Hours they spend quilting give warmth to others

The members of the Tuesday Thimbles are masters of multitasking. They chatter back and forth about grandchildren, recipes and a holiday lunch while continuously stitching together what will become quilts.

The group of 15 members has been gathering for four hours every Tuesday for 12 years. Some quilts they keep, but most are donated to the Spokane Valley Community Center, the Union Gospel Mission and other organizations. They also make hats, scarves, pillow cases and Christmas stockings.

For these women it’s about the joy of quilting, not keeping the end result in their own closet. “You start out knowing it’s for someone else,” said Evelyn Lewis.

Often they never find out where their quilts end up or with whom. But one year, quilter Faye Krenkel attached her name to a quilt she donated to the Valley Center. “Two years later this lady from Moses Lake called me up to thank me,” Krenkel said. The woman had married and moved to Moses Lake after receiving the quilt. “This woman is now trying to learn to quilt.”

The women said it isn’t hard to learn. Though most of them have a background in sewing, it isn’t necessary. “It’s a progressive thing,” Krenkel said. “You start off small.”

“I teach a lot of beginners,” said Judy Egbert. “It’s not hard. You just have to have an interest.”

Egbert can trace her interest in the craft to when she was a child.

“I designed my first quilt when I was 10,” she said. “I made it out of construction paper and glued it on cardboard.”

Sandra Roseborough attends the weekly gatherings, but she doesn’t quilt. She knits sweaters for herself and her grandchildren. “I like to do easy things,” she said with a laugh. “I love to knit.” It’s the companionship that draws her to the group. “We come and we sit and we sew and we talk.”

The women take donations to pay for the materials that make up their quilts and other donated projects. For the last two years most of their money has come from Thrivent, a Lutheran financial institution.

Quilting can be time consuming. There are numerous quilting groups in the area, as well as quilting bees and quilting retreats. Krenkel has been to several retreats over the years. She said they’re frequently held in rural areas with no distractions. “Whenever you get there you set up your sewing machine and only stop to eat,” she said. “If you need to sleep, you sleep.”

There are even quilting cruises to the Caribbean. “You can do as much or as little as you want to,” said Jan Westerman. “This is the one thing all week I do for me. I try not to miss it.”

Joan Nelson, who has been quilting for 12 years, agrees. “It’s a nice group to belong to.”