Patters of help-- Quilters pool talents to provide for those in need

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Piece by piece, they are helping people heal.

They do it for the fellowship, they do it for the sense of giving back.

In churches up and down the Yakima Valley, women come together to make quilts -- not for themselves, but to donate to the less fortunate. It's a venture celebrated by young and old, in churches across denominations.

At Unity Spiritual Life Center on Eighth Avenue in Yakima, several women gathered for the first time in February to launch their quilt project. They committed to meeting monthly to make double- and twin-size quilts. The finished products will go to Yakima's Red Roof Pantry, a program that helps the homeless and those in transitional housing.

"Part of the impetus for this is we all sew and have lots of fabric that we're not doing anything with," explained Lucinda Cervantes, organizer of the Unity center project.

The idea was to bring sewing machines and pre-cut squares of material to the church and work together on assembling tops for the first quilts, explained Lugene Hudzinski, another Unity quilter, who has been sewing for 50 of her 61 years.

"We do like doing things together," said Cervantes, 58.

"It's a good thing to do for someone who needs it," added Connie Hoyt from Unity, who has been quilting for 30 years.

The Rev. Cheryl Rohret of Unity is impressed with the women's intent and diligence.

"It's pretty cool; they got the idea and went with it."

And that fits into the church's philosophy of reaching out to others, Rohret said.

"If you believe in oneness, and we do at Unity, oneness means that you care about everyone."

At Naches Presbyterian Church, about eight women have been meeting once a month for the last seven years to spend most of a day quilting as part of a mission project.

Last year they donated a total of 30 quilts to three different programs: to needy families in the Naches area for Christmas, to the Union Gospel Mission and to Stanton Academy, the Yakima alternative high school that has a nursery for babies of teenage mothers.

"Everything we make is donated; we're pretty busy," Mavis McDowell said.

Union Gospel Mission officials are grateful whenever they receive quilts and blankets, said Cindy Stone, who co-directs the mission's family shelter with her husband, Dan. The 15 quilts donated by the Naches Presbyterian group last year went to the family shelter, which houses up to 60 people, all single women and families.

"Quilts are definitely appreciated," Stone said, adding that homemade quilts are a welcome sight on the queen, double and single beds.

"We can always use more," she noted.

It's that need that keeps guilds and church groups busy, creating new quilts each season.

The Naches Presbyterian women take their sewing machines to the church when it's quilting day and divide up sewing chores. Some women do the actual quilting, some put on bindings and hem, others iron.

"There's a fellowship and camaraderie to it," said Charlotte Spooner of the Naches church.

"We've been very lucky because the material has been donated," Naches quilter McDowell pointed out.

The only expense has been buying batting, according to Spooner, 80.

"Quilts represent warmth and love and home," she said, explaining why the group enjoys the project. "Quilts are something that you can wrap around yourself, and people deeply appreciate them."

Dora Gunnoe of Wapato has found that same appreciation when she delivers a quilt to a nursing home.

Because her church, the Harrah Grace Brethren, doesn't have a formal quilting group, she decided to venture out on a quilting project on her own.

"I wanted to do something for the community, and nursing homes are the one place that people think of last," said Gunnoe, 43.

She makes small quilts, ones that cover a person's lap and legs.

"The idea is not to have them so heavy, but just enough to keep a patient's legs warm," Gunnoe said.

Using any kind of material she has, she sews squares together, binds a sheet on one side and tucks an old blanket in the middle.

So far Gunnoe has made 166 lap quilts for five different nursing homes in Yakima, Union Gap, Wapato and Toppenish.

Harrah Grace Brethren members have donated material to her, but she says she can always use more. Anyone who would like to give Gunnoe material can leave it at the Wapato Fire Station, at U.S. Highway 97 and West Wapato Road, where she serves as a volunteer firefighter.

For that matter, most church and quilting groups welcome donations of extra material.

Creating a quilt and knowing it goes to someone who needs it is rewarding, said Spooner.

"It's a nice feeling to make something that benefits people, and you don't care if someone says thank you. You don't care at all.

"It's just something that's comforting to people, and they know that someone loves them enough to do something for them," Spooner said.

* Jane Gargas can be reached at 509-577-7690 or jgargas@yakimaherald.com.