They keep on stitching to help others

Ten women from Bethany Lutheran Church in Crystal Lake are connecting community, church and care for people worldwide.

For over 15 years, twice a month on Thursdays throughout the year, these women known as the Bethany Piecers have been coming together for a day of "piecing" quilts for Lutheran World Relief. Millie Gieseke has been the owner and operator of the Fabric Shop in downtown Crystal Lake for over 50 years. Several years ago, her friendship with a few members of the Bethany Piecers who frequented her shop moved her to donate material to the women to help with their quilt projects.

With the bolts of colorful and unusual fabrics from Gieseke that line shelves of the "fabric shop" at Bethany, the women work on parts of the quilts. Some cut 8- and 12-inch squares at home, others design the quilt squares, some sew the squares into quilt tops at home and all gather at church to sew the layers together, turn, topstitch and tie them. They will bringing over 100 quilts together for display and blessing on Bethany's annual Mission Sunday. .

As Women of the ELCA, the Bethany Piecers are thrilled the church and community are uniting for a common cause - reaching out to those in need throughout the world.