Ayleen Bain is featured quilter at show
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“I had 24 quilts in the show,” Ayleen Bain said, chuckling.
It took 24 quilts to showcase Bain’s quilting career at the Mission Mountain Quilt Guild for their 2011 show on July 29 and 30, where she was the featured quilter.
In a place of honor near her quilts, Bain enjoyed being the featured quilter and seeing many people she knew but hadn’t seen for a while.
“I’ve lived here since 1949 so I know a few people,” she commented. “It was just a wonderful time.”
Bain has made at least 150 quilts “for my kids, my seven grandkids and 12 great grandkids, plus birthdays and baby quilts.”
“I mostly give my quilts away,” she added.
Bain began quilting in 1985 after she took her first couple of quilting classes from Betty Martin at the Ronan quilt store. Then someone at the St. Ignatius Senior Citizen Center asked Bain about a hobby to take up so Bain taught a group of ladies how to make quilt blocks for a sampler quilt.
Before they were even finished with the sampler blocks, Bain said someone asked her what they were going to do next, and “the Thursday quilters were born.”
The group has continued to meet every Thursday.
“Anyone is welcome to come,” Bain explained, “beginners, whoever.”
Over the years Bain has accumulated quite a “stash,” or collection of fabric.
“Enough to open a fabric store,” she said. “I tell the people up at Thursday Quilters, ‘Don’t go buy something before you come shop at my house first.’
"You’d be surprised at how often I have what they need.”
Bain loves mystery quilts. For a mystery quilt, the stitcher gets only the cutting directions. Most of the time instructions are divided into seven parts and “You have no idea what you’re making,” Bain explained.
Another pattern she really likes is “Bear in the Woods.”
Bain’s current project is a Civil War reproduction quilt. She also recently cut some 6” squares for a great grandson, who sewed them together.
“He was so excited,” Bain said, since he’s always watched her quilt.
“He’ll be down one of these first day,” Bain said, “And then I’ll have him ‘stitch in the ditch’ with some fancy stitches.”
“Stitch in the ditch” means to sew parallel to the seam in a quilt.
Describing what she likes most about quilting, Bain said, “I think the sewing together and learning together (at Thursday quilters.)”
“ . . . With all the times, you never hear anybody say anything bad, no cliques and no gossiping,” she continued. “If you have a problem, somebody else can help you with it.”
“That’s my passion,” she said.
