Creating a quilt is a labor of love, and each week a group of women get together at St. Luke’s church in Clearwater to do just that. 

The group is called Senior Quilters, however a person doesn’t have to be a senior or a member of St. Luke’s to participate. 

 

“We’re a community group open to everyone,” said member Jane Gohman. “Our members are from all denominations and come from Clearwater, Annandale, Becker, Big Lake, St. Augusta, St. Cloud and even St. Paul.”

 

Gohman and her parents, Clyde and Bernice Clement, started the group in 1993 as a way to help pay for the newly built parish center.

 

“My father asked me how the church was going to pay for the building,” explained Gohman. “It was actually his idea to start the quilting group.”

 

 The women create quilts year round and then auction them off during St. Luke’s annual Parish Festival at the end August. The money raised still goes to the building fund. This will be the second year they will also auction off a quilt donated by Clearwater resident Carol Mason to help raise funds for the Clearwater Library.

 

The amount of money brought in by each quilt varies depending on the size and design. The most raised by one quilt was $1,700.

 

The quilters’ goal each year is to create at least six baby quilts, a dozen king and queen sizes and a few quilted throws. The designs vary in in style and colors in order to appeal to as many people as possible. For example one quilt may feature deer to appeal to hunters and another quilt may feature flowers to appeal to women. 

 

There’s usually two to three quilts being worked on concurrently, and sometimes members will work on a quilt at home and bring in to be finished, like the baby quilt embroidered by 93-year-old Annandale resident Edna Matthees. All the quilts are made entirely by hand.

 

After the group has finished the quilts, they’re sent over to Clearwater residents Marie Hogrefe and Virginia Stavrum. They put the backings on and bind them, which is the process of finishing off the edges.

 

“They provide the finishing touch,” said Gohman. “They’re very efficient and their work is excellent.”

 

The quilters meet every Tuesday from 8 a.m. to noon at St. Luke’s parish center, with members arriving and leaving as their schedules allow. The group consists of 28 members, however the number of actual participants varies each week. 

 

New members are always welcome and don’t have to know how to quilt. 

 

“Many of our quilters started out as newbies,” said Gohman.

 

“Quilting is very therapeutic,” said member Jan Wicks. “There’s such a camaraderie here, and we’re raising money for a good cause.”