WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESI)AY NIARCII 26, 1980, PAGE 5 Between You and Me - -4t. - çYp ~Jju By RUTH CHAMBERS "I j I shall pass through this world only once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for 1 shallflot pass this way again. The words above, the author unknown to me reminds me somehow of quilting and violets! Why, I don't know, unless it's because they are ail tried and true and go on fromn one generation to a nother. Let's make a beautiful quilt for Whtby's 125 anniversary. It takes time to make a quilt but with eager hands and optomnistic minds, wonders could be done. If many could be made they would no doubt selI like hot cakes especially to Whitby old timers who are living far away. Various symbols pertaining to the times could be incor- porated in to the quilt. Whitby was a great farming area then and a sheaf of wheat, a barn or a cow could depict the agricultural side of things. A railway centre then with trains very much in evidence; s0 there could be tracks, an engine and a railroad station. Boats and the harbour, sail boats, schooners and sheds down by the water. Old pictures of the town would be invaluable and maybe somne old store fronts could be copied. One afternoon last week I had a lovely visit with Mr. and Mrs. Kay of Brooklin. As soon as I walked into the living room I saw a mass of violets of every hue, pink, rose, blue, violet, magenta, white and purpie. Mrs. Kay must have two green thurnbs to grow such lovely violets because they are sometimes quite tempermental. Mr. Kay, I'm sure has two green thumbs when April cornes and he's working in his gar- den. Mrs. Kay helped her mother piece quilts, that is sew patches together when she was very young about eight or nine. Now she has a beautiful collection of wonderfully colourful and well made quilta. She has made them for her children and gran- dchildren and I saw one for a youngster with children on it and a name for each child sewn in the corner. She has one on a frame now which she is working on and so she showed me exactly how it is set up and worked on. Mrs. Kay uses teryleen batting and has a favourite place to buy iL. The lining can be made of sheeting, broadcloth or whatever material will wear well. The teryleen washes well and holds its shape. This batting does not bahl up as the older ones did s0 the quilting does not have to be as close and it looks nicer too. From the standpoint of the historian the signed and dated quilt is of much importance. I wonder how many people siga and date theirs thèse days? The researcher can learn much about the period's textiles and styles as well as dating other items by using it as a reference. Too, the quilts tell something of the women who made them and their lives at that time. The skill of quilt making was brought to this country by im- migrants from the British Isles and Holland; no doubt from many other Europian countries such as Austria and Germany too. These quilts can show the life styles of the new pioneers, their background; t.he resources they brought with theru and the needs of a frontier community. Very often these folk created the raw materials and dyes themselves. The major influence on needlework in the Middle Ages was the church. The Crusades spread the fine needlework of the East throughout Europe. After this time in history quilting and patchwork became important in the world of fashion, to decorating bedrooms and to the field of heraldry. Vears ago when people were confined to their own com- munity especially in the winter time quilting brought people hWHiITBY FABRICS CUSTOM SHEERS - DRAPES CAN'T AFFORD NEW? W! CAN ALTER YOUR OLD ONES TO LOOK LUKE NEW -GONE US A IR SAVE DOLLARS ' olso DRESS GOODS 215 Dundas St.E. Whitby 663-4821 together. The quilting bee was an occasion for lively gossip and a tea party. Most churches had their own groups as some do now. Many of them f ill orders for people who want quilts. As time goes on women grow older and many of our quilters have passed away. Younger womnen should be learning the art now SO that it will be kept alive. Many women are involved with crafts now in Whitby and spend happy hours working and learning together. Wby not try quilting? Qults are very costly now and are treasured for both aesthetic and practical reasons. There is no limit to how many can be made as they can be given as gifts or stored for future giving or use. Years ago nearly ahl the clothes were home made and every scrap was saved no matter how small. A quilt makes a warm Gro-up Home Con ference Wednesday April 9 Group Homes which enable residents of Durham, with special