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Oleson’s quilt draws fans, from Twitter up to Clinton
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · July 30, 2015


Clara Oleson said her quilt project to support Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton taught her a stark contrast between reality and virtual reality.


Ever since she told Clinton campaign staffers and drummed up local help with quilting sessions at Town Hall, excitement built up and Hillary For Iowa organizer Sarah Andrews on May 19 created the Twitter tag #HillaryQuiltProject.

Both supporters and critics picked up on the tag and news organizations, including the West Branch Times, visited Oleson and her crew to follow the progress. The quilt even made CNN. And, yes, Clinton’s official Twitter feed tweeted about it as well.

With the quilt finished, Oleson and fellow Clinton supporter Linda Carillo, also of West Branch, drove it up to Cedar Rapids on July 17 to meet “Madam Secretary.”

But Oleson did not yet understand the kind of attention her quilt would draw to the 73-year-old retired lawyer from the Springdale area.

“About 200 to 300 people raced up to me,” she said of when she entered the hall where Clinton would appear. They recognized her from the publicity in news and social media. “Is this the way a rock star feels?”

The topper, though, came when she finally got her turn with the former First Lady.

“The quilt lady!” Clinton proclaimed when Oleson recalls the encounter.

Oleson said she uses e-mail and Facebook, but not Twitter, and is aware of their functionality and uses.

“But I wasn’t aware of the power of it,” she said.

Clinton, currently the frontrunner in the relatively young race, posed for a picture and then signed the quilt, “Thanks so much! Hillary Rodham Clinton.”

Her large signature across the middle stands out among many other signatures. Oleson and other quilters signed a strip of cloth that was sewed onto the backing, while supporters signed the top of the quilt prior to the presentation.

Oleson said one campaign staffer declared “That has to be at corporate headquarters,” but Oleson wants it to travel around to campaign stops first, in hopes it draws more supporters.