There's no doubt that it's popular, and it seems to be getting more so, judging by the notices we get about events around town.

I jog and play softball for entertainment, so I was mildly curious about the popularity of an activity so sedate. When two quilting bees requested publicity for a project they are working on, I saw the opportunity to get some answers.

I got the lowdown from the Queen Bee, Debbie Lou Powell.

(A quilting bee is a group of quilters who get together to quilt. I didn't ask why they call it a bee, but it sure makes for a colorful title for Powell, who leads a bee from Henderson called Miss Lou's Beehive.)

First of all, Powell confirmed my suspicions. "Quilting is the rage," she said.

Powell began teaching quilting full-time three years ago. She has classes from Wake Forest to Henderson.

It's mostly women, but she has had men, too. And she has had students as young as 16.

She turned her antique shop in Henderson into a quilting studio, and doesn't regret it. "I have been so busy I don't even have time to eat," she said.

OK, so why is sitting around and sewing so popular?

"Our nation as a whole has progressed so much and we are in such a hurry that we don't get together anymore," Powell said, evidently having answered the question before. "...It's not just about making the quilts; it's about socializing. It's about knowing each other."

Supporting that theory is Barbara Bockiaro, member of the Quilt Shop Crazies, a quilting bee from Wake Forest. Bockiaro, a retired secretary who moved here from Connecticut, took a class from Powell a year ago and has remained friends with others from the class.

"We depend on each other," she said. "A couple of husbands have had surgeries and everyone's there for you. They bring you dinners."

Both Powell and Bockiaro also say making quilts is about leaving a legacy for children and grandchildren.

And for these women, it's also about helping others: The two bees are making 100 quilts to donate to a nursing facility, Britthaven of Henderson. Rooms for the facility's elderly residents look alike, and the quilts will give each room a little individuality, Powell explained.