COMMERCE CITY — Every Wednesday morning for the past 25 years, the women in the Commerce City Quilt Club have gathered to talk thread and fabric while catching up on one another’s lives.
“Oh, sure, we visit while we work. It’s like a get-together of old friends,” said 86-year-old Lorrena Hall, a veteran of the group.
But this summer, club members received a new assignment for which they were uniquely qualified. They were asked to produce 20 quilts for battered women and their children for Christmas.
Club members followed through with not only quilts but also 30 huggable teddy bears, all bound for Denver’s Brandon Center. The facility provides 24-hour shelter services to women and children who are homeless and victims of domestic violence or other crimes.
The quilters’ handiwork was put on display Tuesday at the Commerce City Parks and Recreation Center.
“The whole idea was to make the center a little more homey, a little more comfy,” said Maripat Gallas, a recreation supervisor for the city.
It took the club — whose numbers fluctuate between 10 and 15 members — about six months to produce the quilts. Most of the material they used was donated, while club members also pitched in to buy other necessities.
“It just gave us a wonderful feeling to do this,” Hall said.
One of the club members suggested the project after hearing about the center, Hall said. Most of what the club produces already is given away to friends or family, or used to raise funds, she said.
Maria Armandariz only recently discovered the quilt club and was grateful for a chance to work on one of her passions with other women. “When my mom died in 1989, I lost my sewing buddy,” Armandariz said.
Quilting for the Brandon Center was the ideal outlet for her. “It made me feel good that I can make some women, and their child, a little more comfortable, at least for a while,” Armandariz said.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
