The Quilters of Casta del Sol

By Parizad Sethna, photos by Jeff McCoy

Walk into the Garden Room near Rec Ctr 1 on the second or fourth Thursday of the month at 1 p.m., and you will find a cheerful group of fabric artists. They will be on their sewing machines, cutting, trimming, and swapping blocks of fabrics while happily chatting away. They are the Quilters of Casta del Sol. Started ten years ago by CdS resident Victoria Crayne, the group welcomes all who love the art of needlework to create beautiful things, and therefore, you will also find knitters and crocheters. Their stories and the friendships they have woven together are as beautiful as the quilts they sew. The camaraderie in the room is beyond words. There is always sharing of materials, ideas, and talent. The generosity and support goes beyond quilting. Everyone’s birthday is joyfully acknowledged, and this support group goes into action when its members need h elp.

Some of these quilters can boast of winning blue ribbons at local and national quilting competitions. One of the quilters had her quilt appraised at $900. Each quilt, painstakingly sewn in various patterns and styles, shows the creativity, originality, and the talent to see connections in colors and patterns. These are artists painting masterpieces with fabric.

Some quilt and sew for family and friends, some compete in national contests, and some quilters donate the quilts they make. Quilts made for donation and for family use are larger, warmer and cuddly, while quilts made as decorative wall hangers or for competition are more colorful and smaller in size. And quilts are not all that are donated. About $700 has been raised for Ukraine by knitting hats. More than 120 warm crochet blankets have been donated to local charities; and others have sewn pillow cases and flannel blankets for Marines. Last year, a few quilters got together and sewed beautiful dresses for donation to little girls in Africa. How awesome is that? And if you have noticed the flip flop quilt hanging as a backdrop at some of our CdS social events, and/or the shuffleboard quilt hanging in the Shuffleboard Pavilion, you should know those came from one of these talented quilters. Want to add quilting to your repertoire? Then join this creative and talented group and sew on!