Raintree Quilters Guild members Diana Mahrenholz and Carole Douglas devote hours to carefully stitching embroidery that eventually shapes pieces of fabric into works of art. Though sewing machines can handle much of the work, intricate quilt tops still are best done by hand. The fluffy dogs emerging on Mahrenholz’s quilts and the brightly colored flowers that Douglas makes bloom still follow the tradition of their mothers and grandmothers, with a modern touch.
“There is a huge German community around here. Everybody and their grandmother quilts and crochets,” says Douglas.
Mahrenholz took inspiration from her mother, who handsewed a quilt top for Mahrenholz’s 1980 wedding to her husband, Terry. “She said if I wanted it done, I’d better do it myself,” she recalls. Thus began her 45-year quilting journey. “When I began sewing quilt tops in the ’80s, we cut sandpaper as patterns to draw pieces on fabric to cut out. Everything was hand-quilted,” Mahrenholz says. Now, quilters are armed with rotary cutters, mats, and sewing machines to create their fabric masterpieces.
She creates pieces with bright, bold colors and patterns that feature florals, stars, and even animals: one design includes an orange phoenix emerging from flames on a bright blue background. Many of her quilts end up decorating the walls or warming the beds in her Poseyville, Indiana, home. She also has featured her work at 4-H fairs, the guild’s Harvest of Quilts show, and at shows in Texas, Kentucky, Connecticut, and Florida. She’s proud of the many ribbons her quilts have earned, but the accolades are not what drive her to quilt. “What I love most about quilting is all the friends I have made over the years, from my ‘Monday Sew’ group at First Christian Church in Evansville and the Raintree Quilters Guild to the ladies I go to sewing retreats with,” she says.
Douglas learned to quilt from her grandmother in the 1970s and started by making quilts for her beds “with cheap old fabric, old clothes, and sheets — everything and anything,” she says. “Then I joined the guild, and they got me straight about the proper etiquette of making quilts.”
The North Sider prefers to quilt mid-century modern styles on Japanese Moda Grunge cotton, a multi-shade fabric that adds dimension to her creations. She spends several months on each quilt, with some details — Christmas trees, a flower arrangement, or a butterfly — cut from silk. Many of her designs are inspired by pictures she sees and recreates in her own style. Like Mahrenholz, Douglas’ quilts have won several awards at the guild’s annual show. Though one quilt was purchased at September’s show, Douglas does not sell many — she says she quilts for fun: “I’m never happier than when I’m at my machine. Frustrated but happy.”
Mahrenholz agrees: “If you asked me what my favorite quilt was, I’d have to say it’s always the one I’m working on, because it’s the joy of making it.”
