The Friends Shelter has become a gathering place in Blue Mound State Park. Whether you’ve rented it for a family gathering or celebration, joined us for an event, or just popped in to enjoy the air conditioning, you’ve probably noticed the large quilt hanging on the wall. This quilt was a gift for the Friends Shelter and was made with the utmost care.
In the winter of 2015, three ladies found themselves enjoying some refreshments after a winter outing in the recently completed Friends Shelter at Blue Mound State Park. While conversing, Ruth Canfield, Heide Forman, and Karen Johnson noticed that the acoustics in the room were somewhat harsh, and they had some difficulty hearing each other. The thought occurred to them that the room could use some sound softening. Thus, the idea to make a quilt that would not only provide some soundproofing, but would also add to the beauty of the room was born. They presented our idea to Willi Van Haren, a Friends of Blue Mound State Park board member, and got the go-ahead.
They began by looking through quilt pattern books and decided on a pattern called Prairie Stars. It was composed of two basic squares and made with batiks of various colors. The ladies gathered fabrics from their own stashes and acquired fabric from friends, two Mount Horeb quilting groups, and a local quilting store. Generous encouragement, support, and funds also came from friends in Sharon Baldwin’s Boot Camp class and from Sharon and Glenn Baldwin themselves. Sharon is also a FBMSP board member.
Ruth, Heide, and Karen got together on many days, evenings, and weekends to work on the quilt. They all shared in the cutting of the fabrics, sewing the blocks together, and ironing the pieces. They made decisions as a team in terms of the layout, size, and fabrics. Together, they shared many laughs, stories, and even exercise time while we were quilting. It took us many months to create the tremendous 7-foot by 10-foot quilt. After the top was completed, it was machine quilted by Ann Smith of Mount Horeb. The quilt was named Stars of the Mound, and it was hung in the shelter by Scott Canfield.
“We enjoyed making The Stars on the Mound quilt and are happy to share it with everyone who visits the Friends Shelter at Blue Mound State Park. We hope it lives there for many years to come.”
