LISBON - The Back Door Quilters are serious about their hobby.

“We tend to be fabric addicts,” said Mary R. Fonda, Lisbon. “We buy it whether we need it or not.”

The allures of quilting, she said, are many.

“It’s not only a learned craft, but an art form. Sewing experience is not necessary. When I started, I had never sewn a stitch in my life. I didn’t think I would like it, but now I’m hooked. I’ll bet I sit at my sewing machine every day,” Mrs. Fonda said.

From wedding presents to decorative pieces like table runners and other keepsakes, quilts come in many shapes, sizes, and styles.

“My three grandchildren slept under Christmas quilts this year,” she said.

The Back Door group, consisting of 15 to 20 ladies from the Chase Mills and Lisbon area, Mrs. Fonda said, are organizing a June bus trip - during which they will visit New England’s biggest and longest running quilt festival, as well as one of the largest quilt shops in the U.S.

An S&W Tours-chartered bus is scheduled to leave Lisbon on June 29, destined for the Vermont Quilt Festival. The event is held annually on the last weekend in June at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, with classes held at the neighboring Saint Michael’s College in Colchester.

“We’ll spend the day, then it’s on to Montpelier for an overnight,” Mrs. Fonda said.

On June 30, the excursion continues on to Keepsake Quilting in Center Harbor, N.H.

“Anyone who is into quilting knows of it. It’s the mecca of the Northeast for quilters,” she said.

The return trip to Lisbon on July 1 is to include a stop at Ben & Jerry’s in Waterbury, Vt., for a factory tour.

The cost of the trip includes a $100 non-refundable deposit for the bus seat, which is due by May 1. Hotels, meals, and spending money are the responsibility of the participants. In Vermont, trip-goers will stay at the Comfort Inn and Suites at Maplewood, which can be reached at (802) 229-2222.

The Plymouth Econolodge’s phone number in New Hampshire is (603) 536-2330.

“To get our group rate, you must mention to each hotel that you are participating in the Back Door Quilter’s trip,” Mrs. Fonda said.

For more information, contact Mrs. Fonda at 393-2036, Karen Brouillette at bobkarenb@verizon.net, or Carol Lama at toadhollowfarm@hughes.net.

The Back Door Quilters generally meet the first Monday of each month at the Lisbon Wesleyan Church, 48 Church St. The next meeting is March 5 at 7 p.m.

Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.

You can continue on to this article in a few seconds, or you can visit one of our websites:

• Watertown Daily Times
• The Ogdensburg Journal
• Daily Courier-Observer