Another Nice Article in The Daily Gazette!

Sew-In fun and football free
   KELLY DE LA ROCHA
Gazette Reporter

Talk was more likely to be about fat quarters than quarterbacks at Sunday's Souper Bowl Sew-In at The Joyful Quilter. Fat quarters are important players in the quilt-making process, explained Bob Silverman, the quilt shop's co-owner. "It's a half-yard [of fabric] that we then cut in half horizontally, so you wind up with two 18-by-22-inch pieces. We have them all over the store," he said.

While much of the world gathered around televisions Sunday, seven women gathered in the two classrooms in the back of shop to work on their quilting projects. They quietly ironed fabric and sat at sewing machines, piecing together colorful quilt squares.
Later, turkey chili, salad, iced tea and snacks, all made by shop co-owner Susan Pettengill, were served.
A Super Bowl Sunday sewing event has been a tradition since the shop opened four years ago.
"We decided to do the Souper Bowl because a lot of people just don't want to watch the game, so it's something else to do, having soup and sewing," said Silverman.
Quilting and football do have something in common, he noted.
"It's a team sport in the sense that the ladies put their [quilt] blocks up on the wall and then we all kind of, like a committee, say, 'This looks good for a border' or, 'Move this block over there,' " he explained.
Sunday's team of seven quilters dealt deftly with yards of colorful fabric.
"I told the ladies to play nice," Silverman said with a laugh. "They're very focused right now, but once we start eating and talking and doing, believe me, it gets loud."
Mary Wade of Niskayuna was working on a quilt pattern called a four-patch posey with brown, orange, gold and green floral squares. The way the squares were stitched gave the illusion of flowers as seen through a kaleidoscope.
"I hope to get this top finished," Wade said as she sewed.
Pam Wrzesinski of Rotterdam was ironing backing for a pinwheel-patterned Christmas quilt she started a few years ago. The top to another one of her quilts was tacked up on a nearby wall.
"Having time just to come and bring your projects to work on, and if you have questions or problems, to have somebody to help is always a nice thing," she said.
Patti Muselbeck came all the way from Hagaman to participate in the Souper Bowl. She drove the distance because she enjoys the camaraderie she finds at the shop, and the chance to finish unfinished projects. "I have too many," she said with a laugh.
Muselbeck frequently attends events at The Joyful Quilter.
"Pajama parties, the last Saturday of the month, that's our favorite," she said. "We sew from 6 to about 3 or 3:30 [in the morning]. We bring snacks and we have a great time."