Carol Aksland is among the Manteca Quilters that created this year’s “Zinnia Bouquet” quilt that is up for grabs at this year’s 40th annual Manteca Quilt and Cloth Doll Show.
It takes place Saturday, April 21, and Sunday, April 22, in the San Joaquin County Office of Education Wentworth Building on Arch Road adjacent to the Stockton Metropolitan Airport. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  on April 21 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 22.
Proceeds from the quilt raffle provides help for a number of organizations in the Manteca area including Hospice, the San Joaquin County Dialysis Unit in Stockton, the county NICU unit for the county’s premature births and their moms, Manteca Unified School District Health Services, the Veterans Hospital in Livermore, and Haven of Peace Women’s Shelter.
Aksland, grew up in Manteca since the third grade attending the old rural Castle Elementary School where her dad Alfred Autler was a member of the school board.
It was in those early days of her childhood that she watched her mom Jessie and her grandmother sew dresses for the girls in the family. They were never involved in making quilts like Carol does today.
Askland joined the Manteca Quilters in 1990 and learned from others the quilt-making trade and artistry. She’s given some 40 or more of her creations away over the last 30 years as gifts. She just completed a very detailed quilt that took her a year and a half to finish in her home.
She has recently been focusing on scarves and table runners that make welcome gifts for her friends along with aprons and tea party quilts.
In her more detailed quilts, she creates the block designs separately with back stitching done in the comfort of her home easy chair and away from the main quilt. She later sews the blocks delicately into place. She said that makes it all much easier because she can sit alone in her living room and work on the separate pieces. 
She still meets regularly with the member of the Manteca Quilters who work together in the First Baptist Church Social Hall on a regular basis.
For more information about the show go to MantecaQuilters.com

To contact Glenn Kahl, email gkahl@mantecabulletin.com.