Valuable Needlework Tradition Thrives at the Morganton Public Library

We converge on the Morganton Public Library on the second and fourth Friday mornings of every month, laden down with bags stuffed with yarn, fabric, thread, needles, and delicious treats to share. Enthusiastic greetings break the silence in the lobby as we catch up on the news of each others lives and set up the lavish buffet of snacks we munch on while we work. Everyone then unpacks their own unique works of art, and Needlework in the Morning begins.

Some knit or crochet; others quilt or embroider. Elsie Bartlett even makes exotic temari balls, a fabric ball wound and stitched with thread in different designs. We check on the progress of each others projects, marvel at the intricacy of stitches, and inquire about new techniques. A finished project is held up with relief by its maker while the others awe at its beauty and the many hours it took to create. If a visitor has come with needles and yarn and wants to learn how to knit or crochet, a veteran stitcher welcomes her to come and sit beside her, and patiently teaches her whatever she wants to know.

As our various needles click and slide in a deliberate rhythm, stories are shared about friends and family members who will be the recipients of the fruit of our labors, or the many church ministries that have inspired us to share our skills to help those in need. Carmen Divers knitted so many prayer shawls for her church one year she got tendinitis in her wrists and had to take a break to recover. Subjects wander from gardening, the best places to shop, the latest developments on Downton Abbey, (they are currently mourning a character named Matthew, who was apparently killed in a car crash), even politics. We lament the degradation of society and attempt to solve world problems in between stitches and bites of food. Recipes are requested and readily shared recent favorites include Karen Hilinskis lemon curd and Delores Curfmans biscotti.

Materials are also readily shared someone cleans out a parents house, or receives a bounty of supplies from someone else cleaning out their parents house. The no longer wanted craft items are distributed according to interest, and one persons junk becomes a nother members inspiration and new project. Everyone seems to value the idea of not letting anything go to waste. Elsie even unravels old sweaters that have gone out of style and uses the yarn to knit fashionable new socks!

Weve stitched our way through celebrations of births and weddings, and weathering of family members deaths. Members have often brought the needlework treasures of generations past to be admired. Elsie has a cross-stitch sampler a family member made in the late 19th century. I brought in afghans crocheted by my great grandmother in the 1960s to show. Frances Whisnant graciously finished an afghan belonging to a library staff member, which was started by her grandmother who had gone to heaven before she could finish it herself. The staff member received it back completed with tears of gratitude and remembrance. I wonder sometimes if there are enough dedicated needle workers left to create the works of art that will become the heirlooms of the next generation. Will there still be hand-smocked christening gowns and granny square blankets infused with the soul and care of their makers to pass down to this worlds grandchildren and great-grandchildren? Or will that unique experience eventually vanish from our societys consciousness? As a student of history, I am ever mindful of how much we have lost in the name of progress over the last hundred plus years regardless of what we have gained. In an age when necessary textiles are made in far away factories, and when the closest example of community is often Facebook, I am so grateful to be able to experience this connection to women of times past who gathered faithfully for innumerable quilting bees and sewing circles. They supported and enriched each others lives by the simple act of coming together and sharing their character, skills, and love, and I thank the ladies of our group for doing the same for me. And I thank the Morganton Public Library for giving us a place to carry on that precious tradition, no matter how loudly we have laughed or how many crumbs and bits of yarn we have left under our chairs.

The Needlework in the Morning program meets at the Morganton Public Library from 10:00AM to 12:00PM on the second and fourth Friday mornings of each month. Everyone, regardless of skill level, is welcome to come and spend a pleasant morning with fellow needle workers. Learn, share ideas, and have a good time. The library provides refreshments on the second Friday, and members bring snacks on the fourth Friday. The library is closed at this time, so if the door is locked, just knock.