Lancaster Christian Women's Club Posts Event

Many years ago, when Dani Trussell and her family lived in Lititz, she would walk her son to the park. On the way, she met a woman who would sit on her porch and work on quilts. Trussell got to know the woman, and she taught Trussell, who already knew how to sew clothing, the art of quilting. In the last dozen years, Trussell has created between 35 and 50 quilts, most of which she has given away.

Now, Trussell will share some of her knowledge of quilting at the Lancaster Christian Women's Club event titled "Quilt Making Memories" at a luncheon to be held on Wednesday, April 6, at noon at Bent Creek Country Club, 620 Bent Creek Drive, Lancaster. In addition to Trussell's presentation and display of handmade quilts, Annie Friedrichs will share how "Perfect Love Overcomes Inadequacy."

When Trussell first met the woman who would teach her to quilt, the woman was making a Cathedral quilt. "A true (Cathedral quilt) is one of the most tedious to make," said Trussell, who spent the next six months working on one, finally creating a 3-by-3-foot square. After Trussell's son went to school, she took a job outside the home, and she hung up her needle for a while. "I promised myself I would do a full-size quilt when I retired," recalled Trussell. Now, Trussell keeps a stash of brightly colored fabrics that feed her hobby, along with a number of carefully folded completed quilts. Among them is a wall hanging decorated with 16 breeds of dogs; Trussell plans to donate the wall hanging to an animal rescue so it can be auctioned. Trussell also has a quilt she made for herself in shades of blue against a white backdrop called Four Winds. Other patterns she has sewn include Mirror Mirror, Pinwheel, Cathedral Star, Hourglass Wreath, and Log Cabin. When Trussell cannot quilt a creation herself, she uses the services of long-arm quilter Delania Lefever in Manheim.

Trussell noted that she is unusual among quilters because she chooses a fabric first and then finds a pattern she thinks will work well with it. She also creates her own patterns, as she did when she found a fabric decorated with bees. "I couldn't find a pattern I wanted to make with it, and I thought the pattern had to be sunflowers," she said. The pattern she created is called Summer Flight. The black backing of the quilt is covered with white-stitched outlines of butterflies, bees, and dragonflies.

Rescuing quilts is another of Trussell's hobbies. "This is an 80-year-old baby quilt signed HME 1940," said Trussell, holding up the cream, pink, and blue quilt. "It's one of the best examples of an applique quilt I have ever seen. Her stitches are totally invisible."

Trussell has plans for specific quilts she hopes to make in the future. "I want to do a Civil War quilt. I have been collecting Civil War reproduction fabrics," she said, adding that she plans to use muted tones for the project.

There is a cost to attend the luncheon, and reservations are required by Friday, April 1. Those who wish to attend should call 717-951-0773.