by Carol Kehlmeier

No one knows exactly when the first sewing circle met at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Westerville, Ohio, but Aziel Shockley, 95, remembers that her mother and grandmother were members of the group. "Then, it was called the Ladies’ Aid Society,"

Shockley said. "And my grandmother was known for making perfect hand-sewn buttonholes." Shockley, who is part of the sewing group today, has witnessed many changes — from hand–sewn buttonholes to computerized sewing machines. She’s also seen differences in items sewn for Lutheran World Relief (LWR), an organization that, in its 60-year history, has provided more than 21 million quilts for people in need.

What hasn’t changed, however, are the close friendships formed during the sewing group’s time together and the women’s desire to help the less fortunate. Between six and a dozen women gather in their church’s fellowship hall Wednesday mornings to cut squares, design, and stitch quilts with fabric donated by the congregation. Though the women know that the quilts may be dragged through the mud in some faraway place, they make them beautiful and sturdy.

In the past, when most of the parish was farmland, the women met to sew layettes to give to poor mothers in foreign lands. When layettes were no longer requested, they sewed dresses for the women of New Guinea. Their time together was also spent exchanging news from around the countryside. Today the land near the white frame church has fewer farms and more subdivisions. Just as it was for farm wives then, there are many demands on women today, but a few have chosen to continue the tradition of the sewing circle.

Until recently, church members have referred to the group as the stewardship ladies, the quilting ladies, or the women who sew on Wednesday mornings. The group had no official name until they adopted "Piece and Sew." They say the name refers to piecing and sewing together fabric, and also it suggests the lasting friendships sewn together over the years.

Their friendships don’t stop at the church door. "There was a time when we brought our children and they played while we worked," said Faye Ayers, a 43–year member of the group. "Later we might go shopping together." Potlucks also have been a part of the group’s tradition, she said. "If no potluck is planned, we might go out to lunch."

Mary Virginia McLeod has attended since the 1950s. "I remember sewing layettes and then dresses for women in New Guinea. When that need stopped, we began making quilts." The quilts, each different in design, are not kept by the designers, and they’re not for sale. In 2004, the women donated more than 100 quilts, including 54 to LWR and 23 to flood victims in southeast Ohio. Others went to local charities and to babies born in the congregation.

June Roush, chairwoman and a 31–year member, said the group also sews lap robes and neck pillows and sends them to Lutheran Village of Columbus, an assisted living home. The unified goal of the women as they meet is to create warm quilts to send to God’s people of all races, religions, and ethnic backgrounds.

In 2002, Ayers and Elaine Jebsen, a five–year member, created a quilt to celebrate the 150th anniversary of St. Paul Church. Digitized photos of scenes around the church were transferred onto fabric, then sewn together to create a beautiful anniversary quilt. People who participated in the celebration were asked to sign the back of the quilt. It hangs in the narthex of the church for all to remember the past and look to the future.

The Ladies’ Aid Society that began with hand–sewn buttonholes has evolved, but the love of Christ remains at the center of their work. These friends share their talent, their Christian faith, and their desire to warm God’s people around the corner or around the world with their fabric of love.

Carol Kehlmeier is a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Westerville, Ohio. Her work has appeared in The Lutheran, Celebrate Life, and Signs of the Times.