Document text
Friendship Circle’s quilts, hats stitched with love Members of the Friendship Circle, who declined to give their names, create a quilt at the LDS Church in Central Point. Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune Monday Apr 2, 2018 at 2:01 AM By Tammy Asnicarfor the Mail Tribune The Friendship Circle — a sort of old-fashioned sewing bee — gathers every Thursday morning at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Central Point. Members say their purpose goes beyond their mutual love of quilting and knitting, and beyond the love they have for one another. Their mission is to reach out to the community and the world with needle and thread (or yarn). While many hands make the work light, and their diverse personalities make the gathering a light-hearted affair, they are very serious in their intent to provide humanitarian aid via quilts, hats and tote bags. The Friendship Circle completes approximately 500 quilts, 500 hats and a couple hundred tote bags each year — all made with donated fabric and other materials. The group’s stitchery has landed in the laps of patients and clients at La Clinica, Maslow Project, Family Nurturing Center, Providence Medford Birthing Center, Asante Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Asante Palliative Care, Siskiyou Community Health Center’s Healthy Start program, and Veterans Affairs’ Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics. The majority of the quilts are lap quilts or baby blankets; some are bed-sized for the veterans hospitalized in White City. Last year, Kids Unlimited scored 500 knitted hats, and local food banks received hundreds of tote bags. Sacred Heart Medical Center in Springfield and the Children’s Miracle Network also benefited from their needlework. The Friendship Circle began in 1998 with the goal of sewing clothes and quilts for local charities. Since then, it has evolved and the circle has widened. Quilts, hats and totes have been sent to Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Tibet, Thailand and Cambodia. Networking, the group was put in touch with the Rescue Task Force, which aids orphanages and families during natural disasters. In Vietnam, orphans afflicted with the HIV virus are wrapped in the quilters’ handiwork. “We only work on humanitarian quilts,” said Pam Edwards. “There are always places to send quilts, and we’ve been able to send them all over the world. It’s no thanks to us or our quilting prowess. God has opened up the doors.” At age 66, Edwards is one of “young ones.” Many of the members are in their 80s, and most will tell you that the Thursday morning sessions are the highlight of their week. “Between 9 and noon Thursdays nothing messes with that time,” said Edwards. “I would be lost without this outlet,” says Myrna Peterson. At 86, she says the group gives her purpose and a goal. Christine George didn’t know how to quilt when she joined the group in 2000, so she knitted hats. She says she stopped counting the number of hats she’d completed at 100. Since then, she has knitted countless hats and has ventured into quilting. She and Peterson said they’ve lost count the number of quilts they’ve stitched. It only matters that they’ve helped someone in need. “It’s therapeutic knowing that we are helping the community,” said George. Recalling last Dec. 23, Evoni Hochstrasser expressed her gratitude for the Friendship Circle’s outreach and the gift of a purple quilt. Her daughter, 8½-year-old Maddison, had a series of violent seizures and was admitted to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center for several days. “She has a rare genetic condition that has us at the hospital more times than we like,” said Hochstrasser. The simple gesture of a handmade quilt in her daughter’s favorite color “was what we needed at that time,” said Hochstrasser. “The blanket was beautiful and comforting; it made the stay easier,” she added. “And to know all the hands involved in the making of it … it was very touching.” Maddison still has the quilt, and for her mother it is a reminder of “peace in a time of high stress.” Although there have been up to 20 members working on any given Thursday, Peterson says six to eight people are “the backbone” of the group. Not all members are women. “There’s an 87-year-old gentleman who brings his long-arm sewing machine,” said Edwards. Although some bring machines to the meetings, most of the time is spent planning and pinning the quilt blocks. A lot of the finish work is done at individual homes. “The quilting is mainly done by machine, so it’s durable and won’t fall apart on its way up a mountain in Guatemala,” said Edwards. Not all in the group live in Central Point or Medford, some travel from Butte Falls, and not all are members of the LDS church. “This is a wonderful project,” said George. “Anyone is welcome to join.” Reach Grants Pass freelance writer Tammy Asnicar at [email protected].