LIBERTY, NY — Quilting in America goes back to the colonists who came from Europe and brought the tradition with them.  Most early quilts were made from sheep’s wool and flax, which were raised and grown on farms. With the invention of the cotton gin in the mid-19th century, cotton fabric became popular.

The quilting tradition has become more mainstream in recent years and continues locally with the Calico Geese Quilters of Sullivan County, a group of about 60 quilting enthusiasts, from beginners to advanced quilters, who meet regularly at the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Liberty to quilt, to socialize, and to show each other their work in progress.

Laurie Nathan, who is co-president along with Adrienne Reyes, has been quilting for decades and yearned to quilt even more.  It was COVID that brought the retired clinical psychologist to Calico Geese.  “I was in the building one day, and they were having a little quilt show, and that’s where I heard of the Calico Geese Quilters,” she said.

Adrienne Reyes has been sewing all her life.  “Quilting is similar to sewing.  So it’s been a really good way to grow my own skills in different ways,” she said, explaining what joining Calico Geese has meant to her.  At first, she could only come to meetings sporadically because she was working as a teacher in local schools.  Starting her own business gave her more flexibility to attend meetings.

The quilters sell their quilts in a few markets, with the money earned distributed among several local charities.  They also donate quilts to organizations such as the Federation for the Homeless, the United Way and the women’s shelter in Barryville.  “On all the quilts that we donate, we try to include a Calico Geese label,” Reyes said.  “That way, people can see where the donated quilts came from.  We also talk face-to-face to people in the community.” 

Nathan explained that a quilt has three layers: a top layer on which quilters sew cut-to-size fabric scraps or bought pieces, a middle layer of batting and the backing.  “Then you sew all three layers together and put a binding around the edge,” to make the quilt.

The Calico Geese quilters sew quilts in different sizes and fabrics according to who will receive them.  They have made small quilts for babies, larger ones for adults and also quilts the recipients have specifically requested.  Nathan recalled, “I myself have done commissions where someone has died and people want a quilt from their clothing.” 

Quilts can be either hand-quilted or machine-quilted or a combination of both.  “I used to say if God wanted me to quilt by hand, there’d be no machine,” Nathan quipped.  “However, about 15 years into my quilting life, someone showed me a method of doing applique [a process where a piece of fabric cut in a specific shape is sewn atop another piece] and I’ve become a staunch hand-worker as well as a machine worker.”

To become a successful quilter, the co-presidents maintain, you need to have perseverance.  Since practice makes perfect, you have to be willing to pull out imperfect stitches and seams where pieces don’t line up.  And you have to have a love for learning.   

Each year, the Calico Geese quilters raffle off one of the quilts its members have worked on together.  This year’s quilt (pictured here) will be raffled off in October and the proceeds distributed to local community organizations.

While they haven’t begun actual work on the quilt that they will raffle off in 2027, “We have already decided what the quilt will be and who will be primarily responsible,” Reyes said.  In the meantime, the quilters are working on the two quilts that they donate locally each year. 

Reyes is also responsible for the online newsletter that goes out at the end of each month to Calico Geese quilters as well as to anyone else who requests it.  The newsletter reminds members about upcoming agendas and meeting schedules.  “It includes lots of pictures,” she said.  “We take photos of works in progress as people are working on their projects.”  There is also a page describing what’s going on in the community and where some of the donated quilts have gone.

Find out more about the Calico Geese quilters by leaving your contact information with the Cornell Cooperative Extension at 845/292-6180.  Your call will be returned.