Cook Memorial Library

The Material Girls are a group of quilters who came together in 1999 in Mount Washington Valley under the direction of Gail McClure (Gail’s quilt is to the left.) They get together once a month to create quilts for various charities. Their second meeting of the month is their social “show and tell” afternoon. The group falls under the RSVP (Retired Senior and Volunteer Program) umbrella, and is dedicated to quilting for not only this community, but for anywhere in the world there is a need for the comfort and nurturing quilts can bring. To date, quilts have been donated to the following organizations: Starting Point, Memorial & Huggins Hospitals, North Conway & Ossipee Day Care, Sunbridge Nursing Home, Meriam House, Mountain View Nursing Home, Camp Sunshine, Rotoplast Journey of Home (worldwide), Head Start, Kidney Camp (Virginia), Hurricane Katrina (New Orleans), VNA Hospice, and the VA Medical Center in Manchester. And the list will continue to grow.
Every year the group creates a queen size bed quilt that is raffled off. The proceeds of the raffle go to the RSVP group for funding mileage reimbursement to volunteers who drive for Meals on Wheels and take people to their appointments. One member of the group has single-handedly raised over $1,000 for Alzheimers’ research by donating quilts that she has made for auction on the internet. To learn more about this cause, go to www.alzquilts.org.
When not making quilts for others, Material Girls members create quilts for themselves, to give as gifts, and just for fun. These are the quilts you will see at the library during January. The group also meets monthly for a “show and tell” session, to have lunch, and lots of laughs. The group’s motto when creating their own quilts is “You’re in Charge!” Through the years, this motto has challenged members to learn and grow in their quilting abilities.
On display at the library are wall hangings created by group members on their own time as well as a charity quilt the group recently completed. To learn more about the group, contact Gail McClure at 356-5085.