An Oxford area church will host a homemade quilt sale that will support the arts and Mississippi Delta women this Saturday.

The Tutwiler Quilters will be at Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church’s fellowship hall from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. selling quilts, wall hangings, table runners and more.

Elizabeth Payne said the quilts sell out quickly because people recognize the novelty of the quilting designs.

The Tutwiler Quilters are a cooperative group of black women from the Delta based in Tutwiler. The group meets regularly at the Tutwiler Community Education Center and pieces together unique quilts and other home-sewn products.

The women receive 80 percent of all the proceeds and the remaining 20 percent is used for buying fabric, thread and other necessary supplies.

The sewn items are reflective of the Delta heritage and are unique because they have bolder and brighter colors along with newer designs. However, all the items are still made in the traditional home-sewn style.

Payne, professor of women’s history at the University of Mississippi, said she grew up around the Southern social aspect of quilting culture as well as the heritage involved. Her grandmother made quilts for each of her grandchildren.

She was first introduced to some of the Tutwiler quilting cooperative members in the mid-1990s at the Chimneyville Crafts Festival. She said she was smitten ever since and annually bought Christmas presents from the group.

For more information about the Tutwiler quilters or to order special-made, call 662-345-8393.

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The Details

Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church will host a homemade quilt sale in its fellowship hall from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.