Members of Central Kansas Threadbenders Quilt Guild spent Tuesday cutting, piecing and stitching together another batch of small quilts destined to be used by Great Bend youngsters, making the transition from home to school a more loving and caring experience.  
Earlene Arnold came up with the idea when, in preparation for a home renovation project, she needed to clean out her sewing room.  Anyone who has had a relationship with a longtime quilter knows that’s not a quick and easy project.  As she sorted through her fabric collection, she realized she had material enough for many small lap-sized quilts.
Eisenhower Elementary School received the first batch.  She brought samples for Show and Tell at a Threadbenders meeting, and several other quilters volunteered to help create more.
Riley elementary received the next batch.  Each quilt measures roughly three feet by four feet, and is made primarily of denim squares cut from donated jeans.  Students use the quilts to lay on during nap time, or to sit on during programs.  They even use them when they feel chilly.  It’s all up to the teachers in the classrooms how they will use the quilts, she said.  
“We do our best to make sure each quilt has a pocket,” Arnold said.  “We tell the kids that inside each pocket is love and concern.  And if the quilt doesn’t have a pocket, we tell them there is love and concern in each and every stitch of the quilt.”
Nothing is wasted.  The group even saves the odds and ends scraps to piece together additional squares or for ornamentation elsewhere on the quilts.  So far, the group has made over 100 quilts, and expect to make about 30 more before they complete this leg of the project.  The members have been meeting for two-day quilting marathons each month for the past few months to make headway on the project.  Some members also work on quilts at home.  Brownies and other goodies are shared, along with plenty of conversation and laughter, keeping the energy level among these stitchers high.  
The project also provides a great opportunity to use up partial rolls of thread, Arnold said.  The empty spools are donated to another member project designed to bring comfort to patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
The Central Kansas Threadbenders Quilt Guild is open to new members, and meets the third Friday each month at First Presbyterian Church, 24th and Washington St., Great Bend.  Members get together to work on projects in the morning, and then hold an official meeting and training or workshops at 1 p.m.  Additional information can be found in the Barton County Source under Clubs and Organizations on the Great Bend Tribune website.
Members volunteer their skills to service projects like the kids quilts, and each year the guild creates an “Opportunity quilt,” for a fundraiser.

(A video slideshow accompanies this story on our website, gbtribune.com)
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAb70-aA7wo&feature=player_detailpage