Layers of Meaning

The First Rule Of The Quilting Society

In The First Rule Of The Quilting Society, the Onion, a national satire magazine has taken on quilting, through the input of columnist, "Mrs. Bert K. Verdon. Helen to my friends." Most of the articles in the Onion seem to be written by and for 20 something males. But this one isn't. In fact, from my experience, I would say that it was written by someone who has been to a quilting guild meeting or two, and knows how to use all of the weapons of mass assemblage.

For those of you who are guild/society regulars, Mrs. Bert K. Verdon gives this advice: "But some of you may still be wondering what drove you to this place, this mutually supportive environment where our raw, primal passion for patterning, cutting, piecing, and stitching has found a home, an oasis where our pent-up natural instinct to nurture explodes in a frenzy of furious, estrogen-fueled bonding. I see an awful lot of new faces in the crowd tonight, and that means one thing: Some of you little old biddies haven't been observing the first two rules of the quilting society. So, for the benefit of you rookies in the room: The first rule of the quilting society is: You don't talk about the quilting society."

Here's hoping that Helen will write more about the secrets of quilting!