About a dozen members of Trinity Lutheran Church take a Wednesday evening break from a busy week not to attend a church service, but to make quilts. Along with plenty of conversation, they make upwards of 60 quilts over the nine months they meet.
The Piecemakers of Trinity Lutheran Church recently donated 10 toddler-size quilts to the Greene County Christian Action Resource Center. Some will go home from the ARC with families, while others will be sent along to New Opportunities for distribution there.
The Piecemakers formed about 10 years ago with a dozen or so members. The women’s larger project is the 60 large 60 X 80-inch quilts they make each year for Lutheran World Relief. The Piecemakers also make one or two quilts for Camp Okoboji’s quilt auction.
The fabric is all donated. The quilters and other church members are always on the look-out for fabric, whether they’re at a garage sale or cleaning out Grandma’s closet. Some fabric comes via “church mice,” according to Sarah Erickson.
The backs of most of the quilts are sheets donated by a Des Moines hotel and dyed by Pat Benitz. Another sheet is used in the middle rather than batting. As the quilters explained, that’s enough warmth since most of the quilts are shipped overseas to warmer climates.
Pictured are (from left) Taylor Gierstorf, Pat Benitz, Sarah Erickson, Shirley Griffin, Connie Carstens, Bobbie Miller, Shelly Berger and Dianne Blackmer.
