Dataw Island Quilters

The Loving Legacy of the
Dataw Island Quilters

story by KAREN SNYDER           photos by SUSAN DELOACH

For almost a quarter of a century, the quilters of Dataw Island have shared a labor of love and their sewing talents to make beautiful quilts for the greater Beaufort community. Today, some twenty-seven members of the Dataw Island Quilters remain dedicated to their community service projects having already made close to one-hundred quilts this year!

“We’re a friendly group,” says President Linda Robinson. “We enjoy quilting together, but, most of all, we enjoy the friendships we’ve formed with one another.”

The group started in 1996, originally formed by six women who had the common interest of sewing and quilting. Soon they found themselves involved in a community service project to make a quilt for the first baby born at Beaufort Memorial Hospital on holidays, such as New Year’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas Day, and others. As the group’s membership grew, so did the number of outreach projects. They provided quilts for children at the Penn Center PACE Childcare Centers, for children at the shelter program of Hope Haven of the Lowcountry, and for hospitalized children in need at Beaufort Memorial’s pediatric ward.

“One special project we complete each year is the making of the ‘Quilt of Valor,’ which is awarded to a disabled soldier through the Wounded Warrior Project,” says Robinson. “Sometimes, one quilter will work on this special project, or sometimes several people in the club will work together.”

This year, partly due to the pandemic and the extra time quilters spent quarantining, the Dataw Island Quilters are well on their way to fulfilling their next mission: to provide quilts to the boys and girls at the St. Helena Early Learning Center. The organization will provide beautifully crafted quilts to each three-year-old child who enters the program.

“The child’s name is put on the label of the quilt they use at school for naps. They keep the quilt at school and take it home once they finish the program at age five. With about sixty or so students in the program, we’re ahead of our goal at this point having made ninety-nine quilts. But each year we have to provide more quilts for the incoming students who enter the program,” she explains.

According to Robinson, the quilters enjoy not only demonstrating their creativity by making their designs and choosing patterns and fabrics, but also the fellowship they share each month. “We meet twice a month on Wednesdays. Our first meeting of the month is a business meeting, and a guest speaker or a member of our group shares new ideas or techniques. For our second meeting, we bring our sewing machines to the Dataw Community Center and work on our projects.”

“Sometimes a small group of 4 to 5 of us will get together at someone’s home for what we call a ‘sit and sew’ where we do handwork on our quilts or bindings. Even when we’re doing that, we’re teaching one another new stitching techniques or sharing tips and tricks. We’ll tell one another about a new thread or quilting product we’ve found. And we enjoy our time socializing.”

The group also organizes occasional “quilting retreats,” enjoying a three-day trip to Murrells Inlet last year. “We worked on projects together and enjoyed one another’s company.”

Though a few of the organization’s members have quilted for as many as 50 years, the group is welcoming to new members who live on Dataw and who want to begin quilting. “We all had to start our first quilt during our lives, so we certainly know what a seam ripper is,” jokes Robinson. “We can relate,” states Robinson, who says she still has her first quilt. “Now, I look at it and really see how far I’ve come as a quilter.”
After retiring in 2004, Robinson took up quilting as a new hobby and has been quilting for 16 years. She and her husband, Doug, moved to the Lowcountry in 2016 from Virginia. After spending time as Florida “snowbirds,” Robinson says they settled on the Beaufort area after having stumbled upon Dataw Island when they were driving home one spring.

“When we drove across that causeway, we just knew it was for us!”

Robinson says her time spent quilting can vary, depending on her schedule and which project she has in the works. “Quilters are famous for starting projects and not finishing them right away or having multiple projects going simultaneously,” she laughs. “The quarantine helped many of our members finally finish those projects,” adding that some of the quilters recently put their sewing skills to use, making protective face coverings for Dataw Island staff, dental offices, or others who needed them.

“I probably spend about five to six hours working on a quilt throughout the week. But sometimes I can spend several hours a day,” says Robinson, explaining that some quilts that come with patterns can be completed in a day, while those that are more intricate or designed by the quilter may take several months to complete.

The size and design of quilts can vary greatly. “One of the quilters’ fun parts is choosing the fabrics and matching the colors to be used.” She explains that quilts were first made from feed sacks since the material was not readily available. “The sacks were made into blankets,” she says.

Thankfully, today, quilts are appreciated not only for their beauty and artisanship but also for their comfort. “Many times, when a person gifts a quilt to someone, the recipient will respond with ‘Oh, that’s so beautiful. I’ll need to hang it.’ But most quilters would rather see you use the quilt. That’s what it is for!” insists Robinson, who says quilts often become softer and more comfortable throughout the years as you use them.

With an estimated 21 million quilters in the United States, Robinson says she’s not concerned that quilt making will become a lost art. “We see a lot of younger people coming into the hobby now. So, I think interest in quilt making remains high.”

Though the patterns of quilts often have their history dating as far back as the early 1700s and 1800s and were given names such as Jacob’s Ladder, Irish Chain, honeycomb, basket, and others, today, there are many new approaches to quilt designs.

Sometimes quilts tell a story. “Memory quilts are quite popular now,” says Robinson. “They can be made out of children’s clothing, T-shirts, men’s ties, or shirts. One quilter I know made a quilt for her niece that was made from T-shirts collected from elementary school through high school, and she gave it to her as a graduation gift.”

“Photographs can even be used on quilts. I once spent three months in Alaska and took many photos which I then transferred onto photo fabric and used them as part of the pattern of my quilt. It was a great way to remember our trip.”