Quilting meets variety of needs for VGCC students
“Every quilt has a story, and a particular meaning,” according to Peggy Stocks, the longtime Quilting instructor for Vance-Granville Community College, and she offers as examples, two unique quilts by Robin Sanders of Henderson.
Sanders has been taking Stocks’ quilting classes at VGCC for the last five years, and is in the process of finishing her second quilt as a gift for her children. First, she created a quilt with a North Carolina Tar Heels theme for her daughter, who is set to graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill in May. She gave it to her daughter as a present for her 20th birthday. Now, she is working to finish a quilt for her son, a sophomore in high school, in time for his 16th birthday. His quilt has an airplane theme, since her son has an interest in aeronautics and plans to become a pilot. In the quilt, which is based on a pattern called “Attic Windows,” various squares include planes from throughout history as they were depicted on postage stamps. Each quilt has special touches, such as the embroidered foot shapes and phrases like “Go Heels!” on the UNC quilt, and the embroidered stars on her son’s gift. Sanders also plans to add a United States Air Force logo to that quilt.
“I enrolled in the quilting class because I’ve always loved doing things by hand, such as crochet and needlepoint,” Sanders recalled. “I probably got it from my grandmother, because I used to watch her sew as a child.” She continues to enjoy the painstaking process of making so-called “heirloom” quilts by hand. In addition to the quilts for her children, Sanders has four other quilts in various stages of development. “I love quilting itself, but also, I enjoy the fellowship of the class,” Sanders said. “There’s always something new for us to learn from each other, and we become like a big family. I don’t think of it as a class. It’s just fun and relaxing, and it’s my creative outlet.” Sanders teaches at Henderson Middle School and comes to VGCC one night per week.
Sanders praised her instructor, Peggy Stocks of Manson, who has been teaching the class at VGCC since 1995 and has made more than 100 quilts herself. Stocks is starting new sessions soon, and classes start at various times throughout the year. Her next classes are scheduled for Wednesday mornings from 9 a.m. until noon, starting March 23 and continuing through May 25; and Thursday evenings from 6:30 until 9:30 p.m., from March 24 through May 26. Another instructor, Velvet Boyd, also currently teaches classes on Tuesday nights. All classes are held in room 5201, the sewing lab, on the college’s main campus in Vance County. According to Stocks, beginners are welcome to the classes, as are seasoned quilters who want to learn new skills. Her students include men and women, and some have been known to sell their quilts, although Sanders said she is not interested.
The cost of the course is $59, plus a $3 Campus Access/Security fee. For more information and to register, call Gabrielle Norfleet at (252) 738-3275.
Above: Robin Sanders of Henderson works on a quilt for her son in the sewing lab on VGCC’s main campus, as a quilt she made for her daughter hangs behind her. (VGCC photo)
