By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
June 23, 2005

MOVILLE - A group of women at Immaculate Conception Church in Moville have started a quilting group to make items for people in need.

According to the group, they began about two months ago and meet every Thursday afternoon in a room in the church. On an average Thursday, there are about four or five ladies.

"Father (Mark Stoll, pastor) calls us the guild crafters," said Dorothy Thomason.

The group makes quilts for whoever needs them in the community such as missions or agencies. They have also made several adult bibs or aprons to take to Holy Spirit Nursing Home in Sioux City.

"They needed them. They said they had 80 to 90 patients," said Thomason. "We have taken them about 22, and we have a bag of eight or nine. We are going to try to fill the 80 to 90. They are using them as an activity. They are having fun with it."

The ladies that help with the quilting and making of adult bibs include Virginia Connelly, Mary Drevs, Mary Ellen Jahn, Elaine Ketelsen, Phyllis Schmidt, Thomason and a few others.

"We had people asking why our parish didn't do anything like this," said Thomason. "We never had a project or no one ever started it. We went ahead and started it and got the word around."

The materials, supplies and sewing machines have been donated to the group to help in their endeavors. They have a few tables and boxes full of material to create the quilts and bibs with.

"The parish started giving them to us to begin with," said Thomason. "Then I went to Hancock fabrics and asked if they had anything that they ever donated. They told me if I wasn't picky, they would give me anything they had. We have three sewing machines from parishioners and the guild bought us one."

There are other places in the area that contributed to the materials the ladies are using.

The room that the group is currently in is also used for religious education classes during the school year. According to Thomason, the group will still be able to use at least half of the room once school begins in the fall.

"I think it is wonderful to give," said Schmidt.

The social aspect of the group is what some of the ladies said is part of why they continue to come and help.

"It is good, too, to get better acquainted with other people of the parish," said Thomason.