When Betty Marwick first learned to quilt she was a young woman and found it a bit tedious.

“My mother was very picky and she kept making me pick out my stitches,” she said. “At that time everything was done by hand.”

When Mrs Marwick’s children came along she stopped quilting and didn’t pick it up again for the next 30 years.

Five years ago she joined the Bermuda Quilters Guild and started quilting once more. She was happy to learn that these days it’s okay to use a sewing machine. You don’t have to do everything by hand, if you don’t wish to.

“No, I don’t feel guilty about using a machine,” she said. “When I first started I told them I didn’t want to be making big quilts all the time. They said that was okay, and so I usually make baby quilts or smaller pieces.”

This year, for the third year in a row, one of her quilts, a wall hanging quilt, will be included in the Bermuda Quilters Guild Show. She also participated in the production of a quilt to be raffled off during the event, along with members Noella Raynor, Ann King, Beryl Kelly and Gloria Pearman.

For many people, quilting has a therapeutic aspect. Guild member Brenda Mayall said she likes quilting because she enjoys the sensation of concentration that it brings.

“I like to go into a room by myself and just concentrate on quilting,” she said.

The Bermuda Quilters Guild was formed in 1992 by Marty Fountain. Meetings are held twice monthly and are presently held at St Mary’s Church Hall in Warwick. There are four founding members attending.

In the beginning there were several ladies who wished to learn how to quilt and beginner classes were taught prior to the meetings. A few of these ladies still attend the guild and are now advanced quilters. The guild often has technique demonstrations at the meetings, and a mentorship system for new quilters.

Quilt shows are held every two to three years. During the shows there is a quilt raffled off to raise money for local charities.

The Guild has made quilts and Christmas stockings for the Star Foundation, wall hangings for the Children’s Ward at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and lap sized quilts for seniors and the Extended Care Unit. After a tsunami in 2005, 42 quilts were sent to Sri Lanka for children in a home.

The Bermuda Quilters Guild meets on the first Tuesday of every month from 1.30pm to 3.30pm and the third Thursday evening of the month from 7pm to 9pm.

The Bermuda Quilters Guild 2014 Quilt Show will be held on March 14 from 1pm to 6pm, on March 15 from 10am to 5pm and on March 16 from 1pm to 5pm at St Mary’s Church Hall in Warwick. Entrance is $5 and children under 12 are free.