QUILT COMMEMORATES SEMO'S 125 YEARS

Southeast Missouri State University's past has been woven into its future, thanks to the efforts of the River Heritage Quilt Guild.

Forty-two quilters created a 95-by-125-inch quilt depicting campus buildings. They presented the quilt to university officials Monday night in honor of Southeast's 125th anniversary.

About 50 people attended the presentation at the University Center. School officials announced that the quilt will be permanently displayed in a glass case in the University Center.

The centerpiece of the quilt depicts Academic Hall. Fourteen surrounding blocks represent other campus buildings, including the original Normal School. An appliqued border frames the entire quilt.

The words of Southeast's alma mater and the school's 125th anniversary motto, "Honoring Yesterday, Creating Tomorrow," are sewn into the green border surrounding the building blocks.

School officials said the quilt has an appraised value of $5,000.

The guild hopes to enter it in the International Quilt Association show in Houston, Texas, in October and in the American Quilt Society's show in Paducah, Ky., next April.

Southeast's president, Dr. Dale Nitzschke, praised the creation.

"I noticed even the heavens are clapping," he said, referring to a thunderstorm that roared through the region Monday night.

The quilt was designed by Judy Robinson of Cape Girardeau and Mary K. Reed of Jonesboro, Ill.

"Once we got started, it really kind of fell together," said Robinson.

The guild formed a committee to spearhead the work. Its members included Robinson and Reed, as well as Tenna Henning, Betty Cord, Jewel Eggley, Madeline Gieselman, Cookie Little, Glenda Nations and Vonda Slinkard.

The guild made the quilt at the request of the university. The guild has about 100 members from Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois.

It took about a year to complete. Guild members invested about 1,000 hours in the project. Some of the work was done at the Sewing Basket store in Cape Girardeau. Most of the actual quilting was done in guild members' homes.

Photos were taken of the buildings and then enlarged. The photo enlargements were traced to produce patterns, which were then numbered for applique.

"The hottest day in June I came up to the campus and walked around and took photographs," said Robinson.

Reed and Robinson selected the fabric for each block, spending time on campus studying the buildings and looking at swatches to determine what colors were needed.

"There is a lot of color on this campus," Robinson said.

Kits of fabric were then made and distributed to the quilters, specifying the fabrics to be used in each section of the buildings.

The blocks were appliqued. Members then selected embroidery thread and designed on embellishments.

Reed said flowers were embroidered on several of the quilt blocks. Even veins in the tree leaves were embroidered, she said.

Reed said the quilt was finished only a few days ago.

After the ceremony, a smiling Robinson compared the creation of the quilt to having a baby. "Just about, except there are no midnight feedings," she said.

Jim Biundo, assistant to the president for university relations, had a word of caution for those who attended the presentation.

"Don't touch," he said.