Quilters call it quits

Union Congregational United Church in Hayes Center is draped with quilts designed by "The Quilters," women who, since the 1940's and again since the 1980's, have gathered at the church for quilting and companionship. [Click to enlarge]

HAYES CENTER -- A special sermon Sunday, Sept. 7, at Union Congregational United Church of Christ in Hayes Center honored a group of women who, after stitching quilts since the 19040's, has knotted its last knots, clipped its last threads and put away its sewing boxes.

The front of the church was decorated with some of the 275-plus quilts that the women, known as "The Quilters," created over the years.

Pastor Fay Ann Blaylock titled her sermon "Divine Stitches," based on Psalm 139 and Isaiah 6:1-8. Lillian Fielding, a member of the church wrote, "Her message recalled in part that God shapes our creation which, through our lives, resembles a quilt. Stitched in the fabric of our lives are blessings and riches that are often hemmed a bit, However, the fine stitches of God's love have held it all together to the summation of our lives today. "

Lillian's history of the quilting group indicates that the women originally met every Thursday, in the Sunday School room, to quilt. That group included Sophia May, Verley Garrett, Martha Schuman, Sarah Roe, Ella Barker, Freda Leffler, Wilma Scott, Lydia Greeley and Jennie Lawson, with Florence Counce threading needles.

A revival of the quilting craft saw a new group of women meeting every Monday starting in the early 1980's. Lillian wrote, "These ladies spent the day stretching, marking, and pinning these estimated quilted 275-plus beautiful creations. This was a gift of love to the community, as they gave of their time and donated thousands of dollars to not only the church but to many benefits. These ladies were Lois May, Zelpha Scott, Zalia Nitsch, Frieda Romersheuser, Lena Mihm, Sylvia Rucker, Jean Miller, Doris Vlasin, Myrna Clifford, Claire Lorimer, Doris Reiners, Naomi Nelson, Deb Cox, Denyse Scott and Fay Ann Blaylock.

Lillian wrote: "Many of these ladies have recalled the closeness of their group, as they shared their family news and happenings of the community -- whether joys or sorrows -- as they stitched."

The Rev. Fay Ann Blaylock joined the quilting during the group's revival period, and in honor of her fellow quilters, wrote a tribute that she read during her sermon Sunday. It begins ...

They taught me 'bout the hardest part, the laying out the guide,

of drawing shapes and scallops, the design a point of pride.

Then setting up the quilt frame and pinning it all down,

laying straight the lining, the backing, and the crown

of someone's labor, a thousand pieces sewn as one.

Colors, shapes, and patterns, vibrant flowers, bursting sun.

Then on each side, they take their place and quickly get right to it.

I'd look across that vast bright sea and wonder how they'd do it.

Their needles flew, thread disappeared from spools from fat to thin,

Notes were kept of measured yards and carefully kept within

the pages of the calendar that hung upon the wall.

I marveled at their stamina, and wondered about all

the quilts they'd put together, the folks now comforted

with the warmth of every quilt that lay upon their bed.

The women have decided to retire from their weekly quilting sessions. Fay Ann writes ...

Today we make this tribute to all these quilting warriors.

We thank you and we love you and we miss your weekly memoirs

of days gone past and days now here; and in the days still coming

we hope you'll always recognize your special way of loving

this church community will not quickly be forgotten.

And Fay Ann ends ...

And God, our knowing God, from whom we cannot hide,

sat high upon a lofty throne, a wonder, I confide,

I cannot even picture in my simple human brain

but that robe that filled the temple, I can not refrain

from thinking: Was it purple, laced with gold? Or deeply red or blue?

Was it sequined, satin, tapestry, velvet, slightly glued

with rickrack, or piping or lovely gold brocade?

Whatever fabric it could be, from what was that robe made?

It doesn't matter really, since it makes my rhymes quite stilted,

but I almost bet you money that the robe was surely quilted.

Amen.