Toni Carringer had always enjoyed crafts and sewing, so it wasn't difficult for her sister to get her hooked on quilting a few years ago.
It's an ancient and honored occupation. Since pre-Revolutionary War days, quilters have gathered to work on joint projects and to swap patterns, enjoying both the finished product and the company of friends.
Formal guilds and smaller quilting "bees" still bring an estimated 6 million U.S. quilters together to work and to socialize.
But for Carringer, 33, an administrative assistant for Marriott International who lives in Woodbine, there was a catch.
"With four kids, work and family, its hard to keep that up," she said. "It's easier to do it online."
Now Carringer relies on the World Wide Web for instant access to quilting groups, experts, patterns, tips and techniques, along with the opportunity to meet people and share ideas in an informal environment where she never feels left out.
So do thousands of others who are using the latest technology to enjoy one of America's oldest pastimes.
"The Internet hasn't really changed [quilting) -it's just expanded it," said Bonnie Browning, president of the American Quilting Society.
Consider the Nifty Fifty quilt square exchange, which relies on Web sites and e-mail lists to recruit one participant in every state.
Stately designs
Each contributes 50 matching fabric blocks, elaborately sewn and layered to display a picture or pattern that represents her state. Each member receives a block from every other participant in return. Then, they sew their blocks together to make the top of the quilt, add a cloth backing and stuff the center with fluffy cotton or polyester "batting." Decorative stitches secure the three layers and complete the project.
Leonardtown farmer Cheryl Pinkerton and 49 other quilters from across the country recently finished their Nifty Fifty, a project that required more than a year to organize.
They relied on a Web site and electronic mailing list to announce the color scheme, to set guidelines and to post deadlines.
Pinkerton, 41, represented Maryland with a star pattern named after Barbara Fritchie, the patriot from Frederick who reportedly defied Confederate troops.
"I only had to research one state," she said, "But I ended up with 49 other beautiful blocks that were made with the same thought and effort."
They included Alaska's square portraying an Eskimo woman and Wisconsin's square presenting a butter churn.
Teresa Drummond of Stafford, Va., founded the Nifty Fifty movement. She tried at first to get quilters together by phone and fax. The commitment of time was substantial, and the experience was frustrating.
"Always, somebody backed out, she said." But when a friend from Pennsylvania started advertising on Web sites and in quilting chat rooms, the project took off.
In 1998, three years after she began, members of Nifty Fifty 1 gathered in Virginia to sort squares and to send completed bundles to the members.
This year, groups 5, 6 and 7 will complete their exchanges while groups 8 through 10 finish recruiting members. Leaders for 10 more groups are waiting for their turn to solicit participants. Separate "Twenty Plenty" groups have begun exchanging blocks internationally as well.
Beyond quilts
While the project is under way, the Web site and mailing lists bring participants pictures of printed squares, news and information that keep them "motivated and linked," Drummond said.
The tactic apparently works. "There's a real good sharing of knowledge, information and tips," said Pinkerton, who has been quilting for 10 years. "It's like having a gazillion people with the same interests."
The same electronic communications tools let the quilters exchange personal information, opinions and concerns, just as quilters who meet in person have done for centuries. One issue that comes up often is breast cancer, Drummond said. One Nifty Fifty hostess died from the disease, and others have faced it themselves or with family members. As a result, each Nifty Fifty group asks its members to send in a few extra blocks for quilts to be used in breast cancer-related fund-raisers.
One quilt made of blocks from the first Nifty Fifty is traveling across the country, while Drummond said she's seeking a charity event that can use a second quilt to raise money.
Elsewhere on the Web, a variety of sites offer quilters instructions, free patterns, discussion forums and opportunities to swap fabric or quilt squares.
For example, the World Wide Quilting Page posts photographs of entrants in its quarterly block contest and takes votes online.
The Crazyquilters site features a member's profile each month and schedules a chat room "quilting bee" every Tuesday.
At The Quilting Post Web site, Webmaster Carringer and other members recently sponsored their first cyber quilt show, with photos of the entrants posted and all the judging conducted online. Meanwhile, Carringer has a new project: She's signed up for Nifty Fifty Number 8.
Want to learn more?
Here are some sites that can teach you more about quilting.
Alliance for American Quilts
www.quiltalliance.org
American Quilter's Society
www.aqsquilt.com
Applique Society
www.theappliquesociety.org/CrazyQuilters
www.crazyquilters.com
Quilters Hall of Fame
www.west.net/ rperry/qhf.html
Quilting Post
www.thequiltingpost.com
World Wide Quilting Page
http://mail.kosmickitty.com/MainQuiltingPageS.html.
