By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter
Photo/Melanie Petrucci
Shrewsbury – The Schoolhouse Quilters of Shrewsbury have been busy the past couple of months making dresses, shorts and blankets for a project called “Dresses for Haiti,” which is part of the Haitian Apostolate Sewing Ministry from St. Columba’s Catholic Church in Paxton.
A challenge was issued about three months ago among the Schoolhouse Quilters Guild members to see which team could make the most items for Haitian children. Seven teams were then formed. This challenge was this year’s outreach program.
On June 3, their last meeting of before the summer, the guild held a tea party at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in Shrewsbury to display some of the items and announce the winning team.
Guild President Beth Cunningham shared, “We started the project two or three months ago and it’s the first time we’ve ever done this particular challenge…We thought we’d get about five or six dresses and I think we may have well over 500.”
The winning team, the “Fabric Foodies,” consists of the guild’s Hospitality Committee. They are Sue Lahti, Lynne Johnson, Judy Labregne, Clare O’Connor, Chottsie Cote and Linda Poole. They made 181 items including 94 dresses, 34 shorts and 53 blankets.
Among the seven teams, 598 articles were made: 383 dresses, 69 pairs of shorts and 146 blankets. All of these will be donated to the Haitian Apostolate of the Diocese of Worcester through the Haitian Apostolate Sewing Ministry at St. Columba’s Church.
Judi Mancini from St. Columba’s Church was a guest at the tea party.
“I am blown away, literally because what you have done in three months is staggering,” she told the group.
The Guild was founded in 1980 and they meet on the first Sunday of the month at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church. They have about 60 active members who come from Shrewsbury and neighboring communities.
For more information about the Haitian Apostolate Sewing Ministry, contact Judi Mancini at 508-753-2022, 508-769-7412 or [email protected].
