By Mandy Garcia
 The annual Quilt Auction and quilting bee at Annual Conference is sponsored by the Association for the Arts in the Church of the Brethren (AACB). Photos on this page are by Glenn Riegel |
 Tara Hornbacker (left) looks over the crowd for likely bidders during the July 5 auction of the pieces quilted during Annual Conference. She serves as a coordinator of the event. |
Over 100 nimble hands, equipped with needle and thread, participated in the quilting project of the Association for the Arts in the Church of the Brethren (AACB). The quilting began on Friday, July 1, and continued through the afternoon of July 5, each stitch made to raise money to feed hungry people.
Over the course of five days, two mini quilts were constructed (each measuring 4 feet by 7 feet), as well as four quilted wall hangings (each measuring 3 feet by 6 feet). Many experienced quilters spent hours at the booth each day, and others just stopped by for a little while. As there was no age requirement, some young artists were under the age of 10, and several new quilters of all ages stopped by for lessons. Anyone who added more than five stitches was given a sticker to show their involvement.
To sell the quilts, a live auction took place at the conclusion of business on July 5. The amount of $5,085 was raised for the beautiful, hand-stitched quilts. All those proceeds will be donated to various organizations that combat hunger, one of which will be the Global Food Crisis Fund.
The coordinators for the AACB were pleased with the results of this year’s quilt auction, as well as the great participation in this beloved Annual Conference tradition.
Coverage of the 2011 Annual Conference is by the News Team of Jan Fischer-Bachman, Mandy Garcia, Karen Garrett, Amy Heckert, Regina Holmes, Frank Ramirez, Glenn Riegel, Frances Townsend, and editor and news director Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford. Wendy McFadden serves as executive director of Brethren Press. Contact cobnews@brethren.org