For my 55th Birthday last year, Barbara, the 80 year old lady I run errands for paid for my yearly membership to the local Senior Center….(You have to be 55 to join.)
I have been attending Photography Club meetings there and had seen some of the things they offered there; heated pool, fitness center, clubs and classes of all sorts, Waffle Breakfast every Thursday…..I thought it would be something to do to get me out of the house.
Shortly after she paid, I received my membership tag, a monthly calendar and a brochure of all the activities offered there. They have ballroom dancing classes, Zumba, trips, etc.
One of the things they offered was a club called “Quilt Charms”….for quilters. I decided to attend one of their meetings and just see what was going on. A lady I had met at the Knitting class at the church, Mariam, said she goes to the quilt club and was a member so I would know at least 1 person there.
The first meeting, I was introduced, given a pack of information and met several of the ladies, I was told to try the club for a few meetings before I paid the $15 a year membership dues. They are working on a spring Quilt show in May and their project is what is called a “split 9 patch”. You sew your chosen fabrics into a 9 patch block
and then split that 9 patch into 4 blocks by cutting horizontally and vertically through the middle….then you simply turn the squares to create new patterns….
Now first I should say that I have quilted before…
.so this is nothing new for me. I just thought it would be something to keep me busy and make new friends.
I went home after the first meeting and spent hours digging through boxes in my basement to locate my quilt rulers, rotary cutters, cutting boards, and fabric…Some of which is obviously stored in my storage shed at “U-Haul.”
The next meeting I went to, I even went early to get the waffle breakfast. I talked to a group of ladies who were sitting together crocheting and knitting, and to the group of men in the whittling “class”. The ladies I talked to in the quilt club were sewing and trying to decide how they wanted to put their split 9 patches together on the tables set out large enough to spread an entire quilt on.
I had just about decided this where where I should spend my Thursdays morning. I went home, found some fabric big enough to make something and set about cutting and sewing…
At my third meeting, I got the shock of my life! I was told if I didn’t pay the dues that day, I could not be in the club! I tried to explain what had been told to me the first meeting about “waiting” to join and the fact that being unemployed, I would not be able to pay until my husband gets paid next week….Didn’t matter! Pay up or else!
So I left the meeting after only about 10 minutes in tears. I was more furious and hurt than anything else. I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. I felt like I was told I wasn’t good enough to be a part of anything.
The ladies had all seamed so nice at the previous meetings. And I felt like I was making new friends.
But I didn’t let that discourage me. I went home and quickly jotted off an e-mail to the staff at the Senior Center and let them know how disappointed I was in this club.
It won’t stop me from quilting. I am determined now to make the best quilt I can and enter it in the Fair this year….Hopefully to win a ribbon and show these “Old Cronies” that I may not be good enough for their club; but I can quilt and it is their loss.
I’ve decided to limit my classes to the Crochet/Knit class at the church where I know I am welcomed, and to the photography club….
I’m waiting to hear about the results of my e-mail as the director of the Senior Center did write back and say she was also disappointed in how it was handled and will make “general” inquiry into this problem.
Hugs and Love to all!!!
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