Olive Patchers Sew Quilts
Quilters gather each Wednesday at 10:00 AM at Mt. Olive to create these beautiful, hand crafted quilts which then are given away, destined to touch and warm many people.
Quilters Table Ministry Fair
Mt. Olive Lutheran Church tags
Before we spread the quilts out on the pews for blessing on a Sunday and then give them away, all of our quilts are identified with a small “Mt. Olive Lutheran Church” label sewn onto the hem.
Red, white and blue quilt with a patriotic theme is popular gift for veterans.
Gift at Baptism
We present a quilt to each person who is baptized in our church. These are some of the other places we donate our Mt. Olive quilts on a regular basis:
- Union Gospel Mission
- Salvation Army
- Red Cross
- Homeless Veterans
- Cottage in the Meadow (Quilts for hospice patients)
- Life Choices
Please Join Us
The need for these warm blankets far exceeds what we quilters can supply so we could really use some additional hands to help! We never have enough quilts to keep up with demand.
You can do it!
Everyone is welcome to join us to help make these lovely quilts! Come on Wednesday one week or every week, you can always find ways to help in our simple quilting process. You don’t need to know anything. We will teach you everything.
Quilts Spread Comfort and Joy
People sometimes relate touching stories about the quilts that are given away to bless people in many different places. Most of the time we are not even aware of where the quilts may end up, but we know that they provide comforting warmth and give people joy.
Folding and pinning the hem.
For example:
Mission to Mexico
In 2004 several members of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church (together with several people from a Puget Sound church) went on a week-long mission trip to Anapra, a poor part of Ciudad Juarez, in Mexico.
This family holds new bible and a quilt from Mt. Olive in front of their new house.
The families whose homes they helped build or repair were also given quilts from the Mt. Olive quilters.
Purple Quilt Brought Joy to 94 year old lady
Another very rewarding story that we might never hear came from an obituary in the Yakima Herald-Republic newspaper:
A very special thanks goes to Hospice, Cottage in the Meadow . . . When Mom was taken to Cottage in the Meadow, she was greeted by an amazing staff who gave her a purple quilt to help comfort her while there. It actually matched her purple toenails she had done recently, and besides that, it was her favorite color. It brought joy to her and her family as it was the first time anyone had given her a quilt after the hundreds she gave to others. She passed peacefully with that quilt tightly tucked around her.”
{Note: We do not know whether this particular quilt came from the Mt. Olive “Olive Patchers.”}
Quilters Group needs Fabric
Quilts are laid out on the pews in the Mt. Olive Sanctuary for blessing during a Sunday worship service. Then the quilts are given away all over the world.
In making quilts for non-profit organizations in Yakima and across the world, we use up a lot of the material needed for the back of the quilts. For this purpose, fabric that is a cotton blend or flannel is preferred.
Your old SHEETS (any size) are perfect for the job!!! Solid colored sheets or patriotic colors are most needed right now.
The hospice “Cottage in the Meadow” has asked us to make more quilts for veterans with red, white and blue colors. We also are in need of various blue colors of yarn for tying each piece.
Please remember us if you have old sheets that you are no longer using. If you put on a yard sale, please don’t sell your extra sheets or fabric that we could turn into much needed quilts.
In addition, we always need thread and we always welcome fabric donations as well.
We will gladly and gratefully accept your donation.
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