What started out as an effort by church members at Parkesburg Mennonite Church to teach people how to sew has evolved into Sew Much Love, a group that creates handmade items for various charities, including prayer shawls, comforters and pillowcases for hospitalized children.

All are welcome to attend the Sew Much Love gatherings, which are held on the second Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon in the church's fellowship hall. Sewers of all experience levels are welcome, as well as those with no experience.

"We have people with various skills," said Sheila Williamson, one of the group's founders. "If you can tie a knot, you are welcome. We have people who just come to knot comforters."

One of the group's main projects is to create pillowcases, featuring kid-friendly fabrics, for patients at Penn State Health Center Children's Hospital in Hershey. "We get the fabric, and I cut (it to size), and different people sew them together," Williamson explained. "They have to be washed in special soap. We iron them, and then each one gets packaged individually to be handed out to children. Right now, I have close to 200 to take (to Hershey)." She noted that children who receive a pillowcase while hospitalized get to take it home with them.

The group also knots comforters for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a Christian relief organization. The blankets, which consist of material on top, batting in the middle and more fabric on the back, are knotted together by the group members.

Williamson delivers the comforters to the agency's headquarters in Ephrata. "Last year, MCC sent out 56,600 comforters all over the world - to refugee camps, disaster (areas) and some in the United States," Williamson reported. "We used to pick up the tops in MCC and then knot them. Now, we are doing everything here. When I cut up pillowcases, there is always leftover (fabric for the comforters), so we reuse everything. We average about three quilts a month."

Another of the group's projects is to sew fleece blankets for Project Linus, and members also crochet baby hats.

"We had a lot of fleece given to us and we tie these blankets, and they go to the Linus Project," Williamson said. "The baby hats go to Women & Babies (Hospital) in Lancaster. This past year, we did almost 300 baby hats."

She said that members of the community often donate material, including one gentleman whose wife recently passed away. He donated her sewing machine to the group as well as an abundance of turtle-themed fabric.

Williamson added that she is pleased at how the group has grown. "When we first started, there were only three of us, and part of it was to teach women to sew," said Williamson, noting the other two founding members were Patty Nafziger and Jane Rudewick. "The first year or two, it was about teaching, and it evolved. Now it is all mission work. It has really grown, and I am thankful to God for the people that come. The camaraderie and friendship is just wonderful."

Williamson emphasized that Sew Much Love is not limited to members of the church. "We chit-chat and learn about each other. It's nice getting different people from the community (to participate)," she said, noting about 10 to 12 people attend monthly. "We have plenty of room for more."