Quilting for a cause: Sterling sewing group donates quilts to Rock River Hospice & Home

STERLING – The ladies of New Life Lutheran Church’s sewing group know what it means to sew love into every stitch.

The group meets at the church from 9 a.m. to noon every Wednesday to sew, quilt, knit and crochet for fun, fellowship and a good cause. Group member Karen Lofgren said they donate the quilts they make to Rock River Hospice & Home of Sterling, which gives one to each new client.

Rock River Hospice & Home, 2706 Ave. E, provides compassionate home health and hospice care services for individuals with chronic, serious or terminal illnesses. It offers skilled nursing, physical and occupational therapy, palliative care, grief counseling and emotional support for patients and their families.

Lofgren said the sewing group has been donating quilts since Rock River Hospice opened in 2017. The sewing group donates an estimated 120 to 150 large quilts to the hospice home each year and recently presented its 1,000th quilt.

“Many of us grew up sewing with our mothers or grandmothers, and this gives us the opportunity to work together doing something that we already love,” Lofgren said. “The fact that we can do something beneficial for these recipients is so meaningful to us as the producers of these quilts.”

Making the quilts is a team effort, with each one taking about six to eight hours to make. Work begins by cutting 8.5-inch fabric squares, which are then grouped into packs of 10. Once enough squares are gathered, the colors and patterns are coordinated, and the packs are placed into plastic storage bags.

Quilts are constructed by layering the quilt back using larger fabric pieces, a middle layer of batting and the quilt top. The group ties the quilts together, and then the edges are pinned and sewn. Each quilt also includes an embroidered label that reads “Jesus loves you” to provide comfort to the recipient.

The quilts are mainly made using cotton or cotton blends, avoiding heavy fabrics such as denim or less comfortable materials such as polyester knits. Instead, the group favors using soft, warm material such as flannel for quilt backs.

All quilts are made from donated or purchased materials, which the group also uses to make prayer shawls, baby afghans, quilts for infants and other items.

“We’re almost like hoarders in that we use almost every inch of fabric that we have,” Lofgren said. “I like to think that we are well prepared for any inspiration that might come along.”

The church also holds an annual craft show on the last Saturday of October, when the sewing group sells its handmade goods to help purchase more crafting materials.

Materials can be donated by visiting the New Life Lutheran Church at 702 W. Lynn Blvd. in Sterling. For more information, call 815-499-6552.