Times and Seasons Quilt History

   It all began when parishioner Bonnie Hedglin saw the large open space in the Narthex as a blank canvas and a chance to fill a void with beauty. She came upon a pattern that she just couldn't let go of. Knowing that when the new chruch was built, the art of quilting was suggested to be utilized in the decor along with trees as the general theme, she realized this pattern was perfect for Saint Paul's's. So she ran with the idea and presented it to the decorating committee.

   On December 2001, after approval from the committee, the quilt maker Bonnie Hedglin and assistant Diane Wolski, embarked on a new adventure that would take them almost four years to complete. After the fabric selection was made, Bonnie did the fabric piecework, beading, machine quilting and finishing. Diane worked at ribbon and thread embroidery. At the end of the journey, both quilters were gratified with the opportunity to assemble this quilt and they burned their patterns as a symbol of finality and breaking of the mold.

   The title of the wall hanging is Times & Seasons designed by Piecemakers. It depicts the annual life cycle of a tree with a large, central tree surrounded by twelve smaller tress, each one representing a specific month of the calendar year, beginning with January whose representation appears in the quilt's upper left-hand corner. The remaining eleven months continue in clockwise order. The branches of the large central tree carry the range of all four seasons beginning with icy, snowy Winter on the far left side moving clockwise into Spring with the new growth of leaves, then into Summer and finally Fall with the autumn colors. Each triangle surrounding the large tree represents a particular season.

   Part of the adventure was providing their family treasures to accent the quilt. These included bits of tatting (handmade thread lace) made by Tom Wolski's grandmother, and old buttons from Bonnie's grandmother.