The traditional Hands All Around quilt block inspired the guild's name in 1983.
Hands All Around Quilt Guild: Our History
From an Idea by the Lake to a Central Illinois Quilting Community
The story of Hands All Around Quilt Guild began with a simple newspaper announcement:
“An organizational meeting of those who create, sew and appreciate fine quilts will be held on Thursday
evening, November 4th at 7:15 PM at the Normal Public Library community room. Anyone in the area is
welcome to help form a group who would exchange ideas, give input on projects, evaluate antique quilts,
organize quilt displays and retain a directory of instructors, hand quilters and sources of quilt fabrics.
Please bring your ideas.”
On the evening of November 4, 1982, Diane Skidmore and Nancy Saint waited in the basement of the Normal Public Library with a coffee urn filled with hot cider, a plate of cookies, and high hopes that someone would answer their invitation.
Thirty-four women did.
That gathering became the beginning of what is now Hands All Around Quilt Guild of Central Illinois.
The Idea Takes Shape
Although November 4, 1982, marked the guild’s first organizational meeting, its story actually began several years earlier on the shores of Evergreen Lake.
In the late 1970s, Diane Skidmore and Nancy Saint discovered a shared love of quiltmaking while sitting and sewing along the shoreline between sailboat races.
The mid-1970s and early 1980s were a period of renewed interest in quilting. Throughout Central Illinois, individuals and small groups were making quilts, often largely on their own. Instructional materials and patterns were not as readily available as they are today, and high-quality 100-percent cotton quilting fabrics could be difficult to find.
As Diane later recalled, trial and error was often the best teacher.
At the same time, quilt guilds were forming around the country to provide education, resources, and fellowship. For more than two years, Diane and Nancy searched publications such as Quilters Newsletter and Lady’s Circle Patchwork Quilts for evidence of a guild in the Bloomington-Normal area.
By the summer of 1982, they had a plan: if no local guild appeared by September, they would start one themselves.
And they did.
Building a Guild
Following the successful November meeting, ten of the 34 women gathered at Nancy Saint’s home on December 13, 1982, to begin defining the new organization and drafting bylaws.
The questions were basic but important:
The group decided to use the bylaws of the Evergreen Sailing Association as a model while creating their own nonprofit organization.
Temporary officers and committee chairs were selected:
Until formal bylaws, officers, and a permanent name could be adopted, the organization was known as the McLean County Quilters Guild.
What's in a Name?
Several possibilities were considered for the new guild, including:
The name that endured came from Susan Morrisroe.
Susan had made a wall hanging using the traditional Hands All Around quilt block in 1976 and remembered thinking:
“Wouldn’t that make a great name for a quilting group someday?”
It did.
The Hands All Around Quilt Guild had found its name—and a quilt block that continues to symbolize connection, creativity, and community.
Learning and Sharing from the Beginning
Education and fellowship were central to the guild from its earliest meetings.
Programs included lectures, member demonstrations, and show-and-tell. Members were also encouraged to gather for separate Project Nights outside the regular meetings.
During the guild’s first year, members organized trips to the Decatur guild’s annual quilt show and the Quilter’s Showcase in Carlinville.
Programs in the spring of 1983 included:
One of the guild’s first visiting lecturers was Cathy Grafton, who presented a program on miniature quilts. While her three young children colored at a table in the back of the room, guild members learned techniques for creating beautiful miniature quilts.
It was an early example of the combination of education, friendship, and informal community that would become a lasting part of guild life.
Hands All Around Becomes Official
In May 1983, members formally adopted the guild’s bylaws and elected officers for its first full year:
The Hands All Around Quilt Guild of Central Illinois was officially established.
An Early Fundraiser
In September 1983, Barb Miller organized the guild’s first fundraiser at the Ewing Arts Fair.
Guild members created a Log Cabin quilt, which was offered through a silent auction. Members also sold handmade quilted items.
The event raised an impressive $450—a significant success for a young organization less than a year old.
By October 1983, membership had grown to more than 50. The guild had arranged discounts for members at local and regional fabric shops, published a membership directory and a Regional Quilt Resource Guide, and begun planning something even more ambitious:
Its first quilt show.
The Beginning of Quilt Spectrum.
The guild wanted its quilt show to be different.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, many quilt shows were held in gymnasiums, where quilts were frequently folded and displayed on tables.
Diane envisioned something more.
She wanted the guild’s exhibition to present quilts as works of art in an aesthetically pleasing setting—what she described as a “museum quality show.”
The guild chose a name that reflected the many forms quiltmaking could take, and that could continue to be used for years to come:
Quilt Spectrum.
Diane’s husband, Ron Skidmore, a woodworker, helped design and construct ten display frames. Each frame could fully display four full-size quilts.
