A Wauwatosa quilting group is bringing its members' artwork to the public this weekend while highlighting the charitable impact it makes in the community each year.
The Tosa Quilters Guild is presenting "Quilting as Art," an event running Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The guild has about 65 members and is holding the event to give those members a platform to display their work.
Guild member Jean Heideman said the organization donates more than $11,000 worth of quilts and pillowcases each year to 4 local charities.
"We're displaying our quilts and also highlighting the charitable giving that our organization does," Heideman said. "We donate over $11,000 a year worth of quilts and pillowcases to 4 different local charities."
Watch: In the community with the Tosa Quilters:
The event is being held at Tosa PT and Wellness on North Avenue, which opens its space for community events throughout the year.
Heideman first connected with our station at a Let's Talk Greendale session, where community members are invited to share what's happening in their neighborhoods.
"That was a wonderful event," Heideman said. "I made some good contacts for this event and a couple other things that are going on in the community, and so I applaud you for that effort of involving the population of the area."
Guild member Sandy, who has been sewing and quilting for most of her life, said she wants the public to rethink what they assume about quilters.
"That we're a bunch of boring old ladies," Sandy Dykstra said. "We are not a bunch of boring old ladies. We are artists and people with a lot of different facets in their life."
She said quilting is also something members enjoy sharing with others.
"We come together over this one thing that we like to share," Sandy said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
