January 14, 2008

Quilt Block Challenge Workshop Set for Saturday

Quilters as well as non-sewers in the Springfield area are being invited to participate in a quilt block workshop 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, January 19, at peace & Appliqué, 145 East Main St., Rochester.  Quilt blocks will be created for the “Pieces of Hope” Challenge, benefitting the SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute (SCCI) at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield.

Participants will complete a 12½-inch block, using one of two challenge fabrics, which are available at participating quilt stores in central Illinois.  Help also is needed to cut and iron fabric.  The workshop will be hosted by Lois Weissberg, co-owner of peace & Appliqué.

Several quilts will be made from donated blocks and auctioned at SCCI’s Denim and Diamonds, an annual fundraiser to be held October 18 in Springfield.  Remaining blocks will be used to make lap quilts or quillows to be given to patients undergoing treatment.  Additional guidelines are available online at the institute’s Web site, www.siumed.edu/cancer.  Completed blocks are due February 15, 2008.

Other shops participating are -- Calico Heart and Sew Unique, both Springfield; Peddler’s Way Quilt Co., Washington; The Quilt Corner, Morton; Quilters Delight, Clinton; Cozy Corner, Metamora; Sewing Studio, Normal; Prairie Points, Peoria; and Cotton Stitches, Pekin.

The SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute at SIU offers state-of-the-art treatment for patients in central and southern Illinois as well as facilities for cancer research and physician and public education.  This summer, it moves to a three-story, $21 million facility in Springfield.
For more information, including challenge rules and examples of quilt blocks, go online to www.siumed.edu/cancer/outreachpages/quilt.html.

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