world.

No, it's not a synopsis of someone's life -- just some of the standard patterns from the world of quilting.

The art of quilting goes back a long way. For our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, a handmade quilt was a standard hope chest ingredient.

Today, in the Amish and Mennonite communities, quilting is still a regular occupation. Not only do the women make quilts to sell, but at barnraisings, while the men wield hammers and saws, the women have a quilting bee.

Like many crafts, quilting passed from regular life to the province of a few hobbyists as modern lifestyles and manufacturing methods took hold. But now the pendulum is swinging firmly back, and more and more people are taking up quilting, either to realise their creative dreams or as a therapeutic diversion from stress.

Included in the swing is the Bermuda Quilters Guild, recently formed to accommodate the hundreds of quilters stitching away on this tiny Island.

Although the Guild, founded by Mrs. Marty Fountain, is still in its infancy, it has already established a name for itself, particularly with visitors, who increasingly seek out its meetings.

In fact, it was a group of cruise ship visitors which gave quilting enthusiast Mrs. Fountain the impetus to form the Guild of which she is president.

"In July, a group of quilters, including some very well known instructor-authors, arrived on the Nordic Prince and they wanted to meet up with some Bermuda quilters,'' Mrs. Fountain related. "The response was so great that we ended up using the Number One Passenger Terminal and over 100 people attended.'' Among them was quilting teacher, TV lecturer and author Ms Georgia Bonesteel, who is well known in the US.

On display was a spectacular collection of quilts -- yes, quilters even travel with their handiwork. A local quilt also received special attention.

"It was huge and made by the American Women's Association featuring Bermuda cottages. Each cottage square was made by a member, and when it was all assembled, the quilt was raffled, raising thousands of dollars for charity,'' Mrs. Fountain said.

So successful was this design, in fact, that the pattern is now available in a local handicraft store.

From July's springboard, the Guild has grown steadily. Its members come from all walks of life, all ages and all socio-economic groups.

"Quilters are not a bunch of little old ladies in tennis shoes,'' the president assured. "Quilting, worldwide, is a huge industry -- and it's not just women either. There are also many male quilters. In fact, I took a course with a male instructor who was excellent and produced all his own designs.'' But Mrs. Fountain warned that the craft was addictive, and there was no known cure.

"Quilters are absolutely obsessive,'' said the woman who was introduced to the hobby just three years ago by a friend and who now describes herself as "completely hooked''.

Part of the addiction can be attributed to an ingredient called fat quarters.

Readily available all over the world, these handy 18 x 22-inch pieces of all-cotton fabric are apparently impossible to resist, and form a vital ingredient in every quilter's shopping expedition.

"Quilters are `fabricaholics.' You just have to have what you see, otherwise your life will never be the same again. We tend to hoard quarters like squirrels,'' the president explained.

It also sheds light on her definition of quilting.

"It is taking several small pieces of fabric, cutting them into even smaller pieces of fabric, and stitching them all back together to form one big piece of fabric!'' If that sounds illogical, the infinite variety of beautiful, finished products more than justifies the lengths to which quilters will go to create their myriad works of art.

"There is no end to what you can create with quilting -- pillows, quilts, clothing, place mats, wall hangings, table runners are just some of the ways,'' Mrs. Fountain said. "In fact, you can have everyone doing a project and each one will look different. It's the use of colour that is so incredible.'' Just as artists reach for paints, pastels and pencils to create their pictures, so do quilters reach for their pieces of fabric. Judicious cutting and placement of the myriad pieces is what creates the eye-catching designs.

Yet that is only one part of the creative process. Technique is equally important, for in the final analysis it is how the pieces of fabric are stitched together, attached to the middle layer of batting and the backing fabric which sets them off.

But quilting is not simply about mastering an art. It is also a vehicle for friendship, and even mercy. Quilters will exchange "friendship'' fat quarters with other guilds so that a work can ultimately be created representative of overseas friends.

Many quilters regularly stitch quilts, by the fastest means possible, for organisations working with the terminally ill, the homeless, and the poor.

Still others use quilts to tell a story -- like the woman who created a "divorce quilt'' for her ex-husband.

"It portrayed how she was going to take out her aggressive feelings on her husband, including simulated tyre marks. There were fiery colours and explosive designs. It was really bizarre,'' Mrs. Fountain said.

International seminars, festivals and trade shows draw practitioners of the art in their thousands. Mrs. Fountain has attended many shows, including the famous Houston, Texas festival where the judged 500 best quilts from all over the world are displayed.

Apart from what is learned at such events, many friendships are forged or renewed.

"We meet a lot of people who have either been visitors to Bermuda or who want to come here,'' Mrs. Fountain related. "Quilting is good for tourism! In fact, we're looking forward to hosting quilting groups here before too long.'' While quilters are addicted to their hobby, it does not necessarily follow that their addiction translates to a never-ending stream of completed items.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

Cupboards, drawers, baskets, boxes and bags are not only crammed to capacity with enough pieces of fabric to quilt the world, but what quilters call UFOs -- Unfinished Objects! Again, Mrs. Fountain has an explanation for this phenomenon.

"There is a saying in the quilting world: She who dies with the most fabric wins!'' At one quilting meeting Mrs. Fountain attended, a woman stared incredulously at a piece nearly completion. "You mean people actually finish a piece? I had no idea!'' But surely the founder-president of the local Guild finishes her creations? "Now, don't get personal!'' she laughed.

To accommodate the needs of all its members, the Bermuda Quilters Guild meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and on the third Friday of each month at 7.30 p.m. Meetings take place at Peace Lutheran Church hall in Paget, and membership is $20 a year.

For further information on the Bermuda Quilters Guild contact Mrs. Fountain at 292-1062.

COME QUILT WITH ME! -- President of the Bermuda Quilters Guild, Mrs. Marty Fountain, displays some of the quilts she is currently working on. Eventually, they will join the large collection of antique quilts gracing her Tucker's Town home.