It’s been said that a quilt can warm the body and comfort the soul. It’s that sentiment that drives members of the Prayers and Squares Quilting Ministry at Friedberg Moravian Church.

The group, composed of a half-dozen women, started meeting in January 2006 with a simple mission in mind: provide handmade quilts for community members in need. As group founder Bonnie Landreth points out, that need can be physical, mental, or spiritual.

“We like to think of [the quilts] as small reminders that somebody cares,” she says. “It’s our way of wrapping them in prayers.”

The group takes requests from members of the church and surrounding community who have a loved one in need. From there, they enter the planning phase, carefully picking a design and color scheme to suit the recipient. Landreth alludes to a quilt the group recently made for a boy who lost his leg. After learning about his interests, they designed his quilt to resemble a small town complete with roadways. This was done so the boy could sit on the quilt and play with his toy cars. “We try to individualize each one to make them special,” she notes.

You’ll find the group hard at work every Thursday night, joyfully piecing together bits of fabric of varying shapes and shades. To complete each quilt, members divide duties among themselves. Some iron, some cut, some stitch. Regardless of the task, Landreth says it’s all done with love.

“We don’t take money for the quilts,” she says. “It’s really not about that. It’s about reaching out to others and lifting them up.”