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LEWISTOWN - The hands of Lutheran parish women have been busy during the past year making hundreds of quilts for disaster relief victims across the world.

On Sunday, the churches will bless the blankets before sending them off to community agencies and Lutheran World Relief, which helps people in 35 countries to grow food, improve health, end conflict and recover from disasters.

Women at Holy Communion Lutheran Church in Yeagertown have made quilts for Blanket Sunday for many years, the Rev. Philip Tundel said.

This year, the group surpassed their typical donations by making more than 100 quilts, Tundel said.

With the quilts, the church "provides warmth and comfort to local women's organizations" as well as world relief, Tundel said.

At St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Alfarata, their Pins & Patches group also has 100 quilts to send this Sunday.

St. John's Lutheran Church, which also has its own quilting group, collects the blankets from all the area churches and packs them for the disaster relief, said Dora Greene, who leads the Piecemakers group.

The Piecemakers have completed about 200 quilts during the past year, Greene said, noting that non-church members also sew for the group.

But 200 is a small percentage of what the group has completed since it was formed in 1990.

Greene, who keeps a tally of all the quilts, said the women have produced 3,538 quilts for both local and international disaster victims.

While the group meets twice a month at the church to sew, some of the Piecemakers do not leave their needles and thread behind when they leave.

For founding members Dorothy Printz, Betty Brought and Dora Greene, quilting is more than just a hobby.

Brought, who takes her work home with her, said her family is accustomed to her devotion to needlework.

"(They) call and ask me what I'm doing, and I say, 'What else? I'm quilting.'" Brought said.

Greene, who is 93, said she also works on quilts at home, especially when they have a deadline to finish the blankets before pickup.

"I just wanted to do something to help," Greene said, remembering why she volunteered when the group formed.

At Printz's home, hundreds of many sized, multi-colored patches are piled neatly on tables and chairs.

Several hours of her day are devoted to working with the fabric, she said, noting that some of her quilts use more than 700 squares of fabric.

At 92, Printz does not let her age hinder her desire to serve. Along with her own efforts, she also organizes and oversees a group at Ohesson Manor Nursing Home who cut patches for the Piecemakers.

Brought also has enlisted help - though her volunteers are much younger.

Upon her request, the church's Explorer Girls youth group agreed to cut patches of fabric for the Piecemakers, Brought said, hoping to spark interest in the younger generation.

Although some younger faces have joined the Piecemakers, most of the women who volunteer are retired.

And, like most groups, membership has dropped over the years, Greene said.

She encouraged anyone who enjoys fellowship and sewing to consider joining the group. While it is a ministry of St. John's, the Piecemakers is open to anyone from the community, Greene said, adding that one woman travels from Juniata County to sew with the group.

Volunteers do not even have to know how to quilt, Greene said. "Anyone who can sew or knot or cut patches" can volunteer, she said.

The group meets at 9 a.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of every month at St. John's Lutheran Church, in Lewistown.