Quilt Project
In 1992, Judy Vernon saw a historical quilt hanging in the Bath Town Hall. The quilt was made by Bath Volunteers for Service. Inspired by this quilt, she envisioned making a similar historical quilt for Faith Lutheran Church. She and Ginny Greenawalt met, and assembled a committee to help plan the design.
The committee studied the history of the congregation, beginning with the first service in 1954 and ending with the 1991 mortgage burning. We held meetings to look at photographs, pattern books of ecclesiastical art, and bulletin clip art pictures. We chose events and activities to include, and decided to use counted cross-stitch for each square. Photos and designs were enlarged to the right size, and covered with a grid to make a cross-stitch pattern. Kits with patterns, background fabric, and embroidery floss were assembled and distributed to many volunteers.
Little did we suspect that the project would take over ten years! Many squares were done quickly, but others languished; some were even lost, and had to be re-designed and started again. However, we persevered, and "The Quilt" is finally finished and ready to be displayed!
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In studying the quilt, you will notice historical events as well as ongoing congregational activities. The first square depicts Simon Perkins School, and the second is Fairlawn School, where services were held until our first unit was built. The design in each pastor's square is a shepherd's crook. The square for the first wedding was stitched by the bride, Mary Anne Pritt. Charlotte Shuff put the most stitches in her square representing Busy Fingers. Kathy Zbinden, a brand-new cross stitcher, finished two squares, the Luther Rose, and the Volunteer Coordinator, designed from a photograph of Kathy at her desk. The choir square was done by the former choir director's daughter, Laurie (Unger) Barr. Handbell member Judy Lee stitched the handbell square. One of the vicars remembered in a square is now our own Senior Pastor, Jean Hansen.
Those who stitched squares for the quilt were Deb Allen, Laurie (Unger) Barr, Karen Birkmeier, Kathy (Vernon) Cochran, Tracy Dankoff, Polly Dobkin, Dee Emmert, Ginny Greenawalt, Wanda Hare, Beth (Greenawalt) Johnson, Melissa Johnson, Gail (Greenawalt) Knarr, Joan Kolk, Judy Lee, Joyce Lightle, Debbie McArtor, Martha McArtor, Nancy Macro, Sieglinde O'Neil, Mary Anne Pritt, Charlotte Shuff, Ruth Simpson, Susan (Greenawalt) Stansberry, Judy Vernon, Fran Weisend, Marilyn Wilson, and Kathy Zbinden.
We want to thank all of them for their careful stitching and their continued patience while the quilt pieces were gradually completed, sewn together, and quilted. We hope this historical record of our congregation's early years will be an inspiration for all who see it.
