Lometa quilter to headline annual March needle art show

One Wednesday each month, a group of about 15 women gathers at the Lometa Baptist Church fellowship hall to help with a project that's been ongoing for several years.

The Lometa Quilting Club cuts, sews, ties and quilts to make quilts for Lometa schoolchildren in need, for the Williams House in Lometa, Child Protective Services in Lampasas County and for any family in crisis.

Beth Hightower, a longtime member of the club, has quilted since age 12 when she learned from her mother. She grew up at Camp Hood where her grandmother had a farm, but later moved to Lometa where she met her future husband.

Until 15 years ago, Mrs. Hightower made many of her traditional quilts by machine-piecing and hand-quilting.

Then she began making blue-jean quilts decorated with machine-appliqued animals. Some of the quilts are referred to as "attitude quilts," since they relay a message, Mrs. Hightower said.

In addition to working with the Lometa club, Mrs. Hightower has made quilts and donated them to other organizations for their use as fund-raisers, including a quilt raffled by the Lometa Rodeo Association in memory of Mrs. Hightower's husband's brother.

In creating her quilt, Mrs. Hightower researched the brands that were used in Lampasas County, and her sister, Jo Taylor, machineembroidered a brand on each block on the quilt.

Mrs. Taylor does all of Mrs. Hightower's machine-embroidery. Mrs. Hightower makes all of her quilts on a Singer treadle sewing machine and also crochets afghans and doilies.

Mrs. Hightower's sewing machine and her quilts, along with images of the Lometa Quilting Club, will be featured at the Lampasas Needle Art and Quilt Show March 7-8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at sev- eral locations: the Lampasas County Courthouse, Lampasas County Office Building and Keystone Square Museum.

Admission is $5 for adults, and $3 for children under 12, good for both days.

The Lometa Quilting Club is accepting donations of batting for its quilts. Please drop off batting at the museum, 303 S. Western, on March 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or at the Needle Art Quilt Show.

For more information, phone 556-2224 or e-mail naq07@pgrb.com.

The Lometa Quilting Club meets the second Wednesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. Bring a sack lunch. Quilting experience is not necessary.

For club information, contact Gail Eltgroth at 752-8322 or e-mail gail.eltgroth@starband.net.