A long-standing quilting club is looking for new members to help stitch up support for the local community. The club, known to some as the quilting queens of St. Andrews, has been meeting, measuring and mending for more than 50 years. “It started at St. James Church with a group of ladies who were sewing warm clothing for the people that worked on the warning line up in the Arctic,” explained club president Maile Bower. The group of 18 ladies, ranging from their mid-50s to 101 years old, meets every Tuesday at St. Andrews United Church to work on a range of textiles including quilts and baby blankets. Bower said the club is currently looking for new members, adding “a lot of talent” at the tables to learn from. “You don’t need a lot of experience as long as you can sew a little bit or even baste the quilts together,” she added. “We can always use the extra set of hands.” Everything the club makes is made in support of local charities, either by direct donation or through its annual quilt sale. “I think we all have a really good time working together as a team. Everybody has their talents, and we’re grateful for that. And it’s doing something for others that makes the difference,” Bower said. This year’s quilt sale will be held at St. Andrews United Church on Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Money raised will go to charities including Pilgrims Hospice, which provides end of life care for people with a terminal illness, and the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation for domestic abuse survivors. The church accepts cloth donations year-round to be used by the club. You can arrange a drop off by calling the main office. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Alex Antoneshyn
