Stitching quilts & friendship

Like the brightly colored pieces of fabric they put together, the women have created a patchwork of friendship and support that sustains and lifts them.

"We call ourselves Gone to Pieces because we are totally addicted to quilting," says Lorraine Day, one of the founding members of the group. But it's easy to see that while they enjoy quilts, they also enjoy each other.

"This is a very cohesive group," she says. "There's no gossip, no back-biting. We give. We share. We love."

It's like family, says Jolene Chytraus. "These women are like sisters. After my husband died, after my kids all married and moved away, this group has become my Tuesday family. We stay in touch on other days. But problems don't look so bad when you're here."

The group meets once a week for show-and-tell, for a luncheon and to work on quilts. Right now they are putting finishing touches on quilts that will be part of their every-other-year quilt show, which will take place on Saturday, Sept. 25, in the barn at the home on Walker Lane of group member Nancy Lamm.

All proceeds from the show will be donated to The Road Home, which provides support and help for homeless families in the Salt Lake area.

There will be about 150 quilts in the show, of all sizes and styles. There will also be an "opportunity quilt," which will be given away in a drawing. Tickets are $2 each or three for $5. And this year, there will be a boutique offering homemade items such as pillowcases, trick-or-treat bags, pin cushions, luggage tags and more. Proceeds from the quilt and the boutique also go the The Road Home.

Because of limited parking at the barn, a shuttle will pick up visitors at the junction of Cottonwood Lane and Walker Lane. Follow the signs, they say; there will be lots of signs.

The quilt show is one of the charities Gone to Pieces supports. But there are others. As any quilter knows, the joy of making quilts often exceeds the room for storing them. "We all give a lot of them away to family and friends, but also to hospitals and care centers and other places," says Janet Peterson, president of the group.

There are about 35 members of Gone to Pieces. From time to time, some leave and new members are invited to join. "But we try to keep it at a size that will fit in someone's living room," Bobby Coltin says.

She has been a member of the group for about six years.