Colorful Quilts That Bind Us Together: St. Philip’s Quilters

In 1997 the St. Philip’s Quilters group was formed by Marilyn Sifontes and Diane Simpkins when they led a class at the St. Philip’s Episcopal Church at 15 Fernhill Avenue in Buffalo. The Quilters were welcomed by the congregation, and currently the group has 16 members. The women meet on Saturdays twice a month. New members of all skill levels continue to join.

This Community Gallery exhibition includes 13 works. Many of the quilts carry cross-generational stories of how they were designed or who inspired their creation. Several of the quilts were made during a recovery from illness. The fabrics also hold significant meaning, and some of them were brought back from Africa.

The St. Philip’s Quilters work on individual projects as well as special group efforts. Over the past decade, they have donated lap quilts to nursing homes, local hospitals’ pediatric and neonatal units and returning military personnel. At the suggestion of Reverend John Russell, the quilts are also used as palls for members of the group who have passed.

In recent years, the St. Philip’s Quilters have exhibited in venues such as the Langston Hughes Art Institute in Buffalo and the Castellani Museum in Niagara Falls. In 2000 they also participated in A Communion of the Spirits quilt exhibition and national documentary project organized by Roland L. Freeman of Washington, D.C. that was held at the Buffalo Museum of Science.