When setup day arrived at the Miller Park Pavilion, the sound of drills filled the building. The frames had been designed and built, but had never actually been assembled.
Vendors carried their merchandise upstairs. Quilts arrived for display. Antique chairs, beds, toys, ferns, and flowering plants were incorporated into the exhibit to create an inviting setting.
Because no one had ever staged a show like this before, setup continued well past midnight.
There was no budget for professional security, so Diane Skidmore, Cathy Grafton, Barb Miller, and others spent the night inside the locked pavilion in sleeping bags, with a particularly noisy vending machine for company.
The work paid off.
Despite charging the then-substantial admission price of $1, the first Quilt Spectrum raised more than $1,500.
A tradition had begun.
Traditions That Continue.
The guild concluded its first full year in May 1984 with its first salad supper—another tradition that would continue for decades.
From those early meetings in the Normal Public Library, Hands All Around grew from a gathering of people looking for fellow quilters into an enduring Central Illinois organization centered on quilting, education, creativity, service, and friendship.
The tools, fabrics, techniques, and programs have changed considerably since 1982. But much of what motivated those first 34 women remains familiar today: learning from one another, sharing completed work, welcoming new quilters, preserving quilting traditions, exploring new techniques, and enjoying the company of others who love textiles and quilts.
The story of Hands All Around began with two friends sewing beside a lake, a newspaper invitation, hot cider and cookies, and the hope that someone else might share their interest.
Thirty-four people answered.
More than four decades later, Hands All Around Quilt Guild continues the conversation they started.
About This History
This history is adapted and edited from “Hands All Around Quilt Guild (HAAQG) A History,” written by guild co-founder Diane Skidmore. Diane’s original account documents the guild's founding, its earliest members and programs, the selection of the Hands All Around name, and the creation of Quilt Spectrum.
The guild gratefully acknowledges Diane Skidmore and Nancy Saint, whose initiative helped establish Hands All Around Quilt Guild of Central Illinois in 1982, as well as the many members who have built and continue to sustain the organization today.
The story of Hands All Around Quilt Guild began with a simple newspaper announcement:
“An organizational meeting of those who create, sew and appreciate fine quilts will be held on Thursday
evening, November 4th at 7:15 PM at the Normal Public Library community room. Anyone in the area is
welcome to help form a group who would exchange ideas, give input on projects, evaluate antique quilts,
organize quilt displays and retain a directory of instructors, hand quilters and sources of quilt fabrics.
Please bring your ideas.”
On the evening of November 4, 1982, Diane Skidmore and Nancy Saint waited in the basement of the Normal Public Library with a coffee urn filled with hot cider, a plate of cookies, and high hopes that someone would answer their invitation.
Thirty-four women did.
That gathering became the beginning of what is now Hands All Around Quilt Guild of Central Illinois.
The Idea Takes Shape
Although November 4, 1982, marked the guild’s first organizational meeting, its story actually began several years earlier on the shores of Evergreen Lake.
In the late 1970s, Diane Skidmore and Nancy Saint discovered a shared love of quiltmaking while sitting and sewing along the shoreline between sailboat races.
The mid-1970s and early 1980s were a period of renewed interest in quilting. Throughout Central Illinois, individuals and small groups were making quilts, often largely on their own. Instructional materials and patterns were not as readily available as they are today, and high-quality 100-percent cotton quilting fabrics could be difficult to find.
As Diane later recalled, trial and error was often the best teacher.
At the same time, quilt guilds were forming around the country to provide education, resources, and fellowship. For more than two years, Diane and Nancy searched publications such as Quilters Newsletter and Lady’s Circle Patchwork Quilts for evidence of a guild in the Bloomington-Normal area.
By the summer of 1982, they had a plan: if no local guild appeared by September, they would start one themselves.
And they did.
Building a Guild
Following the successful November meeting, ten of the 34 women gathered at Nancy Saint’s home on December 13, 1982, to begin defining the new organization and drafting bylaws.
The questions were basic but important:
- What should happen at meetings?
- What kind of organization did they want to become?
- Could members be asked to contribute $2 to cover mailing expenses?
The group decided to use the bylaws of the Evergreen Sailing Association as a model while creating their own nonprofit organization.
Temporary officers and committee chairs were selected:
- Co-Chairpersons: Nancy Saint and Diane Skidmore
- Secretary/Treasurer: Karen Kahle
- Program Chair: Irene Cox
- Publicity: Pam Yeast
Until formal bylaws, officers, and a permanent name could be adopted, the organization was known as the McLean County Quilters Guild.
What's in a Name?
Several possibilities were considered for the new guild, including:
- Country Quilters
- Corn Belt Quilters
- Prairieland Quilters
- Prairie Home Quilters
The name that endured came from Susan Morrisroe.
