Ribbon Cutting – Valley of Plenty Quilters

Gem County Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting

The Valley of Plenty Quilters is essentially a group of ladies who enjoy each other and share a love for quilting. The group currently consists of 48 members from Emmett, Star, New Plymouth, Meridian, Caldwell, Eagle, Ontario, and Nampa. They meet at the Nazarene Church in Emmett. The group meets every first and third Thursday from 10am – 3pm, September through June. Their meetings consist of business pertaining to the organization and committees, quilting workshops, socializing, and potluck luncheons.

In January of 1983, Jean Wrightsman and May Strickland gathered together some friends who wanted to learn about quilting. The quilt club was officially organized on March 10, 1983. They met first at the Emmett Library, then the Christian Church, and then moved to the Nazarene Church in October 1994. The Valley of Plenty Quilters was incorporated as a non-profit organization on June 16, 1994.

The quilt club’s first quilt show was held at the Parkview School cafeteria, across from the City Park on June 15-16, 1984. The quilt show was relocated to the Emmett High School cafeteria (now the Middle School) in 1985.

The goals of the Valley of Plenty Quilters are simply stated in their Articles of Incorporation: “The business, purpose, and object of this club shall be to further our knowledge of quilt making; to associate with other clubs with the same interest; to promote the knowledge of quilting in the community; to promote social activity among members of the club and the community; to share our creative endeavors through acts of charity and/or donations, and to participate in and promote community affairs.”

To learn more about the Valley of Plenty Quilters, call the current President of the club, Sharon Boatman, at (208) 398-8713 or Elaine Armstrong, who is in charge of membership, at (208) 365-4031.