Quilting Program Presented at Hopewell Furnace

BY FRANCINE FULTON

While most people are familiar with quilts, which consists of fabric squares that are stitched together to create bedspreads or wall hangings, pieces of material can also be made into fabric yo-yos, which are pieces of fabric that are gathered around the edges and pulled together to create circular rosettes. The rosettes can be joined together to create items such as blankets, pillows, bracelets or wall art. A program about quilts and fabric yo-yos was presented on Feb. 12 by the Friends of Hopewell Furnace in the visitor’s center at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson. Guest speakers were members of the Hopewell Quilters, a group of quilting enthusiasts who demonstrate quilting at the site on Fridays from May through October.

Becky Hughes led the program by explaining that a quilt includes three main parts - a top, backing and batting in between. Quilters make stitches that hold all three layers together. Most quilts are composed of uniform fabric squares or patches.

“You can also have a quilt that is not a specific pattern, which is called a crazy quilt,” she noted.

Hughes referenced a quilt that is hanging on display in the visitor’s center that was created in 2021 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Hopewell Furnace. The quilt, which won a first-place prize at the Kimberton Fair, features photos of Hopewell’s historic buildings on fabric.

“There are many different types of quilts (like) the one we created for the anniversary of the park, which park volunteers signed,” she said, noting that the Hopewell Quilters make one quilt together each year. “The first quilt we made as a group was all hand done; none of that was machine pieced. We had visitors sign their names on it. It was designed to be put on the bed in the tenant house.”

While members of the group are quilting in the park, visitors are invited to make their own stitches

See Quilting pg 4 to share happiness with others by randomly hiding painted rocks throughout the area for people to discover. Those who find a rock may keep it or re-hide it, but the recipients are asked to post a photo of the found rock on the group’s Facebook page.

The effort began in 2017 after Gisone heard about a similar project from her cousin, who lives in California. “I started a Facebook group to encourage Chester County residents to impact their community by doing random acts of kindness, such as painting and dropping rocks to cheer up the recipient,” Gisone explained. “Amazing things (started) happening. In a little over a month, we hit 1,000 members. Now we are at 6,500 members. People find them and want to join because they feel such joy from it.”

See Kindness Rocks pg 3

Twin Valley Food Pantry Seeks Volunteers,

BY FRANCINE FULTON

Twin Valley Food Pantry (TVFP), which is located at Conestoga Mennonite Church, 2779 Main St. (Route 23), Morgantown, is in need of volunteers to work at the upcoming food distribution, to be held on Tuesday, Feb. 28. In addition, volunteers are needed to stock the pantry prior to the distribution.

Adult volunteers, as well as high school students, can also help stock the pantry on Wednesday, Feb. 22, beginning at 7 p.m. following the delivery of