Zoe Gustlin and Mary Ann Bruegmann founded South Valley Quilt Association in 2003
Published in the September 17-30, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Robert Airoldi
Photo by Robert Airoldi
Zoe Gustlin and Mary Ann Bruegmann display two of the 50 quilts the South Valley Quilt Association is making for wounded veterans.
Heading into its 11th Annual Quilt Show, the two founding members of the South Valley Quilt Association are proud of what they’ve accomplished in the past decade.
In 2003, Zoe Gustlin and Mary Ann Bruegmann, both now 77, and a few other women wanted to bring the beauty and diversity of quilting to the broader community, so they started the nonprofit association and began with a small quilt show. As it grew in size and attendance, they formed partnerships with community organizations. They now raise money to give student scholarships in textile arts and give grants to schools and organizations that study quilting activities. In the past 10 years, the group has given $9,500 in scholarships and $5,325 in grants.
“We are delighted to be so successful,” said Gustlin, a retired IBM executive who has lived in southwest Morgan Hill for 17 years.
The show, always held the last weekend in September concurrent with the Taste of Morgan Hill, has expanded to include quilting and fiber arts, and quilters from neighboring counties enter quilts in the show.
Attendees come from throughout Northern California as well as other parts of the country. People enter quilts to be judged or just for display, the women said. Support for the show comes from grants, donations, boutique sales, judging fees and vendor spaces, but most of all it’s the members who volunteer their time each year to organize, set up and run the show.
Gustlin’s upstairs quilt room is neat and well lit with several large windows, allowing soft light to filter through. It includes two sewing machines, her computer and a television. Spools of different color threads hang neatly on one wall.
Bruegmann, a retired bookkeeper who has loved in Gilroy for 47 years, often joins her friend for a quilting session.
“It’s creative, soothing,” Gustlin said. “Plus we like to talk.”
The association’s mission is to educate the public about the beauty and art of quilting. Children are one of their main groups to teach about art, quilting and textiles. But they are also part of the larger community and support other organizations.
The club, which has members ranging in age from early 30s to late 70s and has 41 dues-paying members, has a relationship with the Learning and Loving Center, the Morgan Hill Unified School District, Morgan Hill’s Sister City program and especially close ties with Mizuho, Japan. Each year they send quilts for the show and the Morgan Hill quilters send them quilts that hang in Japan.
This year they are making about 50 quilts for veterans that they’ll give to Blue Star Moms and Quilts for Valor that will go to the wounded in veteran hospitals.
For the past two summers, they’ve held the Kids Sew Kamp, a week-long camp for children to learn how to make quilts. Members volunteer to teach the classes at local quilt stores in Morgan Hill and Gilroy.
Both women hope that the early exposure of the craft will inspire others to take it up.
Gustlin said she was exposed to quilting after she retired by her daughter.
“My daughter was a quilter and she got me interested,” she said. “Then, I just got into it.”
Bruegmann wanted matching bed spreads for her four boys but she couldn’t afford them. While perusing Good Housekeeping she saw a pattern that looked interesting and decided to try.
“I have always made costumes for theater and Halloween so I thought, ‘what the heck, I’ll give it a try,’” she said.
Bruegmann said quilting is a relaxing hobby.
“You can just sit down and sew,” she said. “It takes your mind off of things that may not be too pleasant.”
Anyone interested in joining the group or otherwise helping may call Rebecca Lister at (408) 930-6782.
