COMMUNITY

from Gilbert Sun News - 2.6.2022

by Times Media Group

SPORTS

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Trilogy quilters ready for big show and sale

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

GSN Contributor

More than 50 quilters from Trilogy at Power Ranch are looking forward to showing their latest work during the Trilogy Quilt Show and Country Store this month.

Scheduled 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 26, the annual show is back after a twoyear hiatus due to the pandemic.

“We make all kinds of beautiful things,” said Linda Coll, president of the all-female quilting club that was established in 2003. “When you go into the quilt show, it’s like going to an art exhibit. They are so magnificent.”

During the quilt show that takes place in the 2,050-home Gilbert community’s ballroom, the Trilogy’s Community Association runs an antique/classic car show outside.

This year’s show will feature about 30 cars and include a 1969 Mercury Cougar, 1950 Custom Studebaker Woody Wagon, 1958 Porsche Coupe, 1963 Chevy Nova, 1969 Buick Skylark, 1974 Triumph TR6, 1965 Mustang, 1968 Pontiac Firebird, 1969 Chevy Corvette, 1966 Chevy Corvette and a 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible. “We thought it would be good to give the husbands and/or wives something to do while the other one is in the quilt show, shopping,” said Robin Crawford, lifestyle director at Trilogy. “It worked out so well we wanted to continue with this platform. We have a DJ out there playing oldies music and it is a fun event.”

The show will include 150 pieces on display and for sale, including bed quilts, wall hangings, table runners, place mats, baby items and purses. Quilts are donated to New Life Pregnancy Center, Sunshine Acres Children’s Home and Lutheran Social Services. The proceeds benefit local charities such as Band of Angels, St. Mary’s

Jean Perin was busy with the long-arm quilting machine at the Trilogy

Quilting Room. (Courtesy of Linda Coll) see QUILTS page 19

Gilbert students compete in district spelling bee

GSN NEWS STAFF

Family members and teachers gathered to watch 31 Gilbert elementary and middle school students compete at a district spelling bee last month at Campo Verde High School.

After 23 rounds, Sean-Fei Ng, sixth grader at Augusta Ranch Elementary, won the championship by correctly spelling the word, “defray.” She was presented with a trophy and bookstore gift card from the Assistance League of East Valley, which co-sponsored the event with Gilbert Public Schools. Ng and seven finalists will compete at the Maricopa Region 6 spelling bee on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at the Queen Creek Performing Arts Center. From there, winners from each region will progress to the state contest on March 19, hoping to represent Arizona at the televised Scripps National Spelling Bee in June. Actor Levar Burton is this year’s host. Gilbert finalists, each of whom also received a trophy and gift card from the Assistance League, are Addi Anaya of Mesquite Jr. High, Elle Draves of Greenfield Elementary, Ava Gasparro of Meridian Elementary, Kate Mierzejewski of Quartz Hill Elementary, Sifarth Rahaman of South Valley Jr. High, Arian River-Torres of Playa del Rey Elementary and Mason Smith of Neely Traditional Academy. In the Chandler Unified School District, Nethra Chintaboina Ramprasad, an eighth grader at Basha Accelerated Middle School, won the championship after 15 rounds by correctly spelling “perpendicular.” Chandler semi-finalists are Aadi Rao of Arizona College Prep Middle School, Raania Khan of Chandler Traditional Academy Liberty campus, Owen Leo of Bogle Junior High, Maria Parada Ortega of Carlson Elementary, Josh Ronsayro of Basha Elementary, Shree Thailikar of Chandler Traditional Academy Independence campus, Zoya Siddiqui of Hancock Elementary, Chloe Passno of Haley Elementary, Manha Hossain of Knox Gifted Academy and Everett Casper of Weinberg Gifted Academy.

Assistance League of East Valley is an all-volunteer organization which provides nearly 10,000 elementary students and homeless teens with new school clothing, uniforms, shoes and hygiene items each year.

Its major source of funding is their thrift shop at 2326 N. Alma School Road, Chandler.

Sean-Fei Ng, a sixth grader at Augusta Ranch Elementary, was overjoyed to win the district spelling bee. (Sarah Auffret)

Food Bank and TPR Foundation, which improves the quality of life for seniors.

Part of the proceeds also is used to purchase sewing materials to make more quilts.

“Our main function is our charities,” said Jean Perin, who has been a quilting member since 2008. “I think that’s why we are so successful and everybody gets along so well in our group. They’re not competing with one another: we have a common goal of working for our charities.”

Most of the women, including Coll, never quilted or sewed until they took up residence at the 55+ community. Previously, she had moved to Arizona and worked for a leading furniture company as a designer. “When I retired, a friend said I should join the quilters. I ended up joining and it gives such great satisfaction to make quilts and donate some of the money that we raise to the different charities,” she said. “I just get goosebumps when I send money to these people. It’s just so rewarding. I love it.”

Perin moved to Arizona as a retiree. She and her husband were winter visitors for four years until they decided to sell their home in Oregon and live here permanently.

Quilting with a purpose – and the camaraderie it brings her — are just what she needs –now. Her husband has since passed and her three sons live far away, but she has a supportive group of people who are centered around their new passion.

Perin’s role nowadays is less quilting but more assembling to finish the quilts that the others create.

To complete them by adding batting and backing, she pins the layers together on a machine called the Long Arm and quilts it free motion. Trilogy, which has a dedicated room for quilting, bought the machine about five years ago, thereby saving time for the quilters. At home, working by hand, Perin would take four days to complete a quilt, while here, it takes less than three hours.

“It looks pretty once it’s done,” she said.

Occasionally, Perin sews the fabric too, the first step in the process, “but it seems like I’m so busy helping other people getting that step done, I’m working on their quilts, helping them sew quilts,” she said.

The quilting group maintains about 55 members. People retire and join the community on an on-going basis. The group seeks new members, and each year, about six newcomers are welcomed into the fold.

“Yes, they would like to quilt, their mother used to quilt. ‘I don’t know very much about it,’” is a common response, Perin noted.

When beginners want to learn, Perin holds classes for them. “They’ve worked all their lives, and now they have the time to do it, and the interest,” she said.

“We’re so excited about our quilting that we want to teach other people and help them enjoy quilting,” she said. “We always look forward to the new people and we invite them in and if we don’t have enough of them, we will work with them one-on-one so they learn the skills.”

Members also offer classes for other quilt club members to acquire new skills.

Sometimes, Perin takes the newcomers under her wing and works with them for a whole year on different projects so they may receive better allround training.

Is quilting hard to learn?

“It’s not hard to learn. It’s kind of scary because you don’t know the terminology of the quilting. But once you learn the terminology, then you realize what people are talking about. It’s easy to learn how to quilt,” she said.

The country store, which only operates during the annual event, is also run by the quilters and features a selection of quaint soft furnishings to beautify the home.

What attracts people to quilting in their later years? The creativity, the finished product and the sense of accomplishment, Perin said.

“When you are retired, you need a focus that gives you purpose in life,” she explained. “When we’re quilting, and we’re quilting for charity, that is a purpose, that is for people in need.

“You feel like you’ve accomplished something by helping other people. It makes you feel very complete in your life. You’re not just sitting here being useless or worthless. You have value.”

Trilogy Quilt Show and Country Store is held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26 and the Antique/Classic Car Show and Shine from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A raffle drawing for a quilt will take place at 2:30 p.m. and you don’t need to be present to win. Admission is free to both events. Trilogy at Power Ranch is at 4369 E. Village Parkway, Gilbert.