Lutheran World Relief Quilters

Purpose

To serve Lutheran World Relief by making quilts and collecting kits to help others. Lutheran World Relief’s mission is: Affirming God’s love for all people, we work with Lutheran and partners around the world to end poverty, injustice and human suffering. Find out more about LWR, Quilts Around the World, school, health, sewing and layette kits see the website.

History of the Group by Ethel Davidson

In 1971 I joined the ladies who made lap robes and bids under the charge of Anna Tretsven. Friendship Manor was the assigned facility of St. Mark’s and we made tray favors and lap robes for the Manor’s patients for 10 years.

Most of the fabrics the Quilters used were bought from Goodwill. In the beginning a cupboard was built for our use in the south end of the nursery.  Then we moved to Jacobson Hall, to the Choir Room, then back to the Nursery.   Eventually we occupied half of the Youth Center.  Here, Fran Visconti made a nice big cupboard to store our supplies.  We made drapes for the room to make it look more homey.  In time they were later replaced with vertical blinds.  Clarence Bolt installed a ceiling fan which added comfort while quilting during warm days.  We repaired chairs and couches to keep the Youth Room looking nice.

In 1980 Leroy Larson from “Lord’s Bus Ministry” began bringing fabric to the quilting ladies and consequently the “Quilters” group was formed and 23 quilts went to the Rosebank Orphanage in Tijuana.  At that time the quilt tops were pressed and cut at church then sewn at home.  In 1982 twenty-seven quilts went to Lutheran World Relief.  South County Cluster shipped 159 quilts that year.

The Lord’s Bus Ministry quit bringing fabric samples in 1995.  Showing the quilts to the congregation resulted in donations of fabrics and sewing machines.  The South Bay Ecumenical Council saw our quilts and donated many bags of fabric for our use.  In turn, a lot of the fabric was distributed to the Rachel Center, Seek and Find Thrift Shop, Crafters, Knit Pickers, and other quilt groups.

Although we enjoyed working in the Youth Center, we soon outgrew it with all our boxes of fabrics and finished quilts.  We were blessed with our own quilt room in 1997 through John Merz’s five-year-plan.  The quilt room is also used by Mary Magdalene Circle and the Crafters.

We have raised funds for batting and received generous grants from Lutheran Brotherhood and AAL. Ethel Carey made tote bags and a few quilts which were sold. Several people have donated money and material to the mission of quilts.  We wrote a cookbook to raise funds to purchase batting.  We display the quilts we have made during the year around Lutheran World Relief Sunday in the fall before shipping them.  In 1998 we shipped 201 quilts.  Every year the Sunday School children color or draw pictures on quilt blocks that are made into a quilt and sold at the annual bazaar.