needs to be housed and supported in their own communities, are the focus of much controver- sy these days. The issues involved in à6special needs housing" are broad, and often times com- plicated, with both provin- cial and municipal gover- nments involved. In an attempt to clarify some of these issues, and to promote the development, and successful integration of Group Homes in our com- munities, SPAG (Social Planning Advisory Group for Durham) with assistance from, Mental Health Durham, and the East Cen- tral Ontario Development Foundation (ECODF) is sponsoring a Group Home Conference. The Conference to be held Wednesday, April 9, 1980, 9: 00 a. m. - 5: 00 p. m. a t Father Lawlor Co-operative Homes, 777 Oxford Street, Oshawa, will provide useful information for those con- templating the establish- ment of a Group Home, as well as for those already administering them. Plan- ned sessions will cover such topics as, -provincial fun- ding, municipal zoning, and a panel discussion of the ef- fects of Group Homes on the community. Registration information can be obtained by calling Shirley Moore, Executive Director, Oshawa-Whitby Social Planning Council at (416) 725-4775. Heavy dust on your refrigerator coils mafre.s it work harder to keep iLs cool. Ain occasional vacuum-ing of the coils behind or underneath the refligerator can help it last longer and it won't use more electricity than iL has to. Take the $1 bMI test. Shut the door of your fidge on a dollar bIh. If the bif pulls out easly cold air can flow out too, adding to your energy costs. The fridge mnay need a new gasl<et or the solution may be as simple as making sure the appliance is level. cover and when wood stoves were used it didn't take the houses long to cool off and by morning I'm sure there might have been frost in the air! The tirne may corne when they'll be needed once again. Men too become involved with this art form; strong, able bodlied men. 1 saw a picture of a wonderful quit, a Bicenten- niai one designed and made by a man who refused help from any of his family members. This might be great therapy for accident or stroke victims and interesting enough to keep themn busy and happy. I met a young chap once who said he started to do needlepoint because his wife and mother-in-law were always at it and he feit lef t out and unproductive. As in most things that men do such as cooking they gradually do ex- tremely well and this man's work was exceptional. The names given to quits are interesting and fun. Proper namnes were often given to, block designs, sometimes of the woman who made them, or that of a friend or relative to whomn it was given. Military names or political were used such as Ne' =n's Victory, Dresden Plate, Jersey Tulip, Square Dance, 'ansy, Violet, Buttercup, Leaves of Autuinn and s0 on were a few of the other names. There were crazy quilts, an ail over pattern, usually made into a knotted comforter with herringbone stitches. Yo yo quilts made of circles sewn together but they were not very warm. Log cabin quilts made of strips-of old material, men's work pants and shirts and women's dresses and skirts. Every bit of cloth in those days was recycled and used again. Quilting was often a family affair, a pleasant way to spend an evening. The men were in charge of the frames from making them to keeping them. in good repair. Quilts can be made without using a frame but I think it would take longer and be harder to do. Today quilts are very expensive, very precious and sometimes very beautiful and always colourful. Something to treasure and hand down from one generation to another. If theres more than .6 cm. (Y4 inch) of frost in your freezer, you're putting energy on ice. Regular defrosting is easy to do and if's easier on the fridge. Use Enew yWise1y lune-up, clean up. Its simple. Appliances that are clean and weIl-cared for last longer and use less electricity. Over the long run, you can save money on appliance replace- ment. And of course, the Iess energy you waste, the more dollars you save. Doift waste Your. energY, ontario hydro PERSONAL GROWTH OPPORTUNITI ES! CHALLENGI NG & VARIED PROGRAMS NEED VOLUNTEERS: - to teach mentally retarded aduits & chlldren. - to seli in pottery & handicraft boutique. - to mend & alter clothing - to become members of Volunteer Association Days - Even ings - Weekends Apply Now! Cali Durham Centre for the Developmentally Handicapped 668- 7745 Ext. 435 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. TRAIN ING PROVIDED. FREE DAYCARE. Ontario Lcook whors steain your electncity IIXMIIALUMNUM LIMITED establshed 1i94 845 Farewell St., Oshawa PHON E 728-1633 liq