In a room in a church in a small town, a group of women have been coming together for more than 10 years to make quilts.
This month, Granny's Quilts of Love celebrated a milestone -- more than 17,000 quilts have been made in that time and delivered to children in need of comfort at Arkansas Children's Hospital.
It's a tearjerker, member Alice Crabtree warned, and passed over a note from a social worker at the hospital. In it, the social worker thanked the group for their efforts, their time, their compassion and told the story of a child who received one of the group's quilts.
Lime green and pink were the child's favorite colors. When a quilt with those colors was found, a smile spread across the face of this dying child. A day after being given the quilt, the child went home. Three days after that, she died with her family by her side, in her own bed with the quilt next to her. She had become so attached to this item in the short time that the family intended to bury the quilt with their daughter.
The quilts are a collaborative effort by the Pea Ridge and Bella Vista groups. Each year, money is raised during the group's annual auction, held in August at Pea Ridge High School. The money funds materials, right down to the thread, for the upcoming year's projects.
Members aren't required to purchase a thing, founder Mary Margaret Webb said.
Some ladies pick out material, some sew, some stuff pillows with left over fabric pieces. Some deliver the quilts, some do publicity. Nothing is wasted and everyone's contribution is different and equally important.
All the fabric is purchased in Batesville, Webb said. The front and backs of each quilt are cut and put together.
At the monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. on the third Tuesday of each month, the Pea Ridge group meets at Mt. Vernon Presbyterian Church in Pea Ridge. While one woman lays out a section of batting across the table, another unfolds the pre-cut fabric from a tote box. They are placed together, and another member cuts the batting to fit. Another member then removes the "kit" and puts it aside.
Ten kits go in a bag, and the kits are then taken home by members who sew, to be stitched together over the next month. Extra fabric is used for pillows.
The Friendly Stitchers/Granny's of Bella Vista is the Bella Vista division of Granny's. Twelve members meet twice a month -- at 9 a.m. on the second and fourth Thursday at Bella Vista Lutheran Church -- and typically work on tying the quilts -- securing the front fabric to the back side, which has been quilted. When their quilts are finished, they are taken to Pea Ridge to be delivered with the others.
The Bella Vista grannies like to use thicker batting on the quilts, member Elda Wenzel said.
"These go through a lot of washing. We want to make sure they are durable," Bella Vista and Pea Ridge member Frances Cameron said while tying a quilt.
When someone -- anyone -- is making a trip to Little Rock, quilts are loaded up to be delivered. Pea Ridge's Mayor Jackie Crabtree, who is president of the Arkansas Municipal League, makes frequent trips to Little Rock, and his car is often loaded with quilts.
The group has never paid a penny for shipping on any of its quilts, Alice Crabtree said. At least 100 quilts are delivered each time.
The group is always looking for new members, and will take whatever time commitment a new Granny's member has to offer. Webb encourages those interested to attend a meeting and see how the process works.
"We'll take anything they've got to give," she said.
For more information on the group, contact Webb in Pea Ridge at 451-8640 or Wenzel in Bella Vista at 855-6903.
The best part is the food, Alice Crabtree said, as the ladies have lunch together afterward.
"We gossip and eat and all that stuff here. We're just a wild bunch. We think we're the best, naturally," Wenzel said with a laugh.
Community on 02/05/2014