“There’s a love for this art form here”
Fabric and supply sale will honor local quilter, benefit The Grand
Trending
NEW ULM -- A figure in the local quilting scene is being honored with an event at The Grand Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mary Hartten passed away in April of this year. She had been active in quilting her whole life and embarked on many projects. The fabric and supplies left over are being sold at The Grand to support future arts and educational experiences there. Daughter Chris Hartten described how her mother's passion for the craft inspired this event.
"[My mom] was a big quilter and she loved her fabric," she said. "She loved to shop and she was very organized. Her sewing room at home was very detailed and organized and she had a lot of quality fabric. When she passed we thought about what we wanted to do with her fabric. We as a family have always respected The Grand in our community. She loved coming here as well. We decided how great of an idea to donate it toward The Grand. I think our mother would be very happy we’re moving it to The Grand and a lot of people are gonna benefit from the material."
An abundance of boxes waited to be unpacked Wednesday, as friends and relatives of the Hartten's went through everything and set up the displays. Cathy Hartten, sister of Chris and daughter of Mary, said the large amount of material came from her mom's habits as a creator.
"[Mary] loved to start lots of projects all at once," she said. "She loved the variety, but she was very detail-oriented. To the point where she'd stitch a whole section and if there was one stitch off, she’d rip it all out and redo it. She was quite a perfectionist when it came to sewing and quilting."
The sisters said it was a bittersweet moment parting with their mother's fabric and supplies. Chris said they both experienced going through the materials in different ways.
"We’re opposites; Cathy is a purger and I like to keep things a little more," she said. "I always teased my mother 'Why buy another package of material when you have all these projects?' As I went through it and packed it, I was touching them and looking at the patterns. I thought 'I wish I was a quilter because this is so cool.' I don’t have the patience. Even though we have some great ideas for that room in the basement, it was bittersweet cleaning out all the material."
Program Director Tamara Furth said The Grand jumped on the opportunity to host this sale as quilting is one of the most popular art forms in New Ulm.
"It’s a celebration of this art form we don’t always consider to be the art form it is," she said. "They’ve been working diligently for the last weeks to organize this and put this event together for the community. There’s a love for this art form here. It allows people in this region to benefit from this beautiful collection of fabric. It seems like a perfect match. The Grand is a place that celebrates arts and culture. Here was a woman who spent her life enjoying this art form and now she’s passing that on to others in the community."
Chris Hartten said it is rare for such an event to take place, especially with the volume of fabrics and relatively inexpensive prices. There are several things she hopes happen because of the event.
"One, we are honoring our mother," Chris Hartten said. "She’s known in the community, especially in the quilting arena. Two, I hope the proceeds are large to benefit The Grand. Three, we're getting a lot of camaraderie because we have some old friends and relatives who are helping this week. Four, a lot of people in the community are going to be able to utilize her things. Five, I'm hoping a lot of people will be coming through the door who have never been here before."