Friends of Pool 9 to receive unique donation ...

The non-profit Friends of Pool 9 environmental and educational organization will be presented a one-of-a-kind, hand-constructed hanging quilt created by Karlene Wonderlich (pictured at right in the above photo) of Lansing. Wonderlich, an experienced quilter and career Family & Consumer Science (previously known as Home Economics) teacher, has historically provided strong support to a variety of non-profit organizations, often with her husband, Arlen Wonderlich (pictured at left). She has wanted to quilt the Black Hawk Bridge ever since they purchased a river home in 2007, so she developed a plan which started with Arlen’s photo of the bridge and had it enlarged several times to create an accurate template. She then began the painstaking process to cut and stitch the puzzle together, often spending a full day just to complete one small portion. The bridge was sewn using a paper piecing technique where the fabric pieces were sewn with the paper, then the paper removed, which allowed the tiny pieces to be manageable. Almost 300 hours were invested in this project. Needless to say, it’s impossible to assess an accurate value for this labor of love, although another one-of-a-kind quilt created by Wonderlich sold for $5,000.

The completed creation is approximately 83" wide by 23" high featuring colors of batik black cotton and shiny silver satin fabrics. The quilting for the sky area is more basic but the quilting that represents the river gives the impression of rippling water. The project began the summer of 2016 and was just finished this summer, 10 years after the idea inception. In response to the question whether she will ever make another, Wonderlich replied with an emphatic “no”. The quilt will be on display from August 8-September 20 at the Empty Nest Winery located at 1352 Apple Road, rural Waukon. The Friends of Pool 9 annual fundraising event will be held Saturday, September 23 and the quilt will be the featured item of a live auction. All funds raised throughout the event are a direct donation to the organization and are tax-deductible. Advance bids will be accepted by Event Chair Nancy Wortman at 563-538-4727. Submitted photo.