Members of Neighbors Caring and Sharing, a women's group that meets weekly at Conestoga Mennonite Church in Morgantown, gathered on March 2 to knot comforters and complete drawstring kit bags for the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a Christian relief organization.
In preparation for the community service project, sisters Krista Petersheim and Carmen Weber provided nearly completed comforters to the group. The blankets, which consisted of a piece of material on top, batting in the middle and more fabric on the back, were knotted together by the women, who used heavy thread to knot the three layers of fabric together to make the final quilted product. During the course of the recent meeting, the women knotted eight comforters.
Additionally, the women added drawstrings to small bags made by Weber, which will be filled with various items before being shipped out of the country. Attendees used a safety pin to guide the strings through the top of the bags to form the drawstring.
"They are used for school kits, baby kits, sewing kits or health kits," said Tina Essick, program chair for the Neighbors group. "MCC either fills them or other groups fill them, and they ship them to where there is a need."
Essick noted that the comforters are used by the recipients to keep warm or as room dividers for refugees who live in tents. They also go to sites of natural disasters both in the United States and worldwide.
The comforters and the bags were made from leftover fabric. Weber pointed to one particularly colorful quilt with many patches, describing it as "a temper tantrum in a fabric shop."
"I repurpose (material) to keep it out of the landfills. I don't cut portions of brand-new fabric. I am using scraps that nobody knows what to do with," said Weber. "I get little pieces given to me and I cut them and repurpose them."
She noted that one of the comforters was made from medical scrubs. "The scrubs were in really excellent shape and they were donated (to a thrift store) and they were not going to sell," Weber noted. "(Scrubs) are made of poly cotton fabric that wears like iron, so we used them to make a quilt."
Now in its 35th year, Neighbors Caring and Sharing meets on Tuesdays from September through June. This year, meetings require attendees to wear masks and be socially distant.
The meetings begin with refreshments and a prayer time, followed by a guest speaker or special activity. Programs and child care are offered free of charge, but donations are welcome. When a craft is the focus of the meeting, registration is required and a small fee is charged to cover the cost of supplies.
Conestoga Mennonite Church is located at 2779 Main St. (Route 23), Morgantown. For more information and a complete calendar of events, readers may visit http://www.conestogamennonitechurch.org/neighbors.html or call the church office at 610-286-9124.
More information about creating comforters and kits for MCC is available at http://www.mcc.org/get-involved/kits.
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