For a good deal of my medical career there worked in my office an avid quilter. She participated in quilting groups, received quilting magazines and periodically went on quilting junkets, riding around a multi-state region on a bus with other quilters, allegedly stopping at quilting stores and networking with other quilters.
I always wondered about quilters. If, for instance, you wanted to run a secret, special-ops, counterintelligence sort of thing, who would ever suspect quilters? We think of international espionage agents like Matt Damon or Angelina Jolie, but silver quaffed church ladies? Of course not. That's what makes it so perfect.
To investigate my hunch, I went undercover. Last Thursday, I attended a new "craft group" in the basement of the Condon Community Church. There were, as I suspected, quilters, but also other crafters of jewelry and baby blankets.
Patricia Busby and Robin Hall started the group. Although there are several activities in the area, such as the walking group, the Red Hots, churches and book clubs, Patricia felt that those activities might not fit everyone, and that an opportunity for crafty women, or wannabe crafty women, provided an additional venue for shared growth and fellowship.
I did note that she stated "women," which only reinforces the fact that men have been, and continue to be repressed, objectified and marginalized in this society.
Robin Hall demonstrated the techniques for creating a Christmas quilt. Although I have probably thousands of miles of sewing experience - imagine how much thread you need after a trip through a windshield - I was amazed at the intricacy of the stitching.
Moving around the group, I watched carefully to see if any secret messages or flash drives were being tucked in the quilts. No luck there, but a quilter would never get caught. Instead, I was struck by the sheer artistry of the creations, including a quilt created by Hall for the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society fundraiser.
I am always struck by the talent and accomplishments of the people hidden in the woods. Busby founded a nonprofit group that served the needs of children after the Chernobyl disaster following the fall of the Soviet Union. Hall had a distinguished law and military career, serving in the JAG in Afghanistan and Iraq, with later judicial roles in Missoula. Penny Johnson helped with quilting instruction, calling on her long career as a home-economics educator.
A few days ago, I read yet another article about the "loneliness epidemic," how people are isolated and depressed and alienated. Attendance at about every social activity - except Taylor Swift concerts - is lagging. Video screens, whether internet browsing or streaming services or online gaming, are captivating. We are all guilty. It is easier to stay home, grimly tapping away.
But for all the artificial intelligence and virtual this and that, it is ultimately hollow. Person-to-person, face-to-face interaction seems to be necessary nutrition for the human organism.
The craft group meets again Oct. 3, probably too late for this paper, but again on Oct. 17 at 9:30 a.m. in the Condon Community Church basement. No church affiliation is required. Bring your stuff or just come to learn.
I didn't detect any subversive activity, but quilters are pretty crafty.
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