Quilt Guild

Sew Happy Stitchers

Guild Beginnings-

The Sew Happy Stitchers began as a committee of our local area chamber of Commerce.  A group of us had decided to pursue the idea of incorporating a quilt show as part of the local festival called “A Dickens of a Christmas” which is held annually the first weekend of December in Ripon.  After our first successful quilt show in 1995 as the Dickens Quilt Show Committee, we decided an official name and organization was in order.  There were four of us that created the guild, and we’ve called ourselves the Sew Happy Stitchers ever since.

Membership is open to anyone interested in the art of quilting.  We currently have members from the Ripon, Green Lake, Berlin, Princeton, Markesan, Rosendale, Fond du Lac, and other areas.  Meetings are held twice monthly.

We are a service minded guild and have accomplished many projects over the years.  Some of the service organizations we have supported are Project Linus, Veteran Quilts, Raffle Quilts to raise funds for charity, the pillow case challenge, Quilts of Valor, and Habitat for Humanity.

A quilt show is held annually.  The Sew Happy Stitchers plans and organizes the show, and with the help of our main sponsor, Horicon Bank, we are able to put on a fabulous show the first weekend of December each year

The Sew Happy Stitchers is also known for carrying out the community project of the making of The Wisconsin Sesquicentennial Quilt.  This is an important quilt that was selected to represent the heritage of quilting and our state’s sesquicentennial at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival held in Washington D.C. the summer of 1998.  Our guild is honored that the quilt has been accepted as part of the permanent collection of the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

Anyone interested in our monthly meetings, or for information about the annual Dickens of a Quilt Show can contact Linda Ollerman at 920.748.3814 or lvollerman@charter.net
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