The Nassau Appliquérs recently presented a handmade quilt to the North Merrick Public Library. The Appliquérs, a group of 22 women, are a division of the Appliqué Society, an international non-profit organization devoted entirely to the art of appliqué. The quilt was put on display in June and can be seen hanging on a wall, adjacent to the reference desk.
“We dedicated this year’s quilt to the North Merrick Library as a ‘thank you’ for letting us meet at their facility for all these years,” said group leader Alice Palmer. “We made it colorful so that the children at the library would enjoy looking at it.” The quilt displays a tile design, a form of appliqué art from the 1800s, and is a testament to the months of work that went into its creation.
The North Merrick chapter of the Appliqué Society was founded in 2009 by Ms. Palmer and is one of only two chapters in all of New York State. With their sister chapter located in upstate New York, the Nassau Appliquérs attract members from as far as Suffolk County and Queens for their monthly meetings.
“Every year we make a quilt to be donated to a different charity or organization,” stated Ms. Palmer. “Since everything is done by hand, it is quite a process.” With a production schedule of about one quilt per year, the Nassau Appliquérs decide as a group who their annual recipient will be. The group has also recently created quilt parts for an auction to benefit juvenile diabetes research.
