Since 2000, a quilting group has been meeting twice each month at Christ the King Lutheran Church. Its members spend time working with donated materials, and a few supplies they purchase or are paid for by the church, creating beautiful works of art that are sent out around the world.

Last weekend, members of the Mt Pleasant Road church had the opportunity to see the group's work. On Sunday, May 15, parishioners were surprised to walk into their sanctuary, where 32 full-size quilts had been draped over the pews. Two more quilts had been draped over the choir loft, bringing the full presentation to 34 handmade quilts.

It was the first time in the group's history that such a display was offered. While the bed coverings were all about the same size, each was different in its patterns and colors. There were some with autumnal hues, and others with bright spring and summer colors; some featuring plaids, others floral patterns; some that had recognizable children's characters as part of their fabric, and countless others with unplanned patterns and colors somehow working together.

"The congregation has never seen what we've done," Rosemarie Gollenberg, the unofficial leader of the group, said on May 12. She and the other members of the group met that morning to put the display into place. "Usually we finish enough quilts to fill a box and then we ship them off."

The quilts are indeed a group effort. Mary Cardella cuts 11-inch squares at her home. Then during their gatherings, the quilters assemble pieces together and tie them into place. A layer of flannel between the top and bottom layers of each quilt offers weight and a layer of warmth.

Millie Johnson then takes the quilts home for their final touch: edging.

Each finished quilt measures approximately 60 by 80 inches, and weighs between four and five pounds.

Working with donated materials means the quilters are challenged to find patterns where they may not be obvious at first glance. Mrs Gollenberg is credited with arranging much of the donated pieces together.

"Rosemarie has such an eye," Tacy Pack said of the unofficial leader of the group. "She puts patterns together well."

In addition to fellow Christ the King members and friends, material for some of the quilts really does find its way to the women serendipitously.

"We've been very lucky," Mrs Gollenberg said last week. "Donations come from unexpected places."

Last Thursday, while the quilters were putting their work into place, Mrs Gollenberg walked over to the church's meeting hall, where a monthly Friends of Counted Embroidery-Laurel chapter meeting was taking place. She invited those women to visit the sanctuary at their leisure, to view the works on display.

"One woman mentioned that she had some material at her home, and wondered if we could use it," said Mrs Gollenberg. "She was going to look at what she has, but she thought there would be something that we could use."

The group currently boasts a "large" population, the ladies said last week. In addition to the aforementioned women, regular quilters also include Cindy Grabovsky, Dorothy Lange, and Nancy Nightingale.

"It had been a small group for a while," Mrs Gollenberg said, smiling, "with three or four people."

In the past, the group would work until they had a large box filled with quilts. They would then ship out to Lutheran World Relief (LWR), a Baltimore-based nonprofit "that works with local partners to provide lasting solutions to poverty, injustice and suffering," according to the organization's website.

"They send them out wherever they're needed," said Mrs Gollenberg.

A thank you letter from LWR to the Christ the King group from April 2015 thanked the women for their donation of quilts and kits for distribution overseas. LWR has been responding to the Syrian refugee crisis since 2011.

"These gifts of your hearts and hands are beautiful expressions of God's grace and love to people all around the world," the note says in part. "Your care and compassion makes it possible for families and communities to keep themselves healthy, warm, educated, and enjoyed."

This year Christ the King's quilters had a large collection of quilts to put into the hands of LWR.

"We used to send them out every other month," said Mrs Gollenberg. "We'd send them when we had a box full."

The shipping fees have become cost prohibitive for the group, who by 2015 had completed and sent out 293 quilts. Now, the quilters have joined other church groups that make a large donation to LWR once annually. With the donation this year of their latest quilts, the group had created 327 quilts for strangers in need.

LWR now arranges for a truck to be stationed in Hamden, among other locations. Local groups can take their donations to a truck, which then takes everything to Baltimore.

"We'd rather spend our money on materials, not shipping," said Mrs Gollenberg.

Fortunately, the church's men's group recently put some shelving into place so that the women have a place to keep their finished quilts safely stored.

The display last weekend represented just over a year's worth of work, according to Ms Pack. It also represented a year's worth of companionship, laughter, and quiet joy.

"The fellowship of this women is a true joy," Ms Pack said. Seated in nearby pews, their beautiful handiwork surrounding them, all other the others smiled and nodded.