The E.N.C.O.R.E program offers an opportunity for members of the community to take non-credit quilting classes at Pierce College on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Rita Strimer, quilting instructor of more than 30 years, believes that her class allows students to learn basic techniques designed to mould them into advanced quilters.
Jo Ann Leeds, a first time quilting student, wanted to make her daughters a blanket out of her mother’s clothing.
“The detail is just wonderful,” Leeds said. “I want to make a quilt that Rita cannot find errors on.”
Projects vary semesterly and students are often encouraged to contribute their learned skills to charity organizations. Kaiser Permanente asked Pierce’s quilting students if they would donate 20 small handmade baby blankets to hospitals.
Strimer never tires of teaching her students to quilt, “I won’t stop until they carry me out on a gerney.”
