In the quilting world we have so many passions. Passions for art, color, fabric, thread, learning and more. Let me tell you of my new passion . . .
Last summer Elisabeth Baratta, who traveled all the way from South Africa, was a student of mine at Linda's Longarm Lodge in Wyoming. While she was here, she told me about her passion of teaching the Zulu women how to quilt and what it has done for them.
At least once a year, she brings as many quilts as she can carry over to the states to sell them. These are quilts the Zulu women have made. Mostly, she sells them at Rotary Clubs because they have been a strong source of support for her project. If she sells a quilt for $200, it can feed a family in Africa for four months! She is making quite an impact on the quality of the women’s lives; thereby impacting their families.
She had a slide show (one that she shows to the Rotary Clubs) and as we watched she started crying before it was over and said, "I just miss them and love them all so much." Well, right there and then I knew I wanted to share in that passion. I just knew I wanted to meet them so I could love them too. I told her I would love to come and teach them how to use their new Gammill Quilting machine. She was surprised and overjoyed. So in 2008 a trip is planned to go "Into Africa".
There are about 30 women and 2 men in the “Sweet Water Quilt Guild” which has been established by Elisabeth and her husband, Rick. The guild invites its members to come to the centre each day where she has been teaching them to piece and quilt.
But there is much more than just the quilting aspect of this trip. There is a Centre that has been in operation since March 2003. Rotary and community volunteers have accomplished nearly all of the work to establish it. There are also other projects including an orphanage (a fourth or more of the people are HIV positive), a daycare for the children of the women who quilt every day, a literacy program, and a lunch kitchen which has been operating for over five years and feeds over fifty families a day in addition to the children in the pre-school. So there are many areas in which everyone who is going can be of service.
To tell you the truth, I am just a little bit afraid. I love the USA soil I stand on. I’m not a world traveler and this is a scary thing for me; but my heart is full of gratitude for my talents and I really feel like I must share this with people who have so little. Plus, I really, really want to meet these women I have seen on the DVD. I need friends like them and I want them to know there are people far away who care about them. So, I, with many friends who have hearts just like mine, go on with courage, ”Into Africa” – and we are “Calling All Angels” to help us.
I have been excited at the response of the quilters I have talked to so far about this. Many want to go with me or have pledged their support in getting supplies to these people.
Linda V. Taylor
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