Quilters, from left to right, LaVon Anderson, Mary Elizabeth Garrison and Jeannine Price display their current project, a Texas Trellis quilt that was started on Jan. 19. (Photo by Don Price)

Mary Elizabeth Garrison, LaVonne Anderson and Jeannine Price have a unique friendship. They meet together every Tuesday morning and spend the biggest part of the day sewing quilts in Room 207 in the Church of the Brethren in Mount Morris. There is a sign on the door that reads “Happiness is patching together life’s pieces.” Inside the room is a shelving system that holds quilting supplies, a table that supports the all-important coffee pot, a quilting frame holding the current quilting project and chairs. Most importantly though is the warmth, a strong bond and the love of friends that radiates from the room. It is a very good place.

There has been a group of quilters meeting at the Church of the Brethren since before the mid-1940’s. Originally there was a Tuesday group that sewed quilts and a Thursday group that tied quilts. Only the Tuesday group has survived. According to LaVonne Anderson there is no telling how many quilts the group has completed. There are just too many to count. “We used to have a much larger group of ladies that would meet on Tuesdays to quilt. Sometimes as many as 10 or 12 would sit together and quilt but as people moved on or died the group has become smaller,” states Anderson. “It is not unusual for a new member not to know how to quilt. All that is needed is a desire to quilt. We can teach the rest,” she continues. “It seems that people just don’t have the time to dedicate to quilting as they did in the past.” she adds. You do not have to be a member of the church, or any church, to join the group. All that is required is the desire to quilt. Jeannine Price joined the group in 1995 and began to participate when she would drive her mother, Marjorie Drexler, to the weekly gathering. Mary Elizabeth Garrison began in 1976. LaVonne Anderson has been a member of the group since 1982.

As I sit and watch the ladies hard at work, suddenly they begin to sing “Happy Birthday” as Ruth Avey enters the room. She is an unoffical member of the group that they refer to as the “Inspector General”. Ruth Avey does not have the same passion for quilting as the others do but she drops by every week to check on progress, chat and add some charm to the circle of friends. She has been known to detect a missed stitch and offer her valued opinion from time to time. Because it is her birthday, she is teased and wished well.

The conversations in this room are delightful, sometimes serious and most often times light hearted. Anderson states, “We love visitors.” Because it is an election day, Ruth Avey reminds everybody to “vote early and vote often” just like in Chicago. As she laughs she tells the group that the weatherman has predicted “a light dusting of freezing rain”. Everybody laughs. Mary Elizabeth Garrison begins to tell about her experiences with the computer and begins to joke about getting her income taxes ready. As the conversation begins to get more serious, she states “I don’t get irritated with people. I get irritated with things.” That’s good advice for this day and age. Another story about earrings by Ruth Avery brings laughter back to the room as they continue to work on the quilt. Jeannine Price adds “If it thunders when it is snowing you will get two inches or more.” Just sitting here listening to these women talk is an event all of it’s own.

The current quilting project is called a Texas Trellis and it was started on January 19th. There is a waiting list for other projects and a small fee for completing the quilts is charged. Monies collected from quilting projects is donated to the church’s Women’s Ministry. There is a small base fee and a fee for the amount of thread that is used in the quilt. Considering the fact that there is normally between 8 to 12 stitches per inch in each quilt that is quite a bargain. The designs used in the stitching are both eleborate and beautiful. Each finished quilt is truly a work of art and will become a family heirloom.

What is the future of this small group of women? Who can say but for now, if you visit them on any given Tuesday, I can promise you the time of your life. It will truly be time well-spent.