The Explorers are artsy and whimsical quilters

The Explorers is a group of about a dozen women who get together and work on unique quilting methods. In other words, they set aside the status quo and explore new things.

Part of their exploration involves coming up with a theme to center their projects around. Their current project involves $10 and a thrift store.

Explorer Kathy Maynard said, “The current project was to go to Vinny’s and spend no more than $10, buy some things and see where you go with it. The different ideas in our creativity and how different they can be for each of us, which that’s what’s fun when we share these things.”

Inspiration can come in any form, like a puzzle set, or even the other quilters.

“You never know where one idea is going to lead,” Kathy said. “It could inspire something, someone says something and it could inspire the next person to do something totally different with it.”

For a recent project, Kathy struggled to find inspiration, and then she used what she had.

“So then I took the names from the colors I was given and called it the Tea Hearted River,” Kathy said, “and then it was fun; I was whimsical, I took a photograph of my mother’s teapot and just went with the Tea Hearted River. So you never know when this idea will come. Nothing works for a little while and all of a sudden, there it is!”

At the end of the day the ladies of the Explorers are about sharing ideas and having fun. And they’ll be sharing quilting tips at a hands–on beginners quilting class for National Quilting Day at the Peter White Public Library on March 15.