Published: October 09, 2008 12:14 pm            

Stitches of Love

ALTAMONT — Elvera Crowell has been making quilts and blankets for more than 35 years.

But age has a way of catching up to all of us, especially at age 95. So, Crowell is hanging up the ole sewing machine, but not before going out with a bang.

Crowell, who turns 96 in December, made pieces for 37 quilts earlier this year. She can’t talk on the phone anymore, but daughter Jan Elliott said the former Marshall Clinic employee started quilting when she was about 60 years old.

Crowell sent the pieces to the ladies at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Altamont, where a group put together the quilts in the church basement this summer. The 60-by-80-inch quilts will then be sent to Lutheran World Relief in Baltimore. From there, who knows where they go.

“When Mom was working on something, I’d always tell her ‘This one’s going to Indonesia, or that one’s going to China.’ Of course, we never know where they really go,” Elliott said.

Church member Betty Morris said the quilts can be used for anything from cover to rug to room divider to even roof.

“They go wherever there is a disaster or need in foreign countries,” Morris said, adding quilts also have gone to hurricane victims and others in need in the United States.

Church member Irene Smith said the ladies derive satisfaction from knowing the quilts will be needed.

“Just knowing they are helping somebody else stay warm is enough for us,” Smith said.

Crowell attended St. Paul for many years before she moved in with her daughter in Pittsburgh several years ago. Elliott said the family is in the process of moving to Wilmington, N.C.

Age has robbed Crowell of the ability to do any more quilting, Elliott said.

“It was just getting a little too much for her,” she said.

Even though Crowell won’t be helping out anymore, the St. Paul ladies still plan to stay busy with their quilting, as well as other charity projects, such as health kits.

Morris said the kits include hand towels, washcloths, toothbrushes, soap and nail clippers. They, too, are sent to Lutheran World Relief for worldwide distribution.

Lutheran World Relief spokeswoman Emily Sollie said the quilting ministry has been active since the relief organization was founded in 1945.

“That ministry is the heart and soul of what we do,” Sollie said. “It gives people a hands-on way to connect with people in other countries.”

For more about Lutheran World Relief and their projects, access its Web site at www.lwr.org.

Bill Grimes can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 131 or bill.grimes@effinghamdailynews.com.