From the Heart

Quilts and Booties and Hats! Oh My!

Our TRBC Stitch’N Serve family has been meeting on Friday mornings from 9:30-11:30 for about 15 years now.  Our ages range from birth to 102 and our years of experience vary from 0 to over 70 years!  Stitch’N Serve started out as a group of women learning to quilt and has grown into a ministry of quilting, sewing, crocheting and knitting - all because of one lady who read an article in the newspaper about a cry for help for someone to make baby hats for the TMH NICU. 

Here are just a few of the items we create:

• Tallahassee Memorial Hospital NICU - quilted baby blankets, crocheted and knitted baby hats and booties
• A Women's Pregnancy Center - quilted baby blankets, crocheted and knitted baby hats and booties
• Chelsea House (for women in crisis) - handmade gifts
• TRBC Homebound members and those in assisted living facilities - knitted and crocheted prayer shawls and Christmas goodies
• Homeless shelter - crocheted and knitted hats and scarves
• Breakfast in the Park - personal toiletry kits
• Currently learning to crochet and knit hats for women with cancer
• Royal Ambassador and Girls in Action mission groups - sew patches and badges that the boys and girls earn for various activities onto their vests and sashes

Over the last fifteen years the Stitch'N Serve ministry has donated over 2,000 baby blankets to the TMH NICU and A Women's Pregnancy Center in addition to hats and booties and we are just getting warmed up!

Most of our Stitch'N Serve family learned their trade from their mothers or grandmothers.  They started with simple things like baby doll or Barbie doll clothes then graduated to their own clothes and children’s clothes.  Some of our ladies learned or rather attempted to knit during World War 2.  Unfortunately, some children were cold that winter because, as they quickly discovered, you either really like to knit or you don’t!  Fortunately, soldiers were still kept warm with scarves and sock hats worn under their helmet even if the items weren't stitched perfectly. Other ladies learned from local fabric shops, neighbors, friends, and even here at Stitch’N Serve because they remember the talents of their grandmothers. 

When you join our family you will add to our over 320 years of crocheting experience, 380 years of sewing experience, and 230 years of knitting experience!  In that time, our ladies have made many items that are useful at home, in caring for others, and  in ministering to hurting familes. 

We've had some odd requests through the years (and we always seem to figure out how to make them work):

• A crocheted hat with an attached beard
• A pumpkin quilt
• A “monster” isolette cover for a NICU baby
• A crocheted hammock
• An astronaut suit
• A tea pot costume
• Reconstructed quilts using worn out favorite quilts
• Aprons 
• Quilts that have been started by previous generations and finished by our group. 

We often get donations of yarn and fabric from lovely ladies of the trade that have gone on to be with the Lord.  One such donation yielded a stack of completed quilted squares that were numbered and ready to be put together.  That donation sat for a year, treasured as a last work in progress.  Our Stitch'N Serve family became aware of an elementary-age child who had cancer.  As we prayed weekly for this child, we began to wonder how we could minister to this family as they faced this difficult journey.  That’s when we remembered the "project in progress" donation.  The top squares were finished, and then the whole group quilted by everyone tying the squares and praying over the quilt, the child, and the family.  This work of love was given to the child’s teacher and delivered to the hospital.  Sadly this little one passed away, but the family still has a beautiful quilt to remind them of the prayers others prayed on their behalf for their child and their family.

Most of the time, we don't know who receives our handmade creations. However, every now and then we do get to hear how God is using these blankets and booties.  A Women's Pregnancy Center tells us that it is often the blanket handed to that mom who is considering abortion that helps her understand the full reality of the life she is carrying.  We have also come in contact with parents who have had children in the TMH NICU who said that the blankets bring a smile during those very difficult days.  Our ladies are sharing their talents to make a homemade difference in the lives of others, all for God's glory!

Stitch’N Serve is much more than a group of women who knit, crochet and sew.  We are a family.  Our members have many talents that they love to share and that love overflows into their projects. Titus 2:4-5 says, "These older women must train the younger women to live quietly, to love their husbands and their children, and to be sensible and clean minded, spending their time in their own homes, being kind and obedient to their husbands so that the Christian faith can’t be spoken against by those who know them." (The Living Bible)  This is the scripture that gives many of our older family members a reason to keep going and provide a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with our younger members.  Our younger members come to glean from skilled lades and find the family they need to grow in talents and spirit.   We welcome all ages from all over our community.  We meet new family members at church, fabric shops and other craft shops. Anywhere  and anytime we meet women who share similar talents, we invite them to join us!   We end each week with prayer for the ministries we serve and for our families.  God continues to bless our group every week with His sweet Spirit. We pray that as our items make their way to new homes, those families will feel His love through our gifts.  

Do you crochet, knit or quilt?  Would you like to learn to crochet, knit or quilt?  Come join our Stitch'N Serve family on Friday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 am in the Adult Building Room A105. You do not need to be a TRBC member to participate. We would love to have you join us!