Janet Fraser Rosano of Carle Place and Anne Albano of Westbury first met in 1984 during a performance of Camelot produced by Hofstra University's Gray Wig Alumni Repertory Theater. Little did they know that that performance was just the beginning of what has become a beautiful friendship spanning the past 25 years and resulting in a "fabric" tale.

With the fate of Hofstra's 33-year-old nonprofit theater company unclear, Rosano and Albano set out to keep the memory of Gray Wig alive.

Their joint mission resulted in the creation of a T-shirt quilt showcasing mementos of past shows, an idea proposed by Albano after registering in a quilting class.

Rosano, who is president of the alumni group, collected each T-shirt from shows in which she performed or was instrumental in producing and converted the garments in a way that would reflect the memories shared. In total, the woman converted 30 T-shirts into 77"X92" squares into a quilt backed with excess muslin from scenery construction from Gray Wig's rendition of She Loves Me and, in September, the cast of Oklahoma signed the label sewn on the back of the quilt.

For Albano and Rosano the quilt is a tale of friendship, volunteering, theater, relationships, community involvement, hardships and good times - a true representation of a fabric of their lives.

Anyone interested in viewing the quilt can do so at the Long Island Quilters' Society's biennial extravaganza "It's a Jungle Out There" on Saturday, April 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Freeport Recreation Center. The show, which is sponsored by Sew Right Sewing Machines of Bayside, will feature more than 300 traditional and art quilts created by regional quilters. The event will also feature vendors, quilting demonstrations and Hoffman Challenge quilts on display. Additionally, a fashion show featuring Hoffman Challenge wearables and locally made quilted garments will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $8 per person. For more information, call 295-1628, email info@liqs.org or visit www.liqs.org.

Following this weekend's show, the quilt will hang in Rosano's Carle Place home as a reminder of the students and theater people she worked with over the years. "The quilt is a great souvenir of the theater family I helped build and will be a wonderful gift to my daughter AnnMarie who got her acting 'bug' while performing at Carle Place High School," Rosano said. "My daughter looks at the quilt and says 'I remember when you were in that show! I grew up with Gray Wig'."

As for the disposition of Gray Wig, a decision based on various proposals submitted by the theater group has yet to be made.