Prize Winning Quilts For Local Woman

By Nancy K. Crevier

When Rita Dieck returned from a visit to California on April 8, she found her two quilts that she had entered in the Connecticut Piecemakers Quilt Guild “Spring Shower of Quilts” show in Seymour neatly folded up on a chair in her living room. Her son, Jim, had picked up the quilts for her, knowing she would not be back in time to collect her entries when the show ended Sunday afternoon.

“I unfolded the smaller quilt and saw the third place ribbon on it and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s neat,’” said Mrs Dieck. “Then I unfolded the larger quilt and saw two ribbons, a Best in Show and First Place Small Wall Hanging Division, and I thought my son was playing a joke on me,” she laughed.

It was no joke. Mrs Dieck placed Best in Show and First Place Small Wall Hanging for her 69 by 69 inch quilt, “To the Sea,” based on the Mariner’s Compass design, and third place for her 65 by 52 inch Bear Paw design quilt, “Welcome to Colorado,” at the guild’s springtime show held Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, at Seymour Middle School.

“I was very surprised,” said Mrs Dieck, “as in, jumping up and down pleased.” The Spring Showers Show was only the second time that she had ever entered a quilt in a contest, she said, even though she has been quilting for over 20 years.

 The blues and greens and golds that dominate the star-like design in “To the Sea” were materials she had gleaned from her stash of material gathered over the years. “I thought the colors were just so nice together,” said Mrs Dieck of the quilt that she hand pieced and which was machine quilted by Wilma of Christian Lane Quilters in Berlin.

“It is so big, I could never have hand-quilted it or quilted it on my own sewing machine,” she said. “It really needed a long-arm quilting machine.” The machine quilting is a feather design that weaves its way across the surface of the quilt and makes for a dense, compact-feeling quilt, Mrs Dieck explained.

“Welcome to Colorado” was made from fabric selected by a daughter who recently moved to Colorado, and will now be sent to Colorado as a welcome gift, Mrs Dieck said. The lightly patterned tan background is brightened by the blocks of “bear paws” in reds, blues, golds and oranges. Mary Eddy of Newtown did the quilting for this piece.

As proud as she is about her prize-winning quilts, it is time now to turn her attention back to one of the several other quilts that she has going.

“A quilter always has six or seven going at a time, it seems,” she said. “Once you get bitten by the quilting bug, you can’t stop.”

For others bitten by the quilting bug, another member of the Connecticut Piecemakers Quilt Guild, Stratford resident Marilyn Cocking, will be at the Matthew Curtiss House on Main Street, Sunday, May 18, from 1 to 4 pm. During the open house hosted by the historical society, Ms Cocking will be show some of her quilts as well as talk about the quilts in the historical society’s collection. She will also be talking about the history of quilting as it relates to Colonial times. 

Ms Cocking has been active with organizations making comfort quilts, as well. These are donated to be used for children or adults who are ill or in need of comfort in times of stress.  She will also discuss this aspect of quilt charity, as well as the more traditional topics of quilt technique and lore.