Sharing the gift of warmth with the world
Alice's dream for quilting at Central caught on — eventually big time!
May 8, 2011
In the early days of the current incarnation of the quilting ministry—around 1990—Alice Lucke and her small band of quilters would get excited if they finished ten or twenty quilts a year. Well, times have changed. So have the number of people involved and the method in which the quilts are made. And the numbers have increased. On Sunday, May 8, Central honored and blessed the work of Central’s Quilters, who have produced a record 200 quilts since they began sewing and tying last September—up from a record 155 quilts last year!
On Monday, May 9 the quilts were donated to Lutheran World Relief for distribution around the world, as has been the practice in recent years.
Two hundred quilts were placed throughout the sanctuary on May 8—all created during the past year by Central's Lutheran World Relief Quilters.
Alice, who is officially retiring from the quilting ministry, says the current effort got its start in 1990 when she, then a member of Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Plymouth, participated in a sewing class offered by Lorraine Lindahl for the “55 Plus Group” at Central. About the same time the old Martha Mission Society disbanded and left $300 to Central Lutheran Church Women (CLCW). Alice convinced the CLCW Board to earmark those funds for the purchase of fabric for making quilts. Soon after, Alice joined Central and organized a small group of quilters who set to work in Room 123 and it all began.
Alice said that sometimes she worked alone in those early years, joined on occasion by what she termed “a faithful group” that included Doris Berg, Myrtle Vangnes, Myrt Kettner, and Edith Xavier. Also on occasion, Alice said that staff member Karen Knox would send a new volunteer her way. Then, said Alice, “came Hurricane Katrina and “angels” in the persons of Joyce Bliss and Carol Henderson, and things really took off! Many quilts were made and sent as part of relief efforts in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.
Alice Lucke, who started the current quilting ministry in 1990, sits in church on Sunday, May 8, wrapped in one of the 200 quilts spread out throughout the sanctuary.
Soon after, the group did something that revolutionized the quilt making process and allowed the huge number of quilts that are produced today. They invented “the quilt top packet”—pre-cut fabric squares, a pattern, thread and instructions for making a quilt top at home. It caught on! Today most of the quilt tops are made at home by members of the congregation, such as Pat Forse, who made 39 this year! The finished tops eventually make their way to Room 123 where the quilters quickly assemble batting and backing—a finished quilt.
Thank you, Alice, for your dream of sharing Christ’s love in this very tangible way. And thank you all Central quilters for carrying on Alice’s legacy! Is “300” a reasonable goal for next year??!!
Alice's dream for quilting at Central caught on — eventually big time!
May 8, 2011
In the early days of the current incarnation of the quilting ministry—around 1990—Alice Lucke and her small band of quilters would get excited if they finished ten or twenty quilts a year. Well, times have changed. So have the number of people involved and the method in which the quilts are made. And the numbers have increased. On Sunday, May 8, Central honored and blessed the work of Central’s Quilters, who have produced a record 200 quilts since they began sewing and tying last September—up from a record 155 quilts last year!
On Monday, May 9 the quilts were donated to Lutheran World Relief for distribution around the world, as has been the practice in recent years.
Two hundred quilts were placed throughout the sanctuary on May 8—all created during the past year by Central's Lutheran World Relief Quilters.
Alice, who is officially retiring from the quilting ministry, says the current effort got its start in 1990 when she, then a member of Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Plymouth, participated in a sewing class offered by Lorraine Lindahl for the “55 Plus Group” at Central. About the same time the old Martha Mission Society disbanded and left $300 to Central Lutheran Church Women (CLCW). Alice convinced the CLCW Board to earmark those funds for the purchase of fabric for making quilts. Soon after, Alice joined Central and organized a small group of quilters who set to work in Room 123 and it all began.
Alice said that sometimes she worked alone in those early years, joined on occasion by what she termed “a faithful group” that included Doris Berg, Myrtle Vangnes, Myrt Kettner, and Edith Xavier. Also on occasion, Alice said that staff member Karen Knox would send a new volunteer her way. Then, said Alice, “came Hurricane Katrina and “angels” in the persons of Joyce Bliss and Carol Henderson, and things really took off! Many quilts were made and sent as part of relief efforts in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.
Alice Lucke, who started the current quilting ministry in 1990, sits in church on Sunday, May 8, wrapped in one of the 200 quilts spread out throughout the sanctuary.
Soon after, the group did something that revolutionized the quilt making process and allowed the huge number of quilts that are produced today. They invented “the quilt top packet”—pre-cut fabric squares, a pattern, thread and instructions for making a quilt top at home. It caught on! Today most of the quilt tops are made at home by members of the congregation, such as Pat Forse, who made 39 this year! The finished tops eventually make their way to Room 123 where the quilters quickly assemble batting and backing—a finished quilt.
Thank you, Alice, for your dream of sharing Christ’s love in this very tangible way. And thank you all Central quilters for carrying on Alice’s legacy! Is “300” a reasonable goal for next year??!!
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