gifts each one is.

Could I choose a favorite? Not easily. Marge Everidge's version of the O'Donnell Lane bridge - which just happens to include Creekbottom House almost buried in a lush, summery tree cover - is naturally among my favorites. Strolling the bridge are Irene and Carroll Marsh, long since gone, but fondly remembered. Margie's square is based on a painting done by her sweetheart, Archie Horton.

Next favorite? Far more problematic. I love them all, each an artful creation providing a little history of our town. Marge Foster created a Native American barkhouse with a young maiden weaving outside. The mortar, pestle and acorn-filled basket are stunning in their detail.

Then there's Kathleen Gray's pig farm, with tiny appliquéd porcine pals; Nancy Murray, wife of our former fire chief, portrayed the long-ago burned Catholic church of Glen Ellen, St. Mary's. It's beautiful. Blythe Carver did a fanciful version of the Grist Mill's waterwheel in soft colors. My square is a portrait of David Bouverie's bell tower featuring the William Randolf Hearst bell. I had fun, but my amateur artwork pales in comparison to the true fabric artists who worked on this quilt.

Katie Dunham's picture of the Glen Ellen train station: Wow! It's detailed and darling, just like young Katie, though I guess I'd better quit calling her young ... she's now a lovely woman, mother of a darling daughter. Cheryl Franzini also featured a train, along with several delightful, wild creatures.

Jayne Carpenter caught the essence of the Arnold Drive Bridge in a picture that emphasizes 1939. Pamela Wiley's exuberant trio of sunflowers captures the essence of Oak Hill Farm. Nancy Murray did a second square of the demolished Jack London Library that used to be just uphill and across from the laundromat. Mary Ann Carr's choice of the Glen Ellen Community Church is elegant and pale, with ghostly, spirit trees. Deb Pool caught the Arnold Drive Bridge in a delightfully skewed perspective. And there's more.

I felt privileged to get this first glimpse of the quilt. As ever, it will first be shown to the public at the Volunteer Firefighter's Mother's Day Breakfast at our main firehouse on Arnold Drive, May 8. Certainly, you'll want to buy your first round of quilt raffle tickets then. In the past, folks have won from tickets purchased there, others buying their tickets the afternoon of our fair. My advice: buy tickets often throughout the selling season and then buy a few more on the day of the fair. That will be, as ever, the Sunday before Columbus Day.

Margie Foster also sent important quilter's news, particularly for folks interested in helping Japan. A group called Mission of Love is sending a shipment of handmade blankets to Japan. Not fancy, not complicated, just warm and comforting. I made one last weekend, but my job was made simpler by a couple of armloads of old quilt squares that Suzanne Shonbrun gifted to me one evening after Vox Populi choir practice. Those luscious pink blossoms of a girly-girl quilt she started years ago, and quickly finished by me, will, I hope, cover a little Japanese girl with warmth and love. Want to participate? Check out www.equilter.com/gci-bin/webc.cgi/quiltsforjapan.htlm. If websites I include in my column baffle you, call me. I'm always happy to hear from my readers, requesting or sharing news.

Finally when Quercus Quire, the Bouverie Preserve's singing group, entertains local kids with their hit song, "Spiders and Snakes," I think they ought to include a big photo of Glen Ellen artist Bryan Tedrick's fabulous new bike rack on the Sonoma Plaza. I love the spidery, organic form and, of course, the Quire wants to encourage environmentally appropriate transportation.

Next week I'll share Easter Sunday news. Both about the Glen Ellen Volunteer Firefighter's annual Easter egg hunt and from Jim Hill of the Glen Ellen Community Church. Other items of Glen Ellen interest to calendar: Glen Ellen Historical Society's next meeting is Saturday, April 30, 2 to 4 p.m. Bradley Dreyer's big benefit is May 7.

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Share your good news with friends and neighbors in Glen Ellen. Call or write me at the numbers up there by my smile. Or email me at creekbottom@earthlink.net. Glen Ellen chatter rarely requires timeliness; however, if your news does, please be sure to contact me at least two weeks before the run date.