Pictured are stacks of completed quilts created by the Bethel Quilters for people in need.
Share House staff members haul away quilts made by the Bethel Quilters.
At the Bethel Lutheran Church in Brush Prairie, there is a handful of women who are constantly putting the warmth of their hearts into the production of blankets to be used by others in need. They’re known as the Bethel Quilters, and each year they produce hundreds of quilts.
Bethel Quilters consist of two groups — The Share House Quilters and the Mission Quilters. The first group meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 8 a.m. at the church. As their name indicates, the quilts made by the group go to Clark County’s Share House. Usually the Share House Quilters complete around 300 quilts for the local shelter, but have in some years made as many as 400.
Bethel’s Mission Quilters meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 9 a.m. at the church. Their primary purpose is to make quilts for Lutheran World Relief, a national organization that focuses on disaster recovery. Some quilts from the Mission group also go to Bethel high school graduates and recently baptized members of the church.
“I have no doubt that many of the quilts we made from this year went to Houston and Florida recently,” said Marlyne Olson, leader of the Mission Quilters.
Olson said her Mission group isn’t able to make quilts at as high of a volume as their sister group, but nonetheless typically completes 100-125 per year.
Both Bethel Quilters groups begin making blankets each year in September. They take a break during December and end their production in May to relax for a couple months before their “quilting season” begins again. Although the Mission group has their quilts sent away in May, the Share House Quilters hand off their work to Share House staff members during a special potluck dinner every year just before getting started on the new year’s batch. This year’s potluck was held Aug. 16 and 235 quilts were transferred.
“We weren't able to make as many this year,” said Nancy Fuerstenberg, leader of the Share House group. “I think we’re all just getting older and slowing down a little bit.”
Fuerstenberg said the two groups have around 10 women each, all of whom are retired. According to Olson, most of the women are members of the church, but not all.
“It’s not a requirement to go to the church,” Olson said. “It’s just wanting to contribute to a worthwhile cause.”
Both groups began making this year’s stash of quilts last week. To avoid a dip in production again this year, Fuerstenberg said she’s hoping the group can snag a few new — and specifically younger — participants.
“Our meetings consist of three stations,” said Fuerstenberg. “The first one is framing the blanket, then it goes to a table where it gets ready for the sewers, then the sewers put it together.”
Fuerstenberg said meetings last a few hours (Share House Quilters typically work 8 a.m. to noon) but there is a coffee break in the middle.
“Throughout the meetings we do a lot of socializing,” Fuerstenberg said. “Each quilt is different but usually one takes around a half hour to make.”
According to Fuerstenberg and Olson, joining one of the groups doesn’t require any prior knowledge of how to quilt. They also said joining a group isn’t the only way to contribute to what they're doing.
“We take donations of fabric, sheets and blankets and other related materials to make the quilts,” said Olson. “Any donation is very appreciated by us.”
