Heartland Quilters put a little love into every stitch!

Noreen Hyslop photo Officers of the Heartland Quilt Guild are (from left) President Ellen Dowdy, Treasurer Dolores Gayle and Vice President Virginia Reed. Missing from the photo is Secretary Carroll Jarrell.

On the third Saturday of each month, a group of local ladies gathers at the O.A.K.S. Senior Center in downtown Dexter to do what they all seem to love. They quilt. They number some 40 members strong and call themselves the Heartland Quilt Guild and when they get together, there are no idle hands for the devil's playground.

Everyone seems to have a task as the ladies cut, piece and sew some of the most beautiful quilts that have ever graced a bed.

Not only do the ladies join forces to produce masterpieces. They devote time every so often to simply share works from home, or some quilted items that have been presented to them as gifts over the years. Much like a class of school children, they have their very own "Show and Tell."

At their recent meeting in late June, there were all sorts of pattern titles being tossed about with which only an avid quilter might be familiar. There was a "Scrappy Pineapple" that Maxine Worth had brought to display. And Barbara Bollinger carried in her "Rose Sampler."

Sue Shaw showed off her "Pinwheel" potholder and Dee Boesen brought a baby bunting that had been designed by Winnie Morgan, triggering many "Ooohs and Aaahs" from the crowd.

There were quilts constructed with crocheted doilies and the "Dutch Doll" quilt top that Viva Pope displayed. There were quilts made from recycled denim and red bandanas.

To attend the Heartland Quilters meeting is to take a baby step back in time, when a stitch in time saved nine and beauty and practicality came together to serve a common purpose.

"We just have a good time together," says the group's newly-elected vice president, Virginia Reed. "We've been doing this for years and we still see new patterns that we've never come across before, so we just have to try them out."

Sometimes a meal is included in the day's activities. Hard working quilters get hungry. Occasionally, that means a carry-out, but more often, each contributes to a good, old-fashioned salad luncheon, where recipes are swapped and where if anyone leaves hungry, it's their own fault.

While the ladies always have a good time swapping ideas and sharing meals and conversation, the work of the Heartland Quilters often serves even a greater purpose. The women have produced works of art that have been annually donated toward charitable causes all over Southeast Missouri.

With no need for recognition, their handiwork has been donated to agencies that include the Center for Family Resources at Malden, the Stoddard County Children's Home, the Mother-to-Mother Program and nursing care facilities all over Stoddard County. There's an abundance of love in every stitch with this group of women, but tenfold when they know that their efforts will go to keep a child warm on a cold winter night.

"We always feel good about helping out where there's a need," says Reed.

By all indications, so do a wealth of happy recipients of the handiwork of the Heartland Quilt Guild.