An Itch To Stitch Local Quilters Retell The Story Of Last Year’s Ice Storm In A Unique Way

Remember last winter’s Ice Storm?

As if anyone could forget.

But lest someone does, the story that stopped Spokane cold has been stitched into quilts to hand down from one generation to another. So years from now, when Grandpa starts to tell about the ice storm of ‘96, he can dig out Grandma’s quilt to illustrate his tale.

Of the 500 quilts to be displayed this weekend at the annual show of the Spokane Chapter of the Washington State Quilters, 15 will depict how the storm affected the quilters.

For centuries, women have quilted moments of importance, from a personal level to those of historic consequence.

During last November’s storm, Barbara Lambrecht was holed up for 10 days without electricity in her Chattaroy home with little to do during the daylight hours but quilt. Besides keeping her fingers nimble and her mind distracted during those seemingly endless days, the quilt helped keep her warm.

Lambrecht, who comes from a long line of quilters, asked her grandmother to help her get started some 20 years ago. But, until five years ago, when her two sons were on their own, her quilting was sporadic.

“Now, I’m making up for all that lost time,” she said.

Her quilt story is of the storm, but it has a spring setting.

She doesn’t consider spring to arrive until the bluebirds land in her yard. So, for her abstract quilt about the storm, she cut a patchwork of jagged, odd-shaped, pieces to represent the fallen trees and other damage that surrounded her country home. But in the blanket’s corner is a bluebird, its beak carrying a blanket of spring to cover the destruction.

Pat Means combines her love of history with her passion for quilting and understands what has driven women through the ages to tell their stories by plying a needle.

Means is the featured quilter of this year’s show, with “Northwest Reflections” as its theme.

Women use innate creativity to rear their children, Means said. But once the kids are grown and gone, women seek another outlet for their innovations. Quilting is the answer for some.

Quilting has been an art form since prehistoric days, Means said, and there’s no indication of it becoming a lost art anytime soon.

The local group of the Washington State Quilters has a mailing list of 1,000, and statistics provide a “guesstimate” that there are three or four times that many in the Spokane area, Means said.

The first examples of quilting come from ancient Chinese who made quilts for warmth, and ancient Egyptians who quilted to decorate their clothing.

And their mummies.

When Napoleon took home mummies as spoils after conquering Egypt, it was discovered that the wrappings of the long dead included a stitchery pattern similar to today’s popular log cabin design.

“It wasn’t long after that, that the log cabin design started turning up” on quilts, Means said.

Quilting bees are a time-honored tradition that continues today with women meeting in church fellowship halls or one another’s home to stitch and sew.

Quilts in the 1800s were often “album quilts,” which told a story, Means said. Each block might be fashioned by a different woman and pieced together to present as a gift to an incoming pastor or a bride or families moving west on the Oregon Trail.

Some gift quilts that crossed the nation by wagon train included the names of everyone in the community that was left behind, Means said.

Twentieth-century quilts depict current catastrophes, like the California earthquake and firestorm of a few years back, and nostalgic scenes commemorating a town’s centennial celebration.

Means, who teaches the age-old craft at Pacific Crescent Quilting on North Division, issued the challenge for quilters to express how last year’s ice storm affected them.

The beautiful story-quilts will help prove the adage that something good can be found in everything, no matter how awful the event might be.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color Photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: QUILT SHOW The Spokane Chapter of the Washington State Quilters will hold its annual Quilt Show at the Spokane Convention Center this weekend. Hours are noon to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $4 for adults; $3 for seniors and children; and free for children up to 12 years old.