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You are at:Home»ARTS & LIFE»How to make a Ukrainian quilt
ARTS & LIFE

How to make a Ukrainian quilt

Rod AmnerBy Rod AmnerMay 5, 2022Updated:May 5, 2022No Comments3 Mins Read
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Graaff-Reinet-based Ukrainian national Oleg Kayerleber holds up Eileen Shepherd's winning raffle ticket number at the draw on Wednesday afternoon. The raffle netted R41 000 for the Disasters Emergency Committee fund for Ukraine. Photo: Rod Amner

By ROD AMNER

Retired Rhodes University librarian Eileen Shepherd has won the fundraising quilt sewn and stitched by the Quilters of Grahamstown (QUOGS) for the people of Ukraine.

Shepherd’s lucky number (130) was drawn by Ukrainian national Oleg Kayerleber at QUOG Karen Davies’ home in West Hill on Wednesday afternoon. Raffle tickets were sold online in several countries worldwide, netting R41 000 for the Disasters Emergency Committee fund for Ukraine.

Shepherd said she was “thrilled to be the proud owner of this work of art so painstakingly created by these talented ladies”.

“What a wonderful surprise to receive a call informing me that I am the very lucky winner of this utterly beautiful quilt. I will treasure it and be reminded every time I look at it of the worthwhile cause which inspired the QUOGS to embark on this venture,” she added.

Eileen Shepherd (left) receives the exquisite quilt she won in an international online raffle from Quilters of Grahamstown (QUOGS) member Margie Smith. The QUOGS-organised raffle raised R41 000 for the Disasters Emergency Committee fund for Ukraine. Photo: supplied

Kayerleber, 48, who has been living in South Africa for 12 years, drove with his wife Karen from their home in Graaff-Reinet to participate in the draw.

His parents live in Kyiv. His father, born during the Second World War, told him that he never expected to experience another war like this in his lifetime.

His parents bravely stayed put at the start of the invasion, thinking they could make use of a bunker under the house. But, when a missile exploded just 500m away and shook the house’s foundations, they were successfully evacuated on a 28-hour train journey to Poland.

A venerable Makhandan institution, the QUOGS have been active since the mid-1990s. The ten members visit each other’s houses twice a month – and the QUOGS have become very close friends.

The Quilters of Grahamstown (QUOGS) with Oleg Kayerleber (fifth from left) after the raffle winner for the Ukrainian-themed quilt was announced on Wednesday, 4 May. From left: Cheryl Craig, Margie Smith, Karen Davies, Jean Schafer, Oleg Kayerleber, Sue Hummel, Karen Kayerleber, Mariss Stevens, Leela Pienaar and Maggie van Hasseln.

Karen Davies, who initiated the Ukrainian quilt project, has been a member since 2001. She was inspired by a family member who successfully raffled a painting to raise funds for Ukraine.

The exquisite single bed quilt is themed on Ukraine’s national flower (the sunflower) and the distinctive blue and white of the national flag.

Raffle tickets were snapped up on www.justgiving.com/fundraising/quogs, by concerned citizens worldwide. Each donation of $10 bought one ‘ticket’ and a chance to win the unique quilt. But, some bought tickets for as much as $100.

One of the QUOGS, Mariss Stevens, documented the process of making the quilt on her blog. “There’s a magic to quilting. There are lots of quilters worldwide, and they are always very nice people!” she said.

Another QUOG, Sue Hummel, explained that quilting essentially takes three layers of fabric and stitches them together. This can be done by stitching manually using a needle and thread or mechanically using a sewing machine or specialised longarm quilting system. An array of stitches is passed through all layers of the fabric to create a three-dimensional padded surface.

A listing of the many raffle entries.
Each of the QUOGS members contributed two blocks to the quilt. Mariss Stevens made this luminous sunflower. Photo: justgiving.com/fundraising/quogs
Previous ArticleChess is back in Makhanda
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Rod Amner

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