Susan had made a wall hanging using the traditional Hands All Around quilt block in 1976 and remembered thinking:
“Wouldn’t that make a great name for a quilting group someday?”
It did.
The Hands All Around Quilt Guild had found its name—and a quilt block that continues to symbolize connection, creativity, and community.
Learning and Sharing from the Beginning
Education and fellowship were central to the guild from its earliest meetings.
Programs included lectures, member demonstrations, and show-and-tell. Members were also encouraged to gather for separate Project Nights outside the regular meetings.
During the guild’s first year, members organized trips to the Decatur guild’s annual quilt show and the Quilter’s Showcase in Carlinville.
Programs in the spring of 1983 included:
- Making Templates and Hand and Machine Piecing — Nancy Saint and Diane Skidmore
- Pattern Drafting — Lois Jett
- Strip-Quilted Clothing — Terri Campen
- Paper Piecing — Christine Wilson
One of the guild’s first visiting lecturers was Cathy Grafton, who presented a program on miniature quilts. While her three young children colored at a table in the back of the room, guild members learned techniques for creating beautiful miniature quilts.
It was an early example of the combination of education, friendship, and informal community that would become a lasting part of guild life.
Hands All Around Becomes Official
In May 1983, members formally adopted the guild’s bylaws and elected officers for its first full year:
- President: Nancy Saint
- Vice President: Diane Skidmore
- Secretary: Irene Cox
- Treasurer: Denesa Ernst
The Hands All Around Quilt Guild of Central Illinois was officially established.
An Early Fundraiser
In September 1983, Barb Miller organized the guild’s first fundraiser at the Ewing Arts Fair.
Guild members created a Log Cabin quilt, which was offered through a silent auction. Members also sold handmade quilted items.
The event raised an impressive $450—a significant success for a young organization less than a year old.
By October 1983, membership had grown to more than 50. The guild had arranged discounts for members at local and regional fabric shops, published a membership directory and a Regional Quilt Resource Guide, and begun planning something even more ambitious:
Its first quilt show.
The Beginning of Quilt Spectrum.
The guild wanted its quilt show to be different.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, many quilt shows were held in gymnasiums, where quilts were frequently folded and displayed on tables.
Diane envisioned something more.
She wanted the guild’s exhibition to present quilts as works of art in an aesthetically pleasing setting—what she described as a “museum quality show.”
The guild chose a name that reflected the many forms quiltmaking could take, and that could continue to be used for years to come:
Quilt Spectrum.
Diane’s husband, Ron Skidmore, a woodworker, helped design and construct ten display frames. Each frame could fully display four full-size quilts.
When setup day arrived at the Miller Park Pavilion, the sound of drills filled the building. The frames had been designed and built, but had never actually been assembled.
Vendors carried their merchandise upstairs. Quilts arrived for display. Antique chairs, beds, toys, ferns, and flowering plants were incorporated into the exhibit to create an inviting setting.
Because no one had ever staged a show like this before, setup continued well past midnight.
There was no budget for professional security, so Diane Skidmore, Cathy Grafton, Barb Miller, and others spent the night inside the locked pavilion in sleeping bags, with a particularly noisy vending machine for company.
The work paid off.
Despite charging the then-substantial admission price of $1, the first Quilt Spectrum raised more than $1,500.
A tradition had begun.
Traditions That Continue.
The guild concluded its first full year in May 1984 with its first salad supper—another tradition that would continue for decades.
From those early meetings in the Normal Public Library, Hands All Around grew from a gathering of people looking for fellow quilters into an enduring Central Illinois organization centered on quilting, education, creativity, service, and friendship.
The tools, fabrics, techniques, and programs have changed considerably since 1982. But much of what motivated those first 34 women remains familiar today: learning from one another, sharing completed work, welcoming new quilters, preserving quilting traditions, exploring new techniques, and enjoying the company of others who love textiles and quilts.
The story of Hands All Around began with two friends sewing beside a lake, a newspaper invitation, hot cider and cookies, and the hope that someone else might share their interest.
Thirty-four people answered.
More than four decades later, Hands All Around Quilt Guild continues the conversation they started.
About This History
This history is adapted and edited from “Hands All Around Quilt Guild (HAAQG) A History,” written by guild co-founder Diane Skidmore. Diane’s original account documents the guild's founding, its earliest members and programs, the selection of the Hands All Around name, and the creation of Quilt Spectrum.
The guild gratefully acknowledges Diane Skidmore and Nancy Saint, whose initiative helped establish Hands All Around Quilt Guild of Central Illinois in 1982, as well as the many members who have built and continue to sustain the organization today.
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