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Quilters of Year works among those featured this weekend at Hinkly House

Lead Summary
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By
Lori Sorenson

The historic Hinkly House museum will be dec0rated with the artistic talents of local quilters this weekend during Luverne’s Buffalo Days celebration.
Among them will be the handiwork of Bev Doorenbos and Mary Akkerman, the Blue Mound Quilt Guild 2023 Quilters of the Year.
They were recognized earlier this year for their “quilting talents, dedication to the art of quilting and willingness to help their fellow quilters.” 
Both women learned to sew at their mothers’ trundle sewing machine, which required hand, eye and feet coordination.
Their quilts will be featured from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 3, at the Blue Mound Quilters Guild Quilt Show at the Hinkly House during Buffalo Days.
Blue Mound Quilters Guild co-chairpersons Deb Van Heerde and Jill Willers shared information about Doorenbos and Akkerman ahead of this weekend’s event.
 
Bev Doorenbos
Doorenbos is a third-generation sewer on the family’s trundle sewing machine after her grandfather purchased it off a traveling peddler’s cart.
She started sewing clothes and branched out to quilts, at first using traditional steps of making them out of old clothes, 1960s polyester, then cotton fabric.
Doorenbos recalls that prior to the 1980s, quilts were cut out by scissors and templates. The rotator cutter was introduced in 1979 in the garment industry and since then became a standard piece of equipment among quilters.
Her first quilt pattern was Clay’s Choice, made with purchased cotton fabric from J.C. Penney in Rock Rapids, Iowa, in the late 1970s. At first she hand-quilted her quilts, then began machine-quilting them.
Active in making charity quilts for her church, her goal is to sew 60 charity quilt tops per year.
She makes the top, and another church member ties them. One year they completed 110 baby quilts.
As an avid puzzler, Doorenbos considers quilting to be a large jigsaw puzzle, putting the odds and ends of fabric donated to church into an attractive quilt. Her favorite quilt patterns are the three-yard quilts, which make for good throws.
“Bev has always been an upbeat member of the guild,” the Blue Mound Quilters said about Doorenbos. “She is quick to problem-solve, explain and encourage.”
 
Mary Akkerman
Through 4-H, Akkerman learned how to sew different garments, and she made her own clothes.
She tells the story about getting a poor grade in home economics class for completing projects too quickly.
The teacher wanted to check every step of the process, but Akkerman knew how to put sleeves in a blouse and didn’t stop for approval. She got a lower grade for not following instructions even though her sleeve placement was perfect. 
As an adult, Akkerman made her children’s clothing in addition to her own, and in her retirement, she moved from clothing to crafting. One of her specialties was pillowcase dolls, which she sold to finance a trip to Las Vegas. She also made Pilgrim dolls and Amish dolls. 
Akkerman started making quilts out of polyester and moved to cotton, learning from Elaine Mann at the Sewing Basket.
She has been active in her church’s charity quilt program for 15 years and secures discounts and donations for the church for materials like backing and batting that must be purchased.
For the guild, Akkerman has held many leadership roles and is always ready to teach newer and faster ways to make traditional blocks. With one project, she turned a man’s long-sleeved shirt into an apron. 
Today, Mary works on small projects in her home, such as table runners and mug rugs, due to her limited space. She taught her daughter to quilt and to design her own patterns that they work on together and create gifts.
“The most meaningful project they worked on together was for Mary’s son. He was very surprised and emotional when he received his quilt,” the Blue Mound Quilters shared about Akkerman.
Questions about the Hinkly House quilt show can be directed to Van Heerde at 507-283-2279 or Willers at 507-283-2460.

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