Mary Hill, Patsy Wagner, George Wagner, and Jan Ochterbeck prepare service project kits.
Jonnie Chandler
The PebbleCreek Quilters’ (PCQ) Community Service Committee plans and organizes a monthly charity workshop to piece and sew needed items for charitable organizations. The committee plans workshops to complete items, such as quilts and fidget mats for Hospice of the Valley, breast cancer pillows for PebbleCreek residents, and zippy strippy bags for children living at the New Life Center to choose as Christmas presents for their mothers. Workshops also are planned for items such as pillowcases, adult bibs, and baby blankets.
Committee members Mary Hill, Hiromi Bashore, Jackie Cameron, Judy Frank, Lynne Hupp, Joanne Kraatz, Nancy Muramoto, Jan Ochterbeck, Carla Peccianti, Donna Thompson, George Wagner, Patsy Wagner, and Maura Weddle plan the workshops to ensure that all fabric scraps are used. To satisfy the goal to “go green,” small scraps are included in dog beds. The dog beds are donated to the PebbleCreek Pet Committee for distribution to local animal shelters.
The committee hosted a sew day on Saturday, March 12. Volunteers met to piece and sew lap-size quilts for the Southwest Family Advocacy Center, a local service agency.
Committee member Jan Ochterbeck designed a pattern, “Quilt for Kids,” for the March workshop. Committee members met prior to the workshop to select and cut fabrics to the pattern’s specifications. They prepared 17 kit packets for the sew day. Each packet included precut fabric for volunteers to sew quilt tops. Each volunteer brought a personal sewing machine and basic sewing materials needed to complete the project.
The number of items donated each year by the PCQ Community Service Committee is significant, but the quality, talent, and workmanship shown in the completed items is most impressive. Committee Chair Mary Hill said it well when she explained the sincerity and dedication of the volunteers: “Many PCQ members have quilted for years, and our families are saturated with quilts. However, we love the art of making quilts and giving to others; therefore, the skill and artistic work continues. Working together to complete needed items is self-satisfying and bonds friendships.”