Colorful quilt exchange

This month timebank member Carrie Noel-Nosbaum, a Blair High School alum and former JFK and Wheaton High Schools Spanish teacher, will be attending the wedding of two friends she’s known since the three attended Oberlin College together.  The couple already has most of what they need, so Carrie wanted to give them something special. Carrie browsed the hOurworld website and saw that Mary Campbell sews quilts. The two met in early April to discuss making a special quilt. Carrie explained she’d like a quilt in Oberlin’s colors: maroon and gold but after consultation, they expanded the color scheme to add green and blue – a reminder of Oberlin’s open space.

Mary got to work cutting patches and laying them out. Before sewing the top, Mary emailed Carrie a picture of the layout. Carrie loved it, and Mary completed the quilt in late May. Carrie got a surprise when she picked up the quilt. The back was maroon with a four foot high gold “O” for Oberlin  in the center!

The 48 x 60-inch quilt took 32 hours to make, and Mary charged Carrie for the cost of the fabric which cost less than current retail, because Mary belongs to a quilting guild and visits their yard sales to find interesting fabric.

Mary really enjoys sewing these quilts!  She specializes in small to medium size (60” is largest size she’s comfortable quilting), and especially likes making baby quilts. So if you’d like to commission a handmade-quilt, think about which colors you might like, reach out to Mary on hOurworld, and you could soon have a lovely gift for someone else or just to enjoy yourself.

Carrie is now a full-time professional organizer.  She was featured at February’s SSTB virtual social where lots of members participated and benefited from her talents. Carrie offers up to 2 hours via the Timebank and then further hours through her business: www.carrieitaway.com.