Thank you, Plymouth, for providing a place for this delightful group of people to gather, laugh, and play with fabric and make quilts. Several quilters take materials home to work on while, for example, babysitting. For meeting information visit the Plymouth Church calendar.

Equipment is 10 functional sewing machines, two walls of stacked fabric, two boxes of yarn (to tie the quilts), notions, two rolls of batting, two ironing boards, and two irons. Des Moines Sewing Machine Company tuned up all the machines. Financing that was a Plymouth Foundation competitive grant— thank you! We are in good shape with equipment.

Space-wise, we are looking forward to having the music library functional so the large music storage racks will depart. With an average of eight people in 318, space is at a premium. It is a blessing to have three sets of eight-foot tables to spread out quilt tops, batting, and backs to assemble quilts, critique design, and tie. We can leave the projects—just lock the door and leave—rather than having to put everything away every session.

Since February 2019, we have donated 68 quilts. Habitat for Humanity received 25 (two double, two queen, remainder twin), 20 twin went to Central Iowa Shelter and Services, and 20 twin went to Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Three went to a cleric requesting furnishings for a single mom. There are 12 baby quilts ready for Salvation Army and 12 twins for Sleep in Heavenly Peace that are waiting to be picked up. Twelve quilt tops are waiting to be sandwiched (back, batting, top). Quilts are available to anyone who needs one. “Need” can be by parishioner or clergy request, or request from community organization. We have pledged a queen, two twins, and four baby sacks to Family Promise for January 2020.

Expenses are minimal except for the batting. Amazon Prime and JoAnn Fabric are the most cost-effective places to order it. Batting comes in rolls 60 inches long and 24 inches in diameter, so moving and storing are cumbersome.

Needs: People! All ages, states of expertise, and genders welcome! We’d be delighted to work with youth who are interested in design and fabric. We are flexible, non-judgmental, patient, and we laugh a lot. A second need was mentioned above: moving the music to the music library. A third is the ongoing funding for supplies, especially batting. Since we use four machines/session, we will not cycle through all machines for some time. They should not need retuning for 12-18 months. Fourth, we need folks to assemble the packets in the basket by the Visitors’ Center. Quilting is a fine indoor sport, a healthy alternative to snacking, and ends up with some vibrant creations to donate. If you can sew a straight line or you’d like to learn to do it, please consider joining us. Mary Riche took a lovely photograph of the quilt blessing in August 2019. Thank you for recognizing us at all three services. If you have any questions, call Mary Stuart or Linda Railsback at 515.255.7818.