Piecemakers – Moe’s quilting group extraordinaire. Drop by for a yarn and stay for a quilt…

Every fortnight, the Moe Baptist Church is abuzz with the sounds of friendly chatter, humming sewing machines, and an endlessly bubbling kettle.

Welcome to the home of the Piecemakers.

Piecemakers is a group of about 15 ladies who gather together every few weeks to quilt, chat and connect. Created in 2012, the group originally made 10 quilts that they donated to Baptcare for our Family Services and Asylum Seekers (Sanctuary) communities. So began a wonderful relationship that flourishes to this day.

“What these ladies do for those we support is simply inspiring,” commented Sabina Cruz, Fundraising and Community Engagement Manager at Baptcare.

“They donate their money in materials but also so much time. Hundreds of hours and creative flair go into each unique quilt, and these ladies are more than happy to part with them knowing that the quilt will bring comfort to a child in foster care or to a person seeking asylum in our Sanctuary program. It’s a blessing to have these ladies donate their quilts each year.”

These quilts can take up to 200 hours to make and some are entirely hand stitched. Draped over the chairs, the bright and intricately designed quilts seem to have a sort of Harry Potter-esque magic and life about them. Draped on mass, they look like one bright, open-armed hug just waiting to embrace someone in need.

Norma, one of the quilters, was delighted to hear that a few of the Piecemakers’ quilts were donated to a grandmother and granddaughter within the Baptcare foster care community. Estranged from her daughter for 10 years and with her grandchild in foster care, Norma loved the thought that her quilts might bring joy to another grandmother and grandchild.

“You hope that the people who receive the quilts will enjoy them and look after them,” Norma said. “I guess it’s something in their life that they can feel good about – and they may not have much else to feel good about, so it’s lovely to give them this gift.”

Fellow quilter, Leslie,agrees with Norma. Asked why she likes to donate her quilts, Leslie said, “I’m just a giving kind of person I guess. When I lived in New Zealand, I used to foster orphaned children, so I’m happy to be helping out Baptcare’s fostering community now. It’s something close to my heart.”

Like many communities, the giving at the heart of Piecemakers is also a gift to many of its members.

“Many of the quilters may have family living far away, so they enjoy getting together with people in the Moe community,” commented Margot, the organiser of the group. “We all enjoy the friendship and connections.”

As fellow Piecemaker Norma says, “I wasn’t in a good place before I joined Piecemakers. I really joined because I needed some TLC for me. Being a part of this group has been really therapeutic for me. They’re a beautiful group of ladies.”

Some names changed for privacy reasons