Pieces by Peace is the name of the group of women who get together on Fridays at Peace United Church of Christ to make lap quilts.
“We make a lot of quilts,” Susie Rindt said. “We help each other.”
Rindt and Judy Felckowski lead the group. Former church member Bonnie Gleesing started the group in 2009. When she moved away last year, Rindt and Felckowski worked together to coordinate the group’s activities.
“We are all creative and we share it with each other,” Felckowski said. “It’s amazing such a few of us have come up with so many different patterns, colors and ideas.”
They mostly make lap quilts that are given to church members in hospice, nursing homes or ill. They also donate them to fundraisers. Occasionally they make a bigger quilt and baby quilts. Previously the women made quilts to decorate the dining area of the church.
Rindt said they make around 25 quilts — all sewn, not tied — in a year.
“We make a lot of quilts because we meet once a week,” Rindt said. “We really love getting together. It’s a nice social time.”
The seven women in the group meet at 1 p.m. and work until around 3:30 p.m.
The women cut, sew and put the quilts together. There are sewing machines available, but many of the women bring their own.
Material is donated from quilters who have quit sewing; all quilters generally have a stash. The material must be 100 percent cotton. The inside is quilt batting or flannel batting.
Once in a while, the women take a trip to Green Bay or Appleton to shop for fabric. They have a lot of fabric for the tops, which are pieced, but they need fabric for the backs and inside. Rindt said that material is very expensive, but they are set for now.
“We have enough fabric to keep us going for a long time,” Rindt said.
The group gives the women a reason to do more quilting.
“We’ve all done quilting for family and friends,” Rindt said. “It’s an addiction. It gets in your blood.”
All the quilts are labeled Pieces by Peace. The group will have a booth at the second annual Peace Church Peaceful Palettes Art Exhibit on May 9 and May 10.
“We do this for good will,” Rindt said. “We get lovely thank yous from people.”
Any parish member is welcome to join if they know how to sew.
For more information, call the church at 715-526-2916.
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