History

In the fall of 1978, Isabel Biller had been teaching quilting classes for two years at the Lynchburg Department of Recreation. She noticed the same smiling faces returning repeatedly to take classes, ask questions, and learn more techniques. That is when Isabel decided to form a club where people interested in quilting could gather and share ideas on a regular basis.

A core group of seven people - Isabel Biller, Sandy Goslow, Mary Alice Fitzgibbons, Ruby Ramey, Maureen Alden, Kathy Burger, and Sharon Wheeler - began meeting weekly at the Recreation Department to quilt together. These were our charter members.

Soon the group started formulating plans to establish an official quilt club. They discussed several potential names, and after voting, Patches 'n Pieces was the winner. Officers were elected and on March 22, 1979, bylaws were finalized and paperwork was signed to formally establish Patches 'n Pieces Quilt Club as a co-sponsored club of the Lynchburg Department of Recreation.  This is why we are a club and not a guild. Others who shared an interest in quilting soon joined the group. By 1981, there were about 15 members. There were 24 members in January 1990. Interest in the club and quilting continued to grow.

In addition to climbing 39 steps to reach the third floor, the room in which the club met at the Recreation Department had an occupancy limit of 30 people. The meeting room was booked with many recreation-related activities and was only available Monday through Friday, so Club workshops happened at St. Thomas More Catholic Church on a few Saturdays during the year. 

Eventually there was a waiting list to join. To accommodate more people, the group sought a new meeting location.  In 1994, Patches ‘n Pieces members began meeting regularly in the lower level common room at St. Thomas More church, and continued to hold workshops there. This room was much larger than the one at the Parks & Recreation department. As a bonus, the Club had access to the kitchen, which was adjacent to the meeting room, and members signed up to make coffee and provide snacks for each meeting.

We gathered at St. Thomas More for many years, moving from the lower level room to the large fellowship hall as membership grew. As of August 2016, the club had more than 100 active members, and close to 75 members regularly attended the twice-monthly meetings. Workshops were held there, too.

Our time at St. Thomas More ended in 2017 when the church started a major renovation. We found a temporary home at Calvary Baptist Church, and in the spring of 2018, the membership voted to make that location our permanent home.

Patches 'n Pieces Quilt Club celebrated its 25th Silver Anniversary in March 2004 and celebrated 40 years of quilting camaraderie in 2019.  


 
Copyright © 2024 Patches 'n Pieces Quilt Club