Washington Post Bit by Bit: Nifty Fifty Charity Quilt Covers the Nation

Washington Post Nifty Fifty Charity Quilt Covers the Nation Bit by Bit

By Steven Ginsberg Washington Post Staff Writer

For many, a quilt a lifetime is an admirable achievement. But for Teresa Drummond, one is not nearly enough.

Drummond, a Stafford County resident, has engineered a nationwide effort to piece together more than 50 quilts representing every state.

What began as a quirky idea to get a quilter from each state to contribute a block to be sewn into a giant, national quilt has transformed into a massive, three-year project that has achieved its restated goal of creating 52 such quilts -- one for each state, one that will go to a quilt museum and one to be sold to raise money for breast cancer research.

When Drummond conceived the idea for a quilt with blocks from all 50 states, she planned to do only one. But then, she reasoned, only one of the 50 contributors would have the quilt, so she upped the ante to 50 quilts.

"And then I thought if everyone is making 50 blocks, why not ask everyone to make an extra two," Drummond said. "Since we're all women, we chose breast cancer [as the cause]. "I never dreamed it would get to this point," said Drummond, a mother of four. "I just expected to swap blocks, and it evolved." The breast cancer quilt, which has become the centerpiece of Drummond's effort, will be on display from noon to 4 p.m. today at Porter Memorial Library in Stafford.

The public is invited to sign the back of the quilt with names of family members and friends who have suffered from breast cancer. Drummond also plans to add names from showings in other states and through the Internet, so that people, as well as the patterns, come from throughout the country. The showings also are designed to entice a large company or other organization to either buy or agree to auction the charity quilt. Drummond has received offers to sell the quilt locally, but she prefers a national forum, in keeping with the project's theme. "We haven't been able to get anywhere with it," she said. "I'm hoping something larger will come of it."

The works are an impressive testament to the talents of the quilters, offering an array of scenes from across the country. Drummond chose to add her personal touch to a traditional pattern and came up with the "Falling Star From Stafford," a star-shaped design with more stars inside it. The block from Texas, which is a cowboy boot, won awards for best representation of a home state and best pattern, as voted by the participants. Nevada's entry, the "One-Armed Bandit From Las Vegas," scored second prize for best pattern. Drummond's effort, which she dubbed the Nifty Fifty Charity Quilt, has spawned a few copycats. Drummond said she supports those efforts but warns organizers to be ready for problems.

"Already we're up to a Nifty Fifty-Five group," she remarked. "But they've had some trouble with some people. Sometimes people won't do what they said they would or they get nasty about it." For the most part, the quilt has been a constant source of pleasure. "The groups get very, very attached; we just get really close," Drummond said. For instance, the son of one of the quilters was killed recently in a car crash and many of the quilters sent the mother heart-shaped blocks, she said. The participants also have exchanged recipes and created a Nifty Fifty cookbook.

And there's no end in sight. Although the initial three-year project has nearly been completed, Drummond has been contacted by others to spearhead similar efforts. "A person in Singapore sent an e-mail asking me to do an international one," Drummond said, adding that she has taken on the request. "It could just keep going. . . ."

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