“We are always looking for people interested in quilting,” said Linda Lucke of the St. Clement Quilters, noting they are all about getting together to work on people’s quilts, quilts for good causes, and practicing the craft.

Then she added, “if we can continue.”

The group, which has been around for three decades, is about to lose their current space, and with that, may have to disband if they cannot find another location.

Currently they quilt in the basement of BMO Bank, which is closing at the beginning of December. That space has been a dream for the group - they have been able to have set up two 10x10 quilting frames, have ample storage for fabric and batting, and have been able to use the bank’s 16-footlong board table for things like measuring and cutting.

For many years, the group had been in the home of one of their former members, the late Catherine Schindler, but they moved into the bank in 2015 when Schindler moved out of her home.

“This has been heaven,” said Mary Seiler, one of the 17 members of the group.

They understand they might not be able to find a space as large as what they have currently, but they hope they can find something that would be just as cheap.

The group does not pay rent, and as a philanthropic group, most of their purpose is giving back to the community. They do custom quilting work for people for a fee, but that mainly allows them to cover their costs for fabric, batting and thread for the quilts that that they donate.

And donate quilts they do. Making a little more than 30 quilts a year, they go to all sorts of good causes. A batch of quilts were all bagged to go to the Beds for Kids program, for example. They give quilts to families who lose their homes to fire. They give churches quilts for families they help during the year.

They also donate quilts to fundraisers.

Any money left over, they donate to programs like Snackpacks for Backpacks, the Salvation Army, Southwest Opportunities Center, and others.

For Kris Reuter, she had bought a few quilts made by the quilters at fundraisers, and when she saw a message in her church bulletin, she leaped at the chance to join.

“It’s an art form, and people realize this,” Reuter said of their work, joking that since she is new to quilting, she stays on the other frame tying, because she doesn’t want to mess things up. For Kris there is a connection to family - growing up, her mother and sisters tied quilts, but for whatever reason, she never participated. Later on in life, she worked on some quilts with her mom before she passed, and she wanted to keep doing what she learned.

Beyond practicing and learning the craft, she also found more with the group.

“It is a calming atmosphere, it’s like a zen moment,” Reuter said, adding that she was really looking forward to the fall, as this is her first year with the group, and loves the camaraderie amongst the members.

For Carma Frank, it is continuing something she loves to do, as well as keeping up tradition. She got into quilting when she was young, learning from her mother, but when she got married, her mother-in-law was very big into quilting, and they worked to make quilts for family. She also worked with her sister, who was also big into quilting.

Carma had made quilts for her children and grandchildren, and she wanted to make sure others got that special warmth from a handmade quilt. That, and helping others.

Carma was going to be gone for a few days, so she came in beyond their normal time - they quilt on Mondays and Thursdays, with people coming in and out during the day - to finish one quilt so the group could put a new one on the frame.

Despite the name St. Clements, which refers to an early association with the church, this group is open and has members of any denomination, and they have people coming from as far as Mineral Point to participate.

Lucke noted that they have about one good month of quilting left before they need to start packing up in order to be out by December. What they do next is uncertain - if they cannot find a space, they may set up for a time in a member’s home, or they may disband completely.

Until then, the group is open to all, and open to finding a new home to continue their quilting.

To get more information about the St. Clement Quilters, contact Mary at 608-723-7778 or Linda at 608-723-7593 or email llucke66@gmail